Ventilation of the Sea of Okhotsk Water in Summer

V. A. Sosnin, P. Ya. Tishchenko, A. N. Salyuk, and N. Biebow

Data of field observations are indicative of the periodic appearance of intrusions of cold water at depths of 250–400 m near the northeastern Sakhalin continental slope in summer. Monitoring of the oceanographic conditions in the area shows that the density contrast between shelf and offshore waters persists throughout the year. The static instability of the water column in the vicinity of shelf break and the continental slope is a permanent feature of the area during the year and is the main cause of ventilation of the Sea of Okhotsk water in summer. The energy of tides can be an additional drive for the penetration of shelf waters into the sea interior and modulate the ventilation process.