Surface layer desalination of the bays on the east coast of Novaya Zemlya identified by shipboard and satellite data

Abstract

Summary: This study examined the influences of continental and island river runoff as well as glacial meltwater runoff on the water surface layers of the Kara Sea in different bays on the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago off the coast of Russia. High-resolution satellite and shipboard data obtained in 2015 were used to determine the sources of desalination (glacial meltwaters and river waters), which can be distinguished by the type of correlation (positive, negative, or none) seen between salinity and the coloured dissolved organic matter fluorescence intensity. Examples of the various situations that can occur in the bays are provided and discussed. Keywords: Surface layer, Continental runoff, High-resolution satellite data, Salinity, Fluorescence