Modification of water masses in the Barents Sea and its coupling to ice dynamics: a model study

The physical and biological environment of the Barents Sea is characterised by large variability on a wide range of scales. Results from a numerical ocean model, SINMOD, are presented showing that the physical variability is partly forced by changes in annual net ice import. The mean contribution from ice import in the simulation period (1979–2007) is about 40% of the total amount of ice melted each year. The annual ice import into the Barents Sea varies between 143 and 1,236 km³, and this causes a substantial variability in the amount of annual ice melt in the Barents Sea. This in turn impacts the freshwater content. The simulated freshwater contribution from ice is 0.02 Sv on average and 0.04 Sv at maximum. When mixed into a mean net Atlantic Water (AW) inflow of 1.1 Sv with a salinity of 35.1, this freshwater addition decreases the salinity of the modified AW to 34.4 and 33.9 for the mean and maximum freshwater fluxes, respectively. Ice import may thus be important for the Barents Sea production of Arctic Ocean halocline water which has salinity of about 34.5. The changes in the ice melt the following summer due to ice import also affect the formation of dense water in the Barents Sea by changing stratification, altering the vertical mixing rates and affecting heat loss from the warm AW. The model results thus indicate that ice import from the Arctic has a great impact on water mass modification in the Barents Sea which in turn impacts the ventilation of the Arctic Ocean.     

Measuring ignitability for in situ burning of oil spills weathered under Arctic conditions: from laboratory studies to large-scale field experiments

This paper compares the ignitability of Troll B crude oil weathered under simulated Arctic conditions (0%, 50% and 90% ice cover). The experiments were performed in different scales at SINTEF’s laboratories in Trondheim, field research station on Svalbard and in broken ice (70-90% ice cover) in the Barents Sea. Samples from the weathering experiments were tested for ignitability using the same laboratory burning cell. The measured ignitability from the experiments in these different scales showed a good agreement for samples with similar weathering. The ice conditions clearly affected the weathering process, and 70% ice or more reduces the weathering and allows a longer time window for in situ burning. The results from the Barents Sea revealed that weathering and ignitability can vary within an oil slick. This field use of the burning cell demonstrated that it can be used as an operational tool to monitor the ignitability of oil spills.     

On the role of tides and strong wind events in promoting summer primary production in the Barents Sea

Tides and wind-driven mixing play a major role in promoting post-bloom productivity in subarctic shelf seas. Whether this is also true in the high Arctic remains unknown. This question is particularly relevant in a context of increasing Arctic Ocean stratification in response to global climatic change. We have used a three-dimensional ocean-sea ice-plankton ecosystem model to assess the contribution of tides and strong wind events to summer (June-August 2001) primary production in the Barents Sea. Tides are responsible for 20% (60% locally) of the post-bloom primary production above Svalbard Bank and east of the Kola Peninsula. By contrast, more than 9% of the primary production is due to winds faster than 8 m s⁻¹ in the central Barents Sea. Locally, this contribution reaches 25%. In the marginal ice zone, both tides and wind events have only a limited effect on primary production (<2%). Removing tides or winds faster than 8 m s⁻¹ promotes a regime more sustained by regenerated production with a f-ratio (i.e. the proportion of nitrate-based “new” primary production in the total primary production) that decreases by up to 26% (east of the Kola Peninsula) or 35% (central Barents Sea), respectively. When integrated over all Barents Sea sub-regions, tides and strong wind events account, respectively, for 6.8% (1.55 Tg C; 1 Tg C=10¹² g C) and 4.1% (0.93 Tg C) of the post-bloom primary production (22.6 Tg C). To put this in context, this contribution to summer primary production is equivalent to the spring bloom integrated over the Svalbard area. Tides and winds are significant drivers of summer plankton productivity in the Barents Sea.     

Dipole anomaly in the Arctic atmosphere and winter Arctic sea ice motion

Arctic sea ice, an important component of the cli- mate system, has received significant attention re- cently. Arctic sea ice variation is an important indica- tor of changes in the climate system, such as global change and polar amplification, and observation and climate modeling suggests that sea ice can itself be an agent of climate change[1―4]. Previous studies[3,5] have shown that sea ice influences the surface and atmos- pheric boundary layer temperature. Potentially more important is t…     

秋季北极海冰与欧亚冬季气温在年代际和年际尺度上的不同联系

北极海冰的急剧消融在近年来欧亚大陆频发的低温事件中扮演着关键角色.秋季北极海冰的偏少对应着冬季欧亚大陆的低温天气,然而二者的联系在年代际和年际两种时间尺度上存在显著区别.本文运用1979—2012年哈德莱中心第一套海冰覆盖率(HadISST1)、欧洲中心(ERA_Interim)的2m温度、风场、海平面气压场、高度场等资料,分别研究了年代际和年际时间尺度上前期秋季北极海冰与欧亚冬季气温的联系.结果表明,欧亚和北极地区(0°—160°E,15°N—90°N)的冬季气温具有显著的年代际和年际变化.在年代际尺度上,温度异常分布在21世纪初由北极冷-大陆暖转为北极暖-大陆冷.这一年代际转折与前期秋季整个北极地区的海冰年代际减少联系密切.秋季北极全区海冰年代际偏少对应冬季欧亚大陆中高纬地区的高压异常,有利于北大西洋的暖湿气流北上和北极的冷空气南侵,造成北极暖-大陆冷的温度分布;在年际时间尺度上,温度异常分布主要由第一模态的年际变化部分和第二模态组成,且第一模态包含的年际变率信号也存在显著的年代际变化.年际尺度上全区北极海冰对欧亚冬季气温的影响远不及位于北冰洋西南边缘的巴伦支海、喀拉海和拉普捷夫海西部(30°E—120°E,75°N—85°N)的关键区海冰影响显著.关键区内海冰的偏少会引发冬季的北大西洋涛动负位相,导致北大西洋吹往欧亚大陆的暖湿气流减弱和欧亚大陆中高纬地区的气温偏低.     

Using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to improve the ocean circulation from a GCM 20<Superscript>th</Superscript> century simulation

Global coupled climate models are generally capable of reproducing the observed trends in the globally averaged atmospheric temperature. However, the global models do not perform as well on regional scales. Here, we present results from a 20-year, high-resolution ocean model experiment for the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The atmospheric forcing is taken from the final 20 years of a twentieth-century control run with a coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model. The ocean model results from the regional ocean model are validated using observations of hydrography from repeat cruises in the Barents Sea. Validation is performed for average quantities and for probability distributions in space and time. The validation results reveal that, though the regional model is forced by a coupled global model that has a noticeable sea ice bias in the Barents Sea, the hydrography and its variability are reproduced with an encouraging quality. We attribute this improvement to the realistic transport of warm, salty waters into the Barents Sea in the regional model. These lateral fluxes in the ocean are severely underestimated by the global model. The added value with the regional model that we have documented here lends hope to advance the quality of oceanic climate change impact studies.     

Environmental management in Antarctica Instruments and institutions

Instruments and institutions for environmental management in Antarctica have evolved from beginnings in the Antarctic Treaty, with subsequent introduction of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and recommendations made at Treaty meetings. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty will improve existing provisions for environmental management in Antarctica. When it enters into force the Protocol will apply to all activities in the Treaty area: it provides rules for environmental impact assessment, conservation of fauna and flora, disposal of wastes, prevention of marine pollution and specially protected and managed areas. The Protocol's Committee for Environmental Protection will facilitate discussion and advice on environmental management. Management of information is a vital part of ensuring measures are effective. The Protocol should be ratified quickly to improve the basis for environmental protection, but the test will be whether and how it is implemented in practice.     

Shelf-basin exchange in the Laptev Sea in the warming climate: a model study

GCM-based forecast simulations predict continuously increasing seasonality of the sea ice cover and an almost ice-free, summer-time, Arctic Ocean within several decades from the present. In this study we use a primitive equation ocean model: NEMO, coupled with the sea ice model LIM2, to test the hypothesis that under such an increased range in seasonal ice cover the intensity of shelf-basin water exchange will significantly increase. We use the simulated results for the Laptev Sea from a global model run 1958–2007 and compare results for two years with anomalously high and low summer sea ice extents: 1986–1987 and 2006–2007. The shelf–basin fluxes of volume, heat and salt during specific seasons are evaluated and attributed to plausible driving processes, with particular attention to dense water cascading. Analyses of the model temperature distribution at the depth of the intermediate maximum, associated with Atlantic Water, have shown a marked increase of the amount of the local origin cold water in late winter 2007 in the region, where dense water typically appears as a result of its formation on the shelf and subsequent downslope leakage. Calculation of the shelf-basin exchange during March-May in both years confirmed a substantial increase (a factor of two) of fluxes in “ice-free” 2007 compared to the “icy” 1987. According to several past model studies, dense water production on Arctic shelves in winter driven by ice freezing and brine rejection is not likely to cease in a warmer climate, but rather to increase. There is also observational evidence that cascading in the seasonally ice covered seas (e.g. the Barents Sea) is much more efficient than it is in the permanently ice covered Arctic Ocean, which supports these model results.     

Assessment of potential transport of pollutants into the Barents Sea via sea ice--an observational approach

The present estimates of ice drift in the Arctic include utilization of satellite imagery data (special sensor microwave/imager) and a reconstruction of air pressure for the period 1899-1998. A significant part of the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has its origin in the Kara Sea and melts in the Greenland and the Barents Sea (BS). Consequently there may be a particular risk of pollutants in the Kara Sea entering the food webs of the Greenland and BS. The ice export from the Kara Sea between 1988 and 1994 was about 208,000 km2 (154 km3) per year. The import of ice into the BS was during the same period 161,000 km2 (183 km3) per year while the ice drift through the Fram Strait into the Greenland Sea was 583,000 km2 (1859 km3) per year. Ice which formed adjacent to the Ob and Yenisey rivers in early January, drifted into the BS within two years (with a probability of about 50%.     

Mathematical modeling of oil hydrocarbon transformations in different parts of the White Sea

The available observational data on variations of oil hydrocarbon concentrations in White Sea tributaries and in individual parts of the sea are analyzed, and the contributions of different external sources to marine environment pollution are evaluated. The results of calculations are used to determine the possible total input of hydrocarbons from additional potential sources—internal natural (production by microorganisms) and external anthropogenic (navigation and sea shipping), which are most active in the summer and autumn. The hydroecological CNPSi-model is used to reproduce the processes of pollution of nine areas in the White Sea by oil hydrocarbons and their subsequent biodegradation in the marine environment. The annual dynamics of hydrocarbon concentrations was calculated using the long-term annual observations of monthly variations of the temperature, light intensity, and transparency of water, data on the morphometry of sea areas (the squares, mean depths, and water volumes) and water exchange between the chosen areas, calculated by a hydrodynamic model. For large bays (Dvina, Kandalaksha), the calculated concentrations of oil hydrocarbons are shown to be in agreement with the available estimates (the mean and maximal concentrations). The annual variations of oil hydrocarbon concentrations; the biomasses, oxidation activity and bioproduction characteristics of oil hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria are characterized. The calculated internal fluxes of oil hydrocarbons (the inputs from different sources, horizontal transport, and biotransformation) were used to calculate their annual balances for individual areas and the sea as a whole, showing the balanced character of their fluxes with the total balance discrepancies for individual areas varying within 0.3–4.1%.     

Bioaccumulation of radiocaesium in Arctic seals

Seals are high trophic level feeders that bioaccumulate many contaminants to a greater degree than most lower trophic level organisms. Their trophic status in the marine food web and wide-spread distribution make seals useful sentinels of arctic environmental change. The purpose of this investigation is to document the levels and bioaccumulation potential of radiocaesium in high latitude seal species for which data have not previously been available. The study was carried out on harp, ringed, and bearded seals caught north of the island archipelago of Svalbard (82°N) in 1999. The results are then compared with previous studies in order to elucidate factors responsible for bioaccumulation in Arctic seals. Concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs were determined in muscle, liver and kidney samples from a total of 10 juvenile and one adult seal. The mean concentration in muscle samples for all animals was 0.23±0.045 Bq/kg f.w. ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in both liver and kidney samples were near detection limits (≈0.2 Bq/kg f.w.). The results are consistent with previous studies indicating low levels of radiocaesium in Arctic seals in response to a long term trend of decreasing levels of ¹³⁷Cs in the Barents Sea region. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) estimated for seals from NE Svalbard are low, ranging from 34 to 130. Comparing these values with reported BCFs for Greenland seals from other sectors of the European Arctic, we suggest that the combination of physiological and ecological factors on radiocaesium bioaccumulation is comparable among different Arctic seal populations. The application of this work to Arctic monitoring and assessment programs is discussed.     

Finnish strategies for reduction and control of effluents to the marine environment--examples from agriculture,municipalities and industry

The most serious environmental problem encountered in the Baltic Sea is eutrophication. Finland finalised in spring 2002 its national Programme for the Protection of the Baltic Sea. The programme contains more than 30 measures for improving the state of the Baltic Sea and protecting the marine environment. Total national investments during the next 10-15 years will amount to EUR 300-370 million. The highest annual cost will be environmental support to agriculture. The bulk of the rest of the money will be used for nitrogen purification of municipal wastewater, improvement of water protection in dispersed settlement areas, and investments to improve maritime safety and decrease the risks of oil spills.     

Oil spill treatment products approval: the UK approach and potential application to the Gulf region

The environmental threat from oil spills remains significant across the globe and particularly in regions of high oil production and transport such as the Gulf. The ultimate damage caused can be limited by mitigation actions that responders deploy. The responsible and appropriate use of oil spill treatment products (e.g. dispersants, sorbents etc.) can offer response options that can result in substantial net environmental benefit. However, the approval and choice of what products to use needs careful consideration. The United Kingdom has had in place a statutory approval scheme for oil spill treatment products for 30 years. It is based on measures of efficiency and environmental acceptability. Two toxicity tests form an integral part of the assessment, the Sea test and the Rocky Shore test, and work on the premise that approved products will not make the situation significantly worse when added to spilled oil. This paper outlines the UK approach and how its rationale might be applied to the approval of products specific for the Gulf region. Issues such as species choice, higher temperatures and salinity and regional environmental conditions are considered.     

Scavenging of thorium isotopes in the Arctic regions: implications for the fate of particle-reactive pollutants

The sources of inorganic pollutants to the Arctic areas are reviewed using previously published results. The removal of particle-reactive pollutants is discussed using thorium scavenging as an analog. The scavenging of 234Th from the upper water column (approximately 100 m) and sediment inventory of 230Th from the deep Arctic waters is compared to different ocean basins in the subarctic areas. Such a comparison shows that 234Th is in equilibrium with its parent, 238U, in certain regions of the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean, while it is deficient in other regions of the arctic as well as in sub-polar ocean basins. This implies that the particle-reactive pollutants in the deep Arctic of the Canada Basin are less likely to be removed from the deep waters and will eventually be transported out of this area. We have utilized the 230Th inventory in sediments from the Arctic area to determine the removal rates of particle-reactive nuclides. The 230Th inventory in the deep Arctic Ocean of the Canada Basin is much lower than the Norwegian Sea and the Fram Strait of the Arctic as well as all other sub-polar world oceans. These observations suggest that any pollutants into the deep Arctic areas of the Canada Basin are less likely to be removed locally and may be transported out of this area. In those areas, the colloidal material could potentially play a major role in the removal of particle-reactive contaminants.     

Variability in the annual cycle of vertical particulate organic carbon export on Arctic shelves: Contrasting the Laptev Sea,Northern Baffin Bay and the Beaufort Sea

The ongoing regression of sea ice cover is expected to significantly affect the fate of organic carbon over the Arctic continental shelves. Long-term moored sediment traps were deployed in 2005–2006 in the Beaufort Sea, Northern Baffin Bay and the Laptev Sea to compare the annual variability of POC fluxes and to evaluate the factors regulating the annual cycle of carbon export over these continental shelves. Annual POC fluxes at 200 m ranged from 1.6 to 5.9 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ with the highest export in Northern Baffin Bay and the lowest export over the Mackenzie Shelf in the Beaufort Sea. Each annual cycle exhibited an increase in POC export a few weeks before, during, or immediately following sea ice melt, but showed different patterns over the remainder of the cycle. Enhanced primary production, discharge of the Lena River, and resuspension events contributed to periods of elevated POC export over the Laptev Sea slope. High POC fluxes in Northern Baffin Bay reflected periods of elevated primary production in the North Water polynya. In the Beaufort Sea sediment resuspension contributed to most of the large export events. Our results suggest that the outer shelf of the Laptev Sea will likely sustain the largest increase in POC export in the next few years due to the large reduction in ice cover and the possible increase in the Lena River discharge. The large differences in forcing among the regions investigated reinforce the importance of monitoring POC fluxes in the different oceanographic regimes that characterize the Arctic shelves to assess the response of the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle to interannual variability and climate change.     

Integrated GIS-based estimate of plankton and benthos biomasses in the Barents Sea

The quantitative characteristics and biomass distribution of plankton and benthos in the Southern Barents Sea are estimated by using geographic information system technologies. A database from a computer atlas of the Barents Sea is used to calculate the summary, total, and mean biomass. The quantitative parameters of plankton are estimated via creating a synthetic digital map, reflecting the joint distribution of phytoplankton, meso-and macrozooplankton in a raster format. The total and mean biomass of benthos is calculated via digitizing published cartographic data with subsequent processing of the digital cartogram. The obtained results are compared with estimates made earlier by other researchers. Generalizing characteristics, such as biomass production, P/B-coefficient, and ecological efficiency are calculated.     

Distribution of ~(226)Ra in the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea and its hydrologic implications

The Arctic Ocean, the northernmost parts of the earth, covers the total surface area of 14.79 million square kilometers and amounts to only about 4% of global ocean surface area. Although its surface area is the smallest in the four major oceans, the Arct…     

The Arctic is no longer put on ice: Evaluation of Polar cod (Boreogadussaida) as a monitoring species of oil pollution in cold waters

The withdrawing Arctic ice edge will facilitate future sea transport and exploration activities in the area, which calls for the establishment of relevant cold water monitoring species. The present study presents first results of field baseline levels for core oil pollution biomarkers in Polar cod (Boreogadussaida) sampled from pristine, Arctic waters. Furthermore, biomarker response levels were characterized in controlled laboratory exposure experiments running over 2 weeks. Fish exposed to a simulated petrogenic spill (1 ppm dispersed, crude oil) exhibited elevated hepatic EROD activity, bile PAH-metabolites, and hepatic DNA-adducts, whereas male individuals exposed to simulated produced water (30 ppb nonylphenol) exhibited a strong induction of plasma vitellogenin. In conclusion, the results demonstrated low and robust biomarker baseline levels that were clearly different from exposure responses. In combination with its high abundance and circumpolar distribution, the Polar cod seems well qualified for oil pollution monitoring in Arctic waters.     

The science and management of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea: natural history, present threats and future challenges

The review provides an overview of the features of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in their European geographical and socio-political context. To reach sustainability in the wider sense the common society has to meet the 7 tenets - that management actions have to be environmentally sustainable, economically viable, technologically feasible, socially desirable (or at least tolerable), legally permissible, administratively achievable and politically expedient. Each of these are explained and discussed using examples from the two seas including pollution control, physical resource exploitation (such as aggregates, habitat loss, renewable energy and oil and gas), and biological resources exploitation (fisheries and aquaculture). This paper discusses the similarities between the areas in terms of their management regimes, population in the catchment, history of anthropogenic changes, derivation of objectives against a wealth of information and understanding, and the history of management and control. In contrast, the differences between the areas centre on their differing hydrographic regimes, including residence and flushing times, biological features, nature of the pollutants discharged, dominant types of fishing and type of control indicated by a predominant Eastern Bloc for the Baltic as opposed to European Union control in the North Sea. The review ends with an assessment of future challenges and examples of the way in which environmental problems have been addressed in the two areas. In particular, it sets the features against a background of management designed to achieve the Ecosystem Approach within the prevailing European marine management framework.     

Impact of oil on the marine environment: Policy of the Paris commission on operational discharges from the offshore industry

Environmental impacts occur at all stages of oil and gas production. They are the result of prospecting activities, of the physical impact due to the installation of rigs, of the operational discharges when production starts and of accidental spills. The input of oil to the North Sea due to the offshore industry has been estimated at 29% of the total input of oil. The operational discharges consist of production water and drilling cuttings. An overview of statistics collected over the last 10 years shows that although the amount of oil discharged via production water is increasing as platforms are getting older, cuttings still account for 75% of the oil entering the sea as a result of normal operations. Spills represent a relatively small source of oil. The effects on the marine environment of discharges of production water and of discarded oily cuttings have been extensively studied, by national authorities as well as by the industry. Although it has not always been possible to reach consensus about the significance of the observed effects, a number of ‘agreed facts’ have led to establishment of regulations in the framework of the Paris Commission. The ‘decisions’ and ‘recommendations’ adopted by the Commission are regularly reviewed in the light of new developments.