Internal Solitary Waves in the Laptev Sea: First Results of Spaceborne SAR Observations

The first results of internal solitary wave (ISW) observations over the ice-free Laptev Sea derived from 354 ENVISAT Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images acquired in May-October 2011 are reported. Analysis of the data reveals the key regions of ISW distribution that are primarily found over the outer shelf/slope regions poleward the M2 critical latitude. Most of the ISWs are observed in regions where enhanced tide-induced vertical mixing and heat fluxes have been previously reported. This suggests that spaceborne SAR observations may serve as a tool to infer local mixing hot spots over the ice-free Arctic Ocean.