Interaction of an anticyclonic eddy with sea ice in the western Arctic Ocean: an eddy-resolving model study

The dramatic decline of summer sea ice extent and thickness has been witnessed in the western Arctic Ocean in recent decades, which hasmotivated scientists to search for possible factors driving the sea ice variability. An eddy-resolving, ice-ocean coupled model covering the entire Arctic Ocean is implemented, with focus on the western Arctic Ocean. Special attention is paid to the summer Alaskan coastal current (ACC), which has a high temperature (up to 5℃ ormore) in the upper layer due to the solar radiation over the open water at the lower latitude. Downstream of the ACC after Barrow Point, a surface-intensified anticyclonic eddy is frequently generated and propagate towards the Canada Basin during the summer season when sea ice has retreated away from the coast. Such an eddy has a warm core, and its source is high-temperature ACC water. A typical warm-core eddy is traced. It is trapped just below summer sea ice melt water and has a thickness about 60 m. Temperature in the eddy core reaches 2-3℃, and most water inside the eddy has a temperature over 1℃. With a definition of the eddy boundary, an eddy heat is calculated, which can melt 1 600 km² of 1mthick sea ice under extreme conditions.     

基于遥感数据的近40 a弗雷姆海峡海冰输出研究

北极海冰作为一个巨大的淡水资源库, 每年向全球输送大量淡水资源, 从北极输出的海冰在向南输送的过程中融化, 对海洋水循环与水环境产生影响, 进而影响全球气候变化, 弗雷姆海峡作为北极海冰输出的主要通道, 对其研究显得尤为重要。为了解弗雷姆海峡海冰长期输出量, 利用美国冰雪数据中心（NSIDC）发布的海冰密集度、海冰厚度与海冰漂移速度数据, 计算得到 1979 年至 2019 年弗雷姆海峡海冰输出面积通量与 2010 至 2019 年弗雷姆海峡海冰输出体积通量, 并在此基础上分析弗雷姆海峡近 40 a 海冰输出量的变化状况以及弗雷姆海峡海冰输出的年际变化、季节变化, 并分析了影响弗雷姆海峡海冰输出量的可能原因。结果表明: 近 40 a 弗雷姆海峡年均海冰输出面积通量为 7.83×10⁵ km²,近 10 a 弗雷姆海峡海冰年均输出体积通量为 1.34×10⁶ km³, 从长期来看, 弗雷姆海峡海冰输出面积通量呈略微增加趋势, 弗雷姆海峡海冰输出体积通量在 2010—20...     

对地球系统模式FIO-ESM同化实验中北极海冰模拟的评估

本文评估了地球系统模式FIO-ESM(First Institute of Oceanography-Earth System Model)基于集合调整Kalman滤波同化实验对1992-2013年北极海冰的模拟能力。结果显示:尽管同化资料只包括了全球海表温度和全球海面高度异常两类数据,而并没有对海冰进行同化,但实验结果能很好地模拟出与观测相符的北极海冰基本态和长期变化趋势,卫星观测和FIO-ESM同化实验所得的北极海冰覆盖范围在1992-2013年间的线性变化趋势分别为-7.06×105和-6.44×105 km2/(10a),同化所得的逐月海冰覆盖范围异常和卫星观测之间的相关系数为0.78。与FIO-ESM参加CMIP5(Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5)实验结果相比,该同化结果所模拟的北极海冰覆盖范围的长期变化趋势和海冰密集度的空间变化趋势均与卫星观测更加吻合,这说明该同化可为利用FIO-ESM开展北极短期气候预测提供较好的预测初始场。     

地球系统模式FIO-ESM对北极海冰的模拟和预估

评估了地球系统模式FIO-ESM(First Institute of Oceanography-Earth System Model)基于CMIP5(Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5)的历史实验对北极海冰的模拟能力,分析了该模式基于CMIP5未来情景实验在不同典型浓度路径(RCPs,Representative Concentration Pathways)下对北极海冰的预估情况。通过与卫星观测的海冰覆盖范围资料相比,该模式能够很好地模拟出多年平均海冰覆盖范围的季节变化特征,模拟的气候态月平均海冰覆盖范围均在卫星观测值±15%范围以内。FIO-ESM能够较好地模拟1979-2005年期间北极海冰的衰减趋势,模拟衰减速度为每年减少2.24×104 km2,但仍小于观测衰减速度(每年减少4.72×104 km2)。特别值得注意的是:不同于其他模式所预估的海冰一直衰减,FIO-ESM对21世纪北极海冰预估在不同情景下呈现不同的变化趋势,在RCP2.6和RCP4.5情景下,北极海冰总体呈增加趋势,在RCP6情景下,北极海冰基本维持不变,而在RCP8.5情景下,北极海冰呈现继续衰减趋势。     

基于卫星观测的2003-2013年北极海冰体积变化估算

北极海冰正处于快速减退时期，北极海冰体积变化是全球气候变化的重要指示因子。本文利用两种卫星高度计数据（ICESat和CryoSat-2）反演得到的海冰厚度数据，结合星载辐射计提取的海冰密集度数据以及海冰年龄数据，估算了近期的北极海冰体积以及一年冰和多年冰体积变化。CryoSat-2观测时段（2011-2013年）与ICESat观测时段（2003-2008年）相比，北极海冰体积在秋季（10-11月）和冬季（2-3月）分别减少了1 426 km3和412 km3。其中，秋季和冬季的一年冰的体积增加了702 km3和2 975 km3。相反，多年冰分别减少了2 108 km3和3 206 km3。多年冰的大量流失是造成北极海冰净储量下降的主要原因。     

The effects of resolving the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in a finite element sea ice model

Though narrow straits may have a strong influence on the large-scale sea ice mass balance, they are often crudely represented in coarse resolution sea ice models. Unstructured meshes, with their natural ability to fit boundaries and locally increase the mesh resolution, propose an alternative framework to capture the complex oceanic areas formed by coasts and islands. In this paper, we develop a finite element sea ice model to investigate the sensitivity of the Arctic sea ice cover features to the resolution of the narrow straits constituting the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The model is a two-level dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model, including a viscous-plastic rheology. It is run over 1979–2005, forced by daily NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. Confronting qualitatively numerical experiments with observations shows a good agreement with satellite and buoys measurements. Due to its simple representation of the oceanic interactions, the model overestimates the sea ice extent during winter in the southernmost parts of the Arctic, while the Baffin Bay and Kara Sea remain ice-covered during summer. In order to isolate the benefits from resolving the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, a numerical experiment is performed where we artificially close the archipelago. Focusing on the large-scale sea ice thickness pattern, no significant change is found in our model, except in the close surroundings of the archipelago. However, the local and short-term influences of the ice exchanges are nonnegligible. In particular, we show that the ice volume associated to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago represents 10% of the Northern Hemisphere sea ice volume and that the annual mean ice export towards Baffin Bay amounts to 125 km³ yr⁻¹, which may play an important role on the convective overturning in the Labrador Sea.     

北极河流径流对北冰洋环流的影响

北极河流径流是北冰洋淡水的最大来源，其变化会对北冰洋中的诸多过程有重要影响。本文基于全球高分辨率海洋?海冰耦合模式的模拟结果，研究北冰洋温盐、海冰以及环流对北极河流径流的敏感性。通过对比有气候态北极河流径流输入的控制实验结果和径流完全关闭的敏感性实验结果，研究发现北极径流对北冰洋温度、盐度、海冰以及海洋环流等有显著的影响。关闭北极河流径流后，在河口附近的陆架上温度降低、盐度升高，且导致500 m深度处温度下降以及盐度升高；河口附近的陆架处，海冰密集度与海冰厚度增加。关闭北极河流径流也对北冰洋内的环流有影响:由于缺少来自欧亚大陆的北极径流的输入，穿极漂流与东格陵兰流流速减小且盐度增加；关闭北极径流导致近岸海表面高度降低，沿欧亚陆架的北冰洋边界流减弱，白令海入流增强。通过对比关闭北极径流实验与控制实验的温度和盐度剖面，发现关闭北极径流后大西洋层温度降低，各陆架海盐跃层的梯度减小，盐跃层厚度减小。     

An assessment of Arctic Ocean freshwater content changes from the 1990s to the 2006-2008 period

Unprecedented summer-season sampling of the Arctic Ocean during the period 2006-2008 makes possible a quasi-synoptic estimate of liquid freshwater (LFW) inventories in the Arctic Ocean basins. In comparison to observations from 1992 to 1999, LFW content relative to a salinity of 35 in the layer from the surface to the 34 isohaline increased by 8400±2000 km³ in the Arctic Ocean (water depth greater than 500 m). This is close to the annual export of freshwater (liquid and solid) from the Arctic Ocean reported in the literature.Observations and a model simulation show regional variations in LFW were both due to changes in the depth of the lower halocline, often forced by regional wind-induced Ekman pumping, and a mean freshening of the water column above this depth, associated with an increased net sea ice melt and advection of increased amounts of river water from the Siberian shelves. Over the whole Arctic Ocean, changes in the observed mean salinity above the 34 isohaline dominated estimated changes in LFW content; the contribution to LFW change by bounding isohaline depth changes was less than a quarter of the salinity contribution, and non-linear effects due to both factors were negligible.     

CMIP5气候模式模拟的北极海冰特征及其季节变化

This paper is focused on the seasonality change of Arctic sea ice extent(SIE) from 1979 to 2100 using newly available simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5).A new approach to compare the simulation metric of Arctic SIE between observation and 31 CMIP5 models was established.The approach is based on four factors including the climatological average,linear trend of SIE,span of melting season and annual range of SIE.It is more objective and can be popularized to other comparison of models.Six good models(GFDL-CM3,CESM1-BGC,MPI-ESM-LR,ACCESS-1.0,Had GEM2-CC,and Had GEM2-AO in turn) are found which meet the criterion closely based on above approach.Based on ensemble mean of the six models,we found that the Arctic sea ice will continue declining in each season and firstly drop below 1 million km~2(defined as the ice-free state) in September 2065 under RCP4.5 scenario and in September 2053 under RCP8.5 scenario.We also study the seasonal cycle of the Arctic SIE and find out the duration of Arctic summer(melting season) will increase by about 100 days under RCP4.5 scenario and about 200 days under RCP8.5 scenario relative to current circumstance by the end of the 21 st century.Asymmetry of the Arctic SIE seasonal cycle with later freezing in fall and early melting in spring,would be more apparent in the future when the Arctic climate approaches to "tipping point",or when the ice-free Arctic Ocean appears.Annual range of SIE(seasonal melting ice extent) will increase almost linearly in the near future 30–40 years before the Arctic appears ice-free ocean,indicating the more ice melting in summer,the more ice freezing in winter,which may cause more extreme weather events in both winter and summer in the future years.     

1982—2001年与2002—2021年北极秋季海冰的时空变化及原因

基于北极海冰密集度、海冰范围、大气环流和海温数据,研究了1982—2001年与2002—2021年两阶段各20 a间北极秋季海冰的时空变化特征及其原因。结果表明,近20 a（2002—2021年）北极海冰密集度的下降中心由过去（1982—2001年）的楚科奇海及白令海峡一带,转移至亚欧大陆海岸的巴伦支海附近,且海冰范围每10 a减少量由0.44×10⁶ km²增长至0.72×10⁶ km²,减少速度加快约64%。秋季北极海冰范围与海水表面温度（Sea Surface Temperature,SST）、表面气温（Surface Air Temperature,SAT）及比湿（Specific Humidity）均呈显著负相关。2002—2021年的相关系数较1982—2001年有所提高,且与温度相关系数最高的月份提前了一个月。通过对海水表面温度、表面气温、比湿、气压场和风场的经验正交分解（Empirical Orthogonal Function,EOF）可知,1982—2001年间,北极地区的温度及比湿的上升中心集中在楚科奇海及白令海峡一带;2002—2021年间,上升中心则转移至巴伦支海一带。气压场和风场在前后两阶段也出现了中心转移的分布变化。北极地区大气与海洋环流各因素的协同变化影响着北极海冰的消融。     

On the future navigability of Arctic sea routes: High-resolution projections of the Arctic Ocean and sea ice

The rapid Arctic summer sea ice reduction in the last decade has lead to debates in the maritime industries on the possibility of an increase in cargo transportation in the region. Average sailing times on the North Sea Route along the Siberian Coast have fallen from 20 days in the 1990s to 11 days in 2012–2013, attributed to easing sea ice conditions along the Siberian coast. However, the economic risk of exploiting the Arctic shipping routes is substantial. Here a detailed high-resolution projection of ocean and sea ice to the end of the 21st century forced with the RCP8.5 IPCC emission scenario is used to examine navigability of the Arctic sea routes. In summer, opening of large areas of the Arctic Ocean previously covered by pack ice to the wind and surface waves leads to Arctic pack ice cover evolving into the Marginal Ice Zone. The emerging state of the Arctic Ocean features more fragmented thinner sea ice, stronger winds, ocean currents and waves. By the mid 21st century, summer season sailing times along the route via the North Pole are estimated to be 13–17 days, which could make this route as fast as the North Sea Route.     

Reproduction of the large-scale state of water and sea ice in the Arctic Ocean from 1948 to 2002: Part II. The state of ice and snow cover

This paper presents the results of reconstructing the state of ice and snow covers on the Arctic Ocean from 1948 to 2002 obtained with a couplod model of ocean circulation and sea-ice evolution. The area of the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean north of 65° N, excluding Hudson Bay, is considered. The monthly mean ice areas and extents are analyzed. The trends of these areas are calculated separately for the periods of 1970–1979, 1979–1990, and 1990–2002. A systematic slight underestimation by the model is observed for the ice extent. This error is estimated to fit the error of 100 km in determining the position of the ice edge (i.e., close to the model resolution). In summer the model fails to reproduce many observed polynias: by observational data, the ice concentration in the central part of the Arctic Ocean constitutes around 0.8, while the model yields around 0.99. The average trend for the area of ice propagation in 1960–2002 is 13931 km²/year (or approximately 2% per decade); the trend of the ice area is 17643 km²/year (or approximately 3% per decade). This is almost three times lower than satellite data. The calculated data for ice thickness in the late winter varies from 3.5 to 4.8 m, with a clear indication of periods of thick ice (the 1960s–1970s) and relatively thin ice (the 1980s); 1995 is the starting point for quick ice-area reduction. The maximum ice accumulation is in 1977 and 1988; here, the average trend is negative: −121 km³/year (or approximately 5.5% per decade). In 1996–2002, the average change in the ice thickness constituted +1.7 cm/year. This speaks to the relatively fast disappearance of thin-ice fractions. This model also slightly underestimates the snow mass with a trend of −2.5 km³/year (almost 0.35 mm of snow per year or 0.1 mm of liquid water per year). An analysis of the monthly mean ice-drift velocity indicates the good quality of the model. Data on the average drift velocity and the results of comparisons between the calculated and satellite data for individual months are presented. A comparison with observational data from 1990–1996 in the Fram Strait shows that the model yields 3.28 m for the average ice thickness against the observed value of approximately 3.26 m. For the same period, the model yields a monthly mean transport of 291.29 km³ as compared to the observed value of 237.17 km³. A comparison between the measured and calculated drift velocities in the Fram Strait indicates that the model value is around 9.78 cm/s, which is comparable to the measured value of 10.2 cm/s. The existing problems with describing the ice redistribution by thickness gradations are illustrated by comparing data on ice thickness in the Fram Strait.     

基于CryoSat-2卫星测高数据的北极海冰体积估算方法

近30年来,北极海冰正发生着剧烈的变化。海冰体积是量化海冰变化的重要指标之一。本文以2015年CryoSat-2卫星测高数据和OSI SAF海冰类型产品为基础。提取了浮冰出水高度、积雪深度、海冰密集度、海冰类型等属性信息,通过数据内插、投影变换、栅格转换、空间重采样等工作将海冰属性信息统一为25 km×25 km分辨率的栅格数据集。根据流体静力学平衡原理,逐个估算栅格像元对应的海冰厚度值,将其与对应的海冰面积相乘,估算了北极海冰密集度大于75%海域的海冰体积,并分析了海冰厚度和体积的月变化和季节变化特征。用NASA IceBridge海冰厚度产品对反演的海冰厚度进行验证。结果表明二者相关系数为0.72,有较高的一致性。北极海冰平均厚度春季最大,夏季最小,分别约为2.99 m和1.77 m,最厚的海冰集中在格陵兰沿岸北部和埃尔斯米尔半岛以北海域。多年冰平均厚度大于一年冰。冬季海冰体积最大,约为23.30×103 km3,经过夏季的融化,减少了近70%。一年冰体积季节波动较大,而多年冰体积相对稳定,季节变化不明显。     

BCC_CSM对北极海冰的模拟:CMIP5和CMIP6历史试验比较

本文利用北京气候中心气候系统模式(BCC_CSM)在最近两个耦合模式比较计划(CMIP5和CMIP6)的历史试验模拟结果，对北极海冰范围和冰厚的模拟性能进行了比较，结果表明:(1) CMIP6改善了CMIP5模拟海冰范围季节变化过大的问题，总体上更接近观测结果；(2)两个CMIP试验阶段中BCC_CSM模拟的海冰厚度都偏小，但CMIP6试验对夏季海冰厚度过薄问题有所改进。通过对影响海冰生消过程的冰面和冰底热收支的分析，我们探讨了上述模拟偏差以及CMIP6模拟结果改善的成因。分析表明，8?9月海洋热通量、向下短波辐射和反照率对模拟结果的误差影响较大，CMIP6试验在这些方面有较大改善；而12月至翌年2月，CMIP5模拟的北极海冰范围偏大主要是海洋热通量偏低所导致，CMIP6模拟的海洋热通量较CMIP5大，但北大西洋表层海流的改善才是巴芬湾附近海冰外缘线位置改善的主要原因。CMIP试验模拟的夏季海冰厚度偏薄主要是因为6?8月海洋热通量和冰面热收支都偏大，而CMIP6试验模拟的夏季海冰厚度有所改善主要是由于海洋热通量和净短波辐射的改善。海冰模拟结果的改善与CMIP6海冰模块和大气模块参数化的改进有直接和间接的关系，通过改变短波辐射、冰面反照率和海洋热通量，使BCC_CSM模式对北极海冰的模拟性能也得到有效提高。     

Sediment transport by sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas: Increasing importance due to changing ice conditions?

Sediment-laden sea ice is widespread over the shallow, wide Siberian Arctic shelves, with off-shelf export from the Laptev and East Siberian Seas contributing substantially to the Arctic Ocean's sediment budget. By contrast, the North American shelves, owing to their narrow width and greater water depths, have not been deemed as important for basin-wide sediment transport by sea ice. Observations over the Chukchi and Beaufort shelves in 2001/02 revealed the widespread occurrence of sediment-laden ice over an area of more than 100,000 km² between 68 and 74°N and 155 and 170°W. Ice stratigraphic studies indicate that sediment inclusions were associated with entrainment of frazil ice into deformed, multiple layers of rafted nilas, indicative of a flaw-lead environment adjacent to the landfast ice of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. This is corroborated by buoy trajectories and satellite imagery indicating entrainment in a coastal polynya in the eastern Chukchi Sea in February of 2002 as well as formation of sediment-laden ice along the Beaufort Sea coast as far eastward as the Mackenzie shelf. Moored upward-looking sonar on the Mackenzie shelf provides further insight into the ice growth and deformation regime governing sediment entrainment. Analysis of Radarsat Synthetic Aperture (SAR) imagery in conjunction with bathymetric data help constrain the water depth of sediment resuspension and subsequent ice entrainment (>20 m for the Chukchi Sea). Sediment loads averaged at 128 t km^–2, with sediment occurring in layers of roughly 0.5 m thickness, mostly in the lower ice layers. The total amount of sediment transported by sea ice (mostly out of the narrow zone between the landfast ice edge and waters too deep for resuspension and entrainment) is at minimum 4×10⁶ t in the sampling area and is estimated at 5–8×10⁶ t over the entire Chukchi and Beaufort shelves in 2001/02, representing a significant term in the sediment budget of the western Arctic Ocean. Recent changes in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea ice regimes (reduced summer minimum ice extent, ice thinning, reduction in multi-year ice extent, altered drift paths and mid-winter landfast ice break-out events) have likely resulted in an increase of sediment-laden ice in the area. Apart from contributing substantially to along- and across-shelf particulate flow, an increase in the amount of dirty ice significantly impacts (sub-)ice algal production and may enhance the dispersal of pollutants.     

The Effect of Seasonal Variability of Atlantic Water on the Arctic Sea Ice Cover

Under the influence of global warming, the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean (AO) is expected to reduce with a transition toward a seasonal ice cover by the end of this century. A comparison of climate-model predictions with measurements shows that the actual rate of ice cover decay in the AO is higher than the predicted one. This paper argues that the rapid shrinking of the Arctic summer ice cover is due to its increased seasonality, while seasonal oscillations of the Atlantic origin water temperature create favorable conditions for the formation of negative anomalies in the ice-cover area in winter. The basis for this hypothesis is the fundamental possibility of the activation of positive feedback provided by a specific feature of the seasonal cycle of the inflowing Atlantic origin water and the peaking of temperature in the Nansen Basin in midwinter. The recently accelerated reduction in the summer ice cover in the AO leads to an increased accumulation of heat in the upper ocean layer during the summer season. The extra heat content of the upper ocean layer favors prerequisite conditions for winter thermohaline convection and the transfer of heat from the Atlantic water (AW) layer to the ice cover. This, in turn, contributes to further ice thinning and a decrease in ice concentration, accelerated melting in summer, and a greater accumulation of heat in the ocean by the end of the following summer. An important role is played by the seasonal variability of the temperature of AW, which forms on the border between the North European and Arctic basins. The phase of seasonal oscillation changes while the AW is moving through the Nansen Basin. As a result, the timing of temperature peak shifts from summer to winter, additionally contributing to enhanced ice melting in winter. The formulated theoretical concept is substantiated by a simplified mathematical model and comparison with observations.     

西北航道夏季气旋登陆期间海冰对波浪的影响

西北航道是指从北大西洋经加拿大北极群岛进入北冰洋,再进入太平洋的航道,是连接大西洋和太平洋的捷径。为了探讨西北航道通航期极端天气条件下强风及海冰对波浪场的影响机制,建立并验证了考虑海冰影响下的西北航道风浪演化模型,并以2012年8月北极气旋登陆期间为例探讨西北航道通航期波浪特性及波能流密度的时空演化及其对风和海冰的响应。研究结果表明,北极夏季海冰大多分布于西北航道以北海域,而风向大部分集中在SSW(南偏西22.5°)至SW(南偏西45°),西北航道海冰的存在并不会引起有效风区的明显减少,也不会引起无冰海域波能流的明显减小(不超过5%)。但是,当风向变为北向风时,无冰海域波能流减小幅度最多高达62%。最后,综合海冰和波浪要素的时空分布,提出了极端天气条件下西北航道通航期的最佳适航路线,为西北航道的夏季安全通航提供了科学依据。     

The Arctic Ocean halocline and its interannual variability from 1997 to 2008

As a key structure to understand the role of the ocean on the sea ice mass balance, the Arctic Ocean halocline and its spatiotemporal variability require serious attention. In this paper, we are proposing a new definition of the halocline, which is based on the salinity gradient structure, taking into account both the salinity amplitude and the thickness of the halocline. The Brunt Vaisala frequency is used as the halocline stratification index. CTD data collected from 1997 to 2008 and coming from various sources (icebreaker cruises, drifting buoys, etc.) are used to determine the halocline, and its time and space variability during three time periods, with a special focus on three main regions of the Arctic Ocean: the Canada basin, the Makarov basin and the Amundsen basin. Observations reveal that the halocline in the Amundsen basin was always present and rather stable over the three time periods. In contrast, the Canada and Makarov basins' halocline became more stratified during the IPY than before, mainly because of surface water freshening. In addition, observations also confirmed the importance of the halocline thickness for controlling the stratification variability. Observations suggest that both large scale and small scale processes affect the halocline. Changes in surface salinity observed in the Makarov basin are more likely due to atmospheric variability (AO, Dipole Anomaly), as previously observed. More locally, some observations point out that salt/heat diffusion from the Atlantic water underneath and brine rejection during sea ice formation from above could be responsible for salt content variability within the halocline and, as a consequence, being influential for the variability of the halocline. In spite of the existence of interannual variability, the Arctic Ocean main stratification, characterized by a stable and robust halocline until now, suggested that the deep ocean had a limited impact on the mixed layer and on sea ice in actual conditions. The drastic changes observed in Arctic sea ice during this period (1997-2008) cannot be attributed to a weakening of the halocline that could trigger an enhanced vertical heat flux from the deep ocean.     

Recent satellite-derived sea ice volume flux through the Fram Strait: 2011–2015

The Fram Strait(FS) is the primary region of sea ice export from the Arctic Ocean and thus plays an important role in regulating the amount of sea ice and fresh water entering the North Atlantic seas. A 5 a(2011–2015) sea ice thickness record retrieved from Cryo Sat-2 observations is used to derive a sea ice volume flux via the FS. Over this period, a mean winter accumulative volume flux(WAVF) based on sea ice drift data derived from passivemicrowave measurements, which are provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center(NSIDC) and the Institut Francais de Recherche pour d'Exploitation de la Mer(IFREMER), amounts to 1 029 km~3(NSIDC) and1 463 km~3(IFREMER), respectively. For this period, a mean monthly volume flux(area flux) difference between the estimates derived from the NSIDC and IFREMER drift data is –62 km~3 per month(–18×10~6 km~2 per month).Analysis reveals that this negative bias is mainly attributable to faster IFREMER drift speeds in comparison with slower NSIDC drift data. NSIDC-based sea ice volume flux estimates are compared with the results from the University of Bremen(UB), and the two products agree relatively well with a mean monthly bias of(5.7±45.9) km~3 per month for the period from January 2011 to August 2013. IFREMER-based volume flux is also in good agreement with previous results of the 1990 s. Compared with P1(1990/1991–1993/1994) and P2(2003/2004–2007/2008), the WAVF estimates indicate a decline of more than 600 km~3 in P3(2011/2012–2014/2015). Over the three periods, the variability and the decline in the sea ice volume flux are mainly attributable to sea ice motion changes, and second to sea ice thickness changes, and the least to sea ice concentration variations.     

Variation of diffuse attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance in the Arctic Ocean

The diffuse attenuation coefficient(Kd) for downwelling irradiance is calculated from solar irradiance data measured in the Arctic Ocean during 3rd and 4th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(CHINARE), including 18 stations and nine stations selected for irradiance profiles in sea water respectively. In this study, the variation of attenuation coefficient in the Arctic Ocean was studied, and the following results were obtained. First, the relationship between attenuation coefficient and chlorophyll concentration in the Arctic Ocean has the form of a power function. The best fit is at 443 nm, and its determination coefficient is more than 0.7. With increasing wavelength, the determination coefficient decreases abruptly. At 550 nm, it even reaches a value lower than 0.2. However, the exponent fitted is only half of that adapted in low-latitude ocean because of the lower chlorophyll-specific absorption in the Arctic Ocean. The upshot was that, in the case of the same chlorophyll concentration, the attenuation caused by phytoplankton chlorophyll in the Arctic Ocean is lower than in low-latitude ocean. Second, the spectral model, which exhibits the relationship of attenuation coefficients between 490 nm and other wavelength, was built and provided a new method to estimate the attenuation coefficient at other wavelength, if the attenuation coefficient at 490 nm was known. Third, the impact factors on attenuation coefficient, including sea ice and sea water mass, were discussed. The influence of sea ice on attenuation coefficient is indirect and is determined through the control of entering solar radiation. The linear relationship between averaging sea ice concentration(ASIC, from 158 Julian day to observation day) and the depth of maximum chlorophyll is fitted by a simple linear equation. In addition, the sea water mass, such as the ACW(Alaskan Coastal Water), directly affects the amount of chlorophyll through taking more nutrient, and results in the higher attenuation coefficient in the layer of 30–60 m. Consequently, the spectral model of diffuse attenuation coefficient, the relationship between attenuation coefficient and chlorophyll and the linear relationship between the ASIC and the depth of maximum chlorophyll, together provide probability for simulating the process of diffuse attenuation coefficient during summer in the Arctic Ocean.