In Puck Lagoon the net long-wave radiation is the dominant heat flux causing water to cool during winter. Ice formation depends mainly on wind conditions. Since the temperature of Puck Lagoon ice is almost always higher than ?8?C, solid salt crystals are not present in the ice. The mean salinity of the sea ice is 1.57 psu with a maximum of 4.84 psu. The ice porosity ranges from 0.3% to 7.7% and strongly influences the thermal conductivity of the sea ice in Puck Lagoon. Puck Lagoon is situated in the shallow western part of the Gulf of Gdansk and is about 100 km2 in area. The mean depth is 3.5 m and the salinity can approach 8 psu. The total range of the instantaneous water level is about 1 m. Sea ice forms in Puck Lagoon every year. From 1950 to 1990 there was ice cover on an average of 60-80 days (Szefler 1993). Long periods of fast ice (about 70 days) are typical in this area. The mean date of the first ice in the lagoon is 15 December. The thickness of this first ice increases until March, the average maximum thickness being about 30 cm.
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