Heat And Salt Fluxes In The Westspitsbergen Current In Summer Time

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Based on measurements carried during summer 2000 in the area occupied by the Westspitsbergen Current fluxes of radiation, sensible and latent heat and fluxes of heat and salt within the sea upper layer are calculated. Based on direct measurements of downward and upward short-wave (solar) radiation and the net radiation fluxes and sea surface temperature the sea surface radiation balance was calculated. Daily doses of radiation energy reaching and leaving the sea surface are also estimated. To calculate vertical fluxes of heat in the atmospheric boundary layer the Bulk parameterisation method was used. In the most cases calculated values of heat fluxes were rather low, sensible heat flux about 10 W x m-2 on average and latent heat flux about one order higher, that’s what could be expected in summer season. Salt fluxes to the air in the process of aerosol production are very small and can be neglected. The highest amount of heat an salt in summer time is exchanged by mixing with the surrounding waters. According to our measurements Atlantic Water on its way to the north from about 70oN to 79oN looses about 100 TW of heat and 900 x 103 kg of salt. We thought it could be interesting to find out where it goes. Some of preliminary results of our investigation are presented here.