Drift of icebergs and ice fields in the northeastern part of the Barents Sea

Abstract

Considered is the drift of 10 icebergs and 18 ice fields in the northeastern part of the Barents Sea from late May to September 2009. The drift speed is estimated by GPS measurements of geographic coordinates, and the wind, using the air pressure field. The drift variability in the range of synoptic and intraseasonal variability is analyzed by the vector-algebraic method based on the model of the random Euclidean vector. The conjugacy of the drift with the wind is represented by the indices of vector regression (the theory of A.M. Obukhov) and vector correlation. Ice fields differ from icebergs by the high velocities of drift, significant variability, and higher correlation with the wind (0.85–0.99 for fields and 0.78–0.91 for icebergs). The wind and nonwind components of the drift are singled out by the Watanabe-Gudkovich correlation method. Wind coefficients and angles of deviation for the wind drift component amounted to 0.016–0.023 and −6°…+9° for fields and 0.010–0.015 and 10°–15° for icebergs. The cyclonic circulation is developed in the area of permanent surface currents (of the nonwind nature).