Surface waters properties in the Laptev and the East-Siberian Seas in summer 2018 from in situ and satellite data

Abstract. Variability of surface water masses of the Laptev and the East-Siberian seas in August–September 2018 is studied using in situ and satellite data. In situ data was collected during ARKTIKA-2018 expedition and then completed with satellite estimates of sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity (SSS), sea surface height, satellite-derived wind speeds and sea ice concentrations. Derivation of SSS is still challenging in high latitude regions, and the quality of Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) SSS retrieval was improved by applying a threshold on SSS weekly error. The validity of SST and SSS products is demonstrated using ARKTIKA-2018 continuous thermosalinograph measurements and CTD casts. The surface gradients and mixing of river and sea waters in the free of ice and ice covered areas is described with a special attention to the marginal ice zone. The Ekman transport was calculated to better understand the pathway of surface water displacement. T-S diagram using surface satellite estimates shows a possibility to investigate the surface water masses transformation in detail.