Science begins in earnest tomorrow on the Polar Star. At 0800 we are scheduled to put in the first mooring and the CTD group is hoping to complete a section -- a group of stations aligned in a straight line -- overnight.
Today I received a question via the arcticedge@whoi.edu email address:
Q: I am really enjoying your website - it is very interesting and informative. I have a question: Is there any volcanic activity along the way that would affect the Pacific-origin water as it travels through the Bering Strait, and how would this impact the circulation over the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort/Chukchi slope? Thank you. I hope that Bob Pickart has gotten over his “jellylegs.” Sincerely, George
A: Chief Scientist Tom Weingartner answers: This is a great question! There is a lot of volcanic activity along the Aleutian Island Arc and the Aleutian Trench of the North Pacific Ocean. (These regions are 600 or more miles south of Bering Strait). Undoubtedly this will influence the chemical composition and the circulation of the waters near the volcanoes. However, the volcanic activity is very deep (greater than 1000 meters for the most part I think) and likely to be in the form of hydrothermal vents. In contrast the water flowing through Bering Strait is either of shelf origin or from the upper layers of the Bering Sea basin. In either case these waters are of comparatively shallow origin and generally not much deeper than 150 meters or so.
Keep those questions “flowing!”
And yes, Bob Pickart has finally recovered from his mountain run in Dutch Harbor; although something tells me he won’t be jumping on the ship’s stairmaster anytime on this cruise...
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