Shelf-Basin Exchange Processes in the Beaufort Sea and Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Eddy C. Carmack
Institute of Ocean Sciences, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, British
Columbia,Canada V8L 4B2
Tel: 1-250-363-6585
Fax: 1-250-363-6746
carmacke@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
An overview is given of physical processes affecting flow across Arctic shelves based on measurementsobtained in the western Canadian Arctic during the past decade. Attention is paid to a number of key questions: What are the scales of temporal and spatial variability in flows near the shelf-break? What is the influence of Mackenzie Canyon on cross-shelf flow, upwelling, and eddy generation? What is the disposition of Mackenzie River water on the broad Mackenzie Shelf? What are the joint effects of baroclinic and barotropic motions? What behavior is exhibited by water masses exiting the Canada Basin through the passages of the western Canadian Arctic Archipelago? The overview is aimed, not towards answering the above questions, but rather towards providing a framework for the planning of future investigations elucidating shelf-basin interaction.
