The shelf starts wide on the south side of the Eastern Aleutian Islands, narrowing towards the west and finally broadening again around the Near Islands; passes tend to be relatively narrow and shallow in the east, with deeper and wider passes towards the west that allow higher flows (Stabeno et al., 2005). [...] When the NPI is positive, the Aleutian Low is weak, and storms track north over the Central Aleutian Islands; and when the NPI is negative the Aleutian Low is strong, and storms track south of the Aleutian Islands. [...] The surface skin layer of the ocean is less than 1mm thick and as a rule will be cooler than the underlying water due to heat flux, with the direction of flux typically from the ocean to the atmosphere. [...] The survey area extends on the north side of the Aleutian Islands from Unimak Pass in the east (165°W) to Stalemate Bank in the west (170°E); on the south side of the Aleutian archipelago, the survey extends from Samalga Pass (170°W) westward. [...] Recent survey results are indicative of a decrease in the occurrence of harbor seals in the central and western islands compared to the eastern islands, and ongoing work will determine the overall trend of the stock.
- Pages
- 52
- Published in
- Canada
