Acoustic tomography as a tool for the Arctic Ocean salinity monitoring: feasibility and perspectives

It is shown that changes in the sound speed in the upper Arctic basin are due to changes in salinity, while temperature is nearly always close to freezing point. The possibility for the remote sensing of the upper ocean salinity by acoustic tomography (acoustic halinometry) is demonstrated by oceanographic and acoustic numerical modeling using data obtained in the Arctic basin during winter oceanographic surveys in 1973-79.