Research of surface sea water quality in the central Svalbard Islands of Arctic Region

The first hand data of Arctic Ocean water quality and region distribution are crucial for the Arctic expedition. During the process of taking part in the sub-task of National Youth Arctic Expedition, the author investigated the characters of surface sea water, including its quality, region difference and control factors in central Svalbard Islands of Arctic Region in the summer of 2017. 40 sampling sites were selected in 6 areas to collect the surface water samples, and temperature, pH, EC (electrical conductivity), PSU (practical salinity units), DO (dissolved oxygen) and TDS (total dissolved solids) were tested to analyze the water quality. The results show that there are big differences in temperature, EC, PSU, DO and TDS among the samples in these 6 areas, while the difference in pH is notbig. The northern ice region has the lowest water temperature, the lowest TDS and relatively higher DO. The northwestern bay has the highest DO. The central channel has the highest TDS value and the lowest PSU and EC. The southern area has the highest surface sea water temperature with highest PSU and EC and lowest DO. The eastern coast has relatively low water temperature. The author concluded that sampling location, ocean currents and topography of the areas have effects on the surface water quality. These achievements are of significant importance to the supply of first hand data of Arctic Ocean.