One-year records of current and bottom pressure in the strait between Nordaustlandet and Kvitøya, Svalbard, 1980-81

Abstract

We have obtained one year of measurements from a subsurface instrumented mooring carrying two current meters and one bottom pressure recorder in the strait between Nordaustlandet and Kvitøya in the northeastern Svalbard archipelago. The observations show a mixed tide with typical amplitudes 0.4 db and 1Ocm sec-I. The semidiurnal tide is characterized by a progressive wave propagating toward the south. together with a cross-channel baroclinic mode. The annual average (non-tidal) current is less than 2 cm secc’ toward the north-east, suggesting that the transport into the Arctic Ocean is approximately 0.2 x lo6 m3 SKI