Influence of landfast ice on the hydrography and circulation of the Baltic Sea coastal zone

The influence of landfast ice on hydrography and circulation is examined inSantala Bay, adjacent to the Hanko Peninsula, Gulf of Finland. Three-dimensionalelectromagnetic current meters and conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensorswere deployed in winters 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 during the Finnish-Japanese"Hanko 9012" experiment. In each winter, data collection started one month beforethe initial ice formation and lasted until one month after the ice had meltedcompletely. Temperature and salinity are compared with long-term data from theTv rminne Zoological Station, also located on the Hanko Peninsula. Thewater temperature was 2°C less than the long-term average. Iceformation and melting show up in the salinity evolution of the water body,which makes salinity a good indicator of ice formation and breakup in SantalaBay. The circulation under the ice became weaker by almost 1 cm s-1.