BARENTS SEA TIDAL AND INERTIAL MOTIONS FROM ARGOS ICE BUOYS DURING THE COORDINATED EASTERN ARCTIC EXPERIMENT

A harmonic analysis, constrained to estimate separately ice motions fo rced by tides and inertial oscillations, was applied to observed posit ions of Argos buoys deployed on drifting multiyear sea ice in the east ern Arctic Ocean and Barents Sea during the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (1988-1989). Individual tidal components were estimated at 15-day intervals, and inertial oscillations were estimated at 3-day i ntervals. The S-2 tidal component was distinguishable from inertial mo tions south of 79 degrees N, and the M(2) tidal component was distingu ishable from the inertial motion north of 77.5 degrees N. Computed ice velocities of up to 70 cm s(-1) for M(2) tidal motion over Spitsberge n Bank southeast of Svalbard agreed reasonably well with the regional tidal models (no ice cover) of Gjevik and of Kowalik. Regional differe nces in the energy distribution in the Arctic Basin (low), Barents she lf (high), and Spitsbergen Bank (extreme) were emphasized by this tech nique. The M(4) tidal component in the ice motion was typically as lar ge over the Barents shelf as the inertial oscillation.