Heat Exchange and Surface Conditions in North Water Northern Baffin Bay

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Abstract
North Water is situated in the high Arctic between Greenland and Canada (74°-79°N, 70°-78°W) The sea surface of this region has no homogeneous ice cover during the winter and spring months, due to the occurrence of polynyas The results of the heat balance and the airborne remote sensing over North Water during winter are reported The heat balance investigation was concerned with the identification of heat sources and their magnitudes The remote sensing was aimed at determining the sea surface temperature and clarifying the exact nature of the surface of North Water in winter North Water was found to be mostly covered with new and young ice and probably devoid of first year ice until March The surface was about 20 °C warmer than that of the surrounding fast ice The warmest areas were frequently located in Smith Sound, Lady Ann Strait and around the Carey Islands Open water patches above freezing point, ranging from -1 5°C to -0 1 °C were often found along the west coast of Greenland The surface of North Water receives heat from the sea water during winter between October and March at the rate of 15 MJm^d”1 of which 80% and 20% are from enthalpy contained in sea water and latent heat of fusion released as the surface water freezes, respectively. The basic difference in winter heat balance between North Water and other ice covered arctic seas is the magnitude of the enthalpy supplied by the seawater which is 9 MJn-2d-1 larger for the North Water This is the main heat source, which keeps the surface from becoming solidly frozen

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