Morphometry of Ice Scours in the Southwestern Kara Sea

Abstract

The ice-gouging topography of bed of the southwestern Kara Sea is the result of the impact of icebergs and sea ice. During cruise 52 of the R/V Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov using a multibeam echo sounder, we collected representative data on the key parameters of ice scours (location, orientation, depth, width) for the first time, which allows us to draw conclusions on a regional scale. We revealed regularities in the spatial and temporal distribution of ice scours and their density in different parts of the seabed. It was revealed that the maximum dimensions of the ice scours decrease with distance from the sources of iceberg calving from NW to SE. The orientation of the ice scours correlates with the main drift directions of icebergs. Most of the ice scours are located at depths up to 220 m and could have formed both at the modern and lower sea levels (in postglacial time). We identified a high degree of seabed transformation by ice-gouging processes in the southwestern Kara Sea.