Satellite radar signatures of fronts in the Ob and Yenisey estuaries in the Kara Sea

The fresh water input due to river runoff into the Kara Sea is on the average 1350 cubic kilometers per year, this is the highest value among other Arctic seas. Most of the input is made by the Yenisey, Ob and Pyasina rivers. Their mouths lie so close to each other that their runoffs merge and form one spot of fresh water. This spot reaches its largest area at the end of August and beginning of September depending on the runoff volume which may vary significantly. Since the sea in the estuaries' neighborhood is quite shallow (10-30 m) and the outflow is so high we can expect to observe a wide range of phenomena resulted from the interaction of saline and fresh waters. Thus the region should be suitable for a case study of coastal fronts by means of satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR).