Estuarineprocessesinthearcticlagoonsareamongtheleaststudiedbutimportantsubjects,especiallyconsideringtherapidwarmingofarcticwaterwhichmaychangethelengthofice-freeperiodinthesummer.Inthispaper,wind-drivenexchangeflowsinthemicro-tidalElsonLagoonofnorthernAlaskawithmultipleinletsofcontrastingwidthsanddepthsarestudiedwithinsituobservations,statisticalanalysis,numericalexperiments,aregressionmodelonthebasisofdynamics,andremotesensingdata.WatervelocityprofileswereobtainedfromabottomdeployedacousticDopplercurrentprofiler(ADCP)inthenorthwesternEluitkakPassconnectingtheBeaufortSeatotheElsonLagoonduringa4.9dayice-freeperiodinthesummerof2013.Thesubtidalflowisfoundcorrelatedwithwind(R~2value~96%).Frequentlyoccurringeast,northeastandnorthwindsfromthearcticatmospherichigh-andlow-pressuresystemspushwaterfromtheBeaufortSeaintothelagoonthroughthewideinletsontheeasternsideofthelagoon,resultinginanoutwardflowagainstthewindatthenarrownorthwesterninlet.Thecounter-windflowisaresultofanunevenwindforcingactingthroughtheasymmetricinletsanddepth,aneffectof'torque'orvorticity.Undernorthwestwind,theexchangeflowatthenorthwesterninletreversesitsdirection,withinwardflowsthroughtheupwindnorthwesterninletandoutwardflowsthroughthedownwindeasterninlets.AregressionmodelisestablishedbasedonthemomentumequationsandTaylorseriesexpansions.ThemodelisusedtopredictflowsinJulyandAugustof2015andJulyof2017,supportedbyavailableLandsatsatelliteimages.About73%–80%ofthetimetheflowsatEluitkakPassareoutofElsonLagoonforthesummerof2015and2017.Numericalexperimentsareconductedtocorroboratethefindingsandillustratetheeffectsundervariouswindconditions.Aquasi-steadystatebalancebetweenwindforceandsurfacepressuregradientisconfirmed.
