HYDROGRAPHY OF THE UPPER ARCTIC-OCEAN MEASURED FROM THE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE USS PARGO

In 1993, the USS Pargo made the first civilian oceanographic submarine cruise in the Arctic Ocean. The hydrographic measurements provide a u nique synoptic description of the upper Arctic Ocean. The results indi cate that the influence of,Atlantic Water has increased relative to ex isting climatologies. The front between waters with an Atlantic versus Pacific character has shifted from over the Lomonosov Ridge to roughl y over the Alpha and Mendeleyev Ridges. Warm cores of Atlantic Water a re observed over the Lomonosov and Mendeleyev Ridges. These data indic ate a fundamental change in the circulation of the Arctic Ocean beginn ing in the early 1990s. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.