Passive tracers in a general circulation model of the Southern Ocean

Passive tracers are used in an off-line version of the United Kingdom Fine Resolution Antarctic Model (FRAM) to highlight features of the circulation and provide information on the inter-ocean exchange of water masses. The use of passive tracers allows a picture to be built up of the deep circulation which is not readily apparent from examination of the veloCity or density fields. Comparison of observations with FRAM results gives good agreement for many features of the Southern Ocean circulation. Tracer distributions are consistent with the concept of a global “conveyor belt” with a return path via the Agulhas retroflection region for the replenishment of North Atlantic Deep Water.     

Simulation of oceanic volume transports through Fram Strait 1995–2005

We discuss the model representation of volume transports through one of the most climate-relevant ocean passages, the Fram Strait. We compare results from a coupled ocean–sea ice model with different resolutions (∼1/12° and ∼1/4°) and measurements from a mooring array along 79° N. The 1/4° model delivers a realistic mean climate state and realistic net volume transports. However, this model fails to reproduce the observed intense barotropic recirculation that reaches far north in Fram Strait. This recirculation is captured in the higher resolution version of the model. Other differences exist in the circulation over the East Greenland Shelf and in the temperature of Atlantic waters in the Fram Strait region as well as in surface heat fluxes. We find that a combination of high-resolution model results and long-term measurements can improve the interpretation of measured and simulated processes and reduce the uncertainties in exchange rates between Arctic and the North Atlantic.     

Fjord–shelf exchanges controlled by ice and brine production: The interannual variation of Atlantic Water in Isfjorden,Svalbard

Exchanges between oceanic and coastal waters are fundamental in setting the hydrography of arctic shelves and fjords. In West Spitsbergen, Atlantic Water from the West Spitsbergen Current exchanges with the seasonally ice-covered waters of the coast and fjords causing a major annual shift in hydrographic conditions. The extent to which Atlantic Water dominates the fjord systems shows significant interannual variability. Hydrographic sections taken between 1999 and 2005 from Isfjorden and the adjacent shelf have been analyzed to identify the causes of the variability in Atlantic Water occupation of the fjord system. By treating the fjord system as a coastal polynya and running a polynya model to quantify the salt release each winter, we conclude that the critical parameter controlling fjord–shelf exchange is the density difference between the fjord water masses and the Atlantic Water. We provide a full dynamical mechanism for the interaction between water masses at the fjord entrance to rationalize the interannual variability.     

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%.     

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.     

Anthropogenic iodine-129 in seawater along a transect from the Norwegian coastal current to the North Pole

Variation in the concentrations of iodine-129 (129I, T1/2=15.7 Myr), a low-level radioactive component of nuclear fuel waste, is documented in surface waters and depth profiles collected during 2001 along a transect from the Norwegian Coastal Current to the North Pole. The surface waters near the Norwegian coast are found to have 20 times higher 129I concentration than the surface waters of the Arctic Ocean. The depth profiles of 129I taken in the Arctic Ocean reveal a sharp decline in the concentration to a depth of about 300-500 m followed by a weaker gradient extending down to the bottom. A twofold increase in the 129I concentration is observed in the upper 1000 m since 1996. Based on known estimates of marine transient time from the release sources (the nuclear reprocessing facilities at La Hague, France, and Sellafield, UK), a doubling in the 129I inventory of the top 1000 m of the Arctic Ocean is expected to occur between the years 2001 and 2006. As 129I of polar mixed layer and Atlantic layer of the Arctic Ocean is ventilated by the East Greenland Current into the Nordic Seas and North Atlantic Ocean, further dispersal and increase of the isotope concentration in these regions will be encountered in the near future.     

Oceanic thermal structure in the western Canadian Arctic

Recent hydrographic data (1981–1982) from the western Canadian Arctic Archipelago and adjacent areas of the Arctic Ocean are interpreted from the viewpoint of thermal energy transfer. Within the Archipelago, a warmer halocline than in the Arctic Ocean and a cooler Atlantic layer are identified. The warmer halocline is a consequence of the continued diffusion of heat from underlying Atlantic water without a significant downward penetration from the surface of cold (≤1.5°C) seawater with salinity increased consequent to ice growth. The cooler Atlantic layer is primarily attributable to an enhanced cooling of these waters in a narrow band over the continental slope and shelf of the southern Beaufort Sea prior to their inflow into the Archipelago. Rates of transport and vertical diffusion in this region are estimated. The significance of these findings in regional and Arctic oceanography is discussed.     

Long-term ocean simulations in FESOM: evaluation and application in studying the impact of Greenland Ice Sheet melting

The Finite Element Sea-ice Ocean Model (FESOM) is formulated on unstructured meshes and offers geometrical flexibility which is difficult to achieve on traditional structured grids. In this work, the performance of FESOM in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean on large time scales is evaluated in a hindcast experiment. A water-hosing experiment is also conducted to study the model sensitivity to increased freshwater input from Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) melting in a 0.1-Sv discharge rate scenario. The variability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in the hindcast experiment can be explained by the variability of the thermohaline forcing over deep convection sites. The model also reproduces realistic freshwater content variability and sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean. The anomalous freshwater in the water-hosing experiment leads to significant changes in the ocean circulation and local dynamical sea level (DSL). The most pronounced DSL rise is in the northwest North Atlantic as shown in previous studies, and also in the Arctic Ocean. The released GrIS freshwater mainly remains in the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean and the west South Atlantic after 120 model years. The pattern of ocean freshening is similar to that of the GrIS water distribution, but changes in ocean circulation also contribute to the ocean salinity change. The changes in Arctic and sub-Arctic sea level modify exchanges between the Arctic Ocean and subpolar seas, and hence the role of the Arctic Ocean in the global climate. Not only the strength of the AMOC, but also the strength of its decadal variability is notably reduced by the anomalous freshwater input. A comparison of FESOM with results from previous studies shows that FESOM can simulate past ocean state and the impact of increased GrIS melting well.

     

Long-term ocean simulations in FESOM: evaluation and application in studying the impact of Greenland Ice Sheet melting

The Finite Element Sea-ice Ocean Model (FESOM) is formulated on unstructured meshes and offers geometrical flexibility which is difficult to achieve on traditional structured grids. In this work, the performance of FESOM in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean on large time scales is evaluated in a hindcast experiment. A water-hosing experiment is also conducted to study the model sensitivity to increased freshwater input from Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) melting in a 0.1-Sv discharge rate scenario. The variability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in the hindcast experiment can be explained by the variability of the thermohaline forcing over deep convection sites. The model also reproduces realistic freshwater content variability and sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean. The anomalous freshwater in the water-hosing experiment leads to significant changes in the ocean circulation and local dynamical sea level (DSL). The most pronounced DSL rise is in the northwest North Atlantic as shown in previous studies, and also in the Arctic Ocean. The released GrIS freshwater mainly remains in the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean and the west South Atlantic after 120 model years. The pattern of ocean freshening is similar to that of the GrIS water distribution, but changes in ocean circulation also contribute to the ocean salinity change. The changes in Arctic and sub-Arctic sea level modify exchanges between the Arctic Ocean and subpolar seas, and hence the role of the Arctic Ocean in the global climate. Not only the strength of the AMOC, but also the strength of its decadal variability is notably reduced by the anomalous freshwater input. A comparison of FESOM with results from previous studies shows that FESOM can simulate past ocean state and the impact of increased GrIS melting well.     

Iodine-129 concentrations in marginal seas of the north Pacific and Pacific-influenced waters of the Arctic Ocean

Water sampling during the 1993 IV Russian–US Joint Expedition to the Bering and Chukchi Seas (BERPAC) indicates that Pacific Ocean burdens of the long-lived radionuclide ¹²⁹I are relatively low in the Pacific-influenced Arctic, particularly compared to high latitude waters influenced by the North Atlantic. These low concentrations occur despite the presence of potential submerged anthropogenic sources in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), and in the northwest Pacific Ocean, east of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The concentration of ¹²⁹I entering the Arctic Ocean through Bering Strait, 0.7×10⁸ atoms kg⁻¹, is only slightly higher than observed in deep Pacific waters. Similar concentrations (0.44–0.76×10⁸ atoms kg⁻¹) measured in Long Strait indicate no significant transfer of ¹²⁹I eastward into the Chukchi Sea in the Siberian Coastal Current from the Siberian marginal seas to the west. However, the concentrations reported here are more than an order of magnitude higher than the Bering Strait input concentration estimated (1.0×10⁶ atoms kg⁻¹) from bomb fallout mass balances, which supports other existing evidence for a significant atmospheric deposition term for this radionuclide in surface ocean waters. Near-bottom water samples collected in productive waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas also suggest that sediment regeneration may locally elevate ¹²⁹I concentrations, and impact its utility as a water mass tracer. As part of this study, two deep ¹²⁹I profiles were also measured in the East Sea in 1993–1994. The near-surface concentration of ¹²⁹I ranged from 0.12 to 0.31×10⁸ atoms kg⁻¹. The ¹²⁹I concentration showed a steady decrease with depth, although because of active deep water ventilation, the entire 3000 m water column exceeded natural concentrations of the radionuclide. Atom ratios of ¹²⁹I/¹³⁷Cs in the East Sea also suggest an excess of ¹²⁹I above bomb fallout estimates, also possibly resulting from atmospheric deposition ultimately originating from nuclear facilities.     

Decadal variability of the Arctic Ocean thermal structure

Long-term variability of heat content (HC) in the upper 1,000 m of the Arctic Ocean is investigated using surface and subsurface temperature and current data during 1958–2005 compiled by Simple Ocean Data Assimilation. Annual cycle of the Arctic Ocean HC is controlled primarily by the negative and positive excursions in net upper ocean heat flux, while the inter-annual variability is mainly associated with meridional thermal advection from the North Atlantic Ocean. Variability in HC is experienced as a basin-wide cooling/warming in association with the Arctic Oscillation on a decadal time scale. In the first three dominant modes of Empirical Orthogonal Function, the maximum amplitude of HC variability occurs in the Greenland–Norwegian Sea and Eurasian Basin. In general, HC showed increasing trend during 1958–2005 indicating continuous warming with regional variations in magnitude.     

South Atlantic circulation in a world ocean model

The circulation in the South Atlantic Ocean has been simulated within a global ocean general circulation model. Preliminary analysis of the modelled ocean circulation in the region indicates a rather close agreement of the simulated upper ocean flows with conventional notions of the large-scale geostrophic currents in the region. The modelled South Atlantic Ocean witnesses the return flow and export of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) at its northern boundary, the inflow of a rather barotropic Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) through the Drake Passage, and the inflow of warm saline Agulhas water around the Cape of Good Hope. The Agulhas leakage amounts to 8.7 Sv, within recent estimates of the mass transport shed westward at the Agulhas retroflection. Topographic steering of the ACC dominates the structure of flow in the circumpolar ocean. The Benguela Current is seen to be fed by a mixture of saline Indian Ocean water (originating from the Agulhas Current) and fresher Subantarctic surface water (originating in the ACC). The Benguela Current is seen to modify its flow and fate with depth; near the surface it flows north-westwards bifurcating most of its transport northward into the North Atlantic Ocean (for ultimate replacement of North Atlantic surface waters lost to the NADW conveyor). Deeper in the water column, more of the Benguela Current is destined to return with the Brazil Current, though northward flows are still generated where the Benguela Current extension encounters the coast of South America. At intermediate levels, these northward currents trace the flow of Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) equatorward, though even more AAIW is seen to recirculate poleward in the subtropical gyre. In spite of the model’s rather coarse resolution, some subtle features of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence are simulated rather well, including the latitude at which the two currents meet. Conceptual diagrams of the recirculation and interocean exchange of thermocline, intermediate and deep waters are constructed from an analysis of flows bound between isothermal and isobaric surfaces. This analysis shows how the return path of NADW is partitioned between a cold water route through the Drake Passage (6.5 Sv), a warm water route involving the Agulhas Current sheeding thermocline water westward (2.5 Sv), and a recirculation of intermediate water originating in the Indian Ocean (1.6 Sv).     

On the dynamics of strait flows: an ocean model study of the Aleutian passages and the Bering Strait

A high-resolution numerical ocean circulation model of the Bering Sea (BS) is used to study the natural variability of the BS straits. Three distinct categories of strait dynamics have been identified: (1) Shallow passages such as the Bering Strait and the Unimak Passage have northward, near barotropic flow with periodic pulses of larger transports; (2) wide passages such as Near Straits, Amukta Pass, and Buldir Pass have complex flow patterns driven by the passage of mesoscale eddies across the strait; and (3) deep passages such as Amchitka Pass and Kamchatka Strait have persistent deep return flows opposite in direction to major surface currents; the deep flows persist independent of the local wind. Empirical orthogonal function analyses reveal the spatial structure and the temporal variability of strait flows and demonstrate how mesoscale variations in the Aleutian passages influence the Bering Strait flow toward the Arctic Ocean. The study suggests a general relation between the barotropic and baroclinic Rossby radii of deformations in each strait, and the level of flow variability through the strait, independent of geographical location. The mesoscale variability in the BS seems to originate from two different sources: a remote origin from variability in the Alaskan Stream that enters the BS through the Aleutian passages and a local origin from the interaction of currents with the Bowers Ridge in the Aleutian Basin. Comparisons between the flow in the Aleutian passages and flow in other straits, such as the Yucatan Channel and the Faroe Bank Channel, suggest some universal topographically induced dynamics in strait flows.     

Tritium in the Arctic Ocean and East Greenland Current

High concentrations of tritium are found in the surface water of the Arctic Ocean (up to 50 TU) and in the East Greenland Current (up to 70 TU). These high tritium values are a direct result of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons in the early 1960's. A box model with a time-dependent input of highly tritiated precipitation predicts that high tritium concentrations are to be expected in the surface layer of the Arctic Ocean and its various outflows. We suggest that a few tritium stations in the Arctic Ocean would provide a powerful analytical tool for assigning time scales to exchange processes.     

The aftershock process of the February 21, 2008 Storfjorden Strait, Spitsbergen, earthquake

This study is concerned with the aftershock process of the Mw 6.1 Storfjorden Strait, Spitsbergen earthquake of February 21, 2008, which was the largest to have occurred in the West Arctic shelf during the entire history of instrumental observation. The aftershock sequence was fitted by relaxation models and the ETAS model and was found to be a combination of two processes, a relaxation process and a triggered one. We propose a hypothesis about the relationship between seismicity and disturbances of fluid dynamic equilibrium in the seafloor of the Storfjord Strait.     

Oscillating glacial northern and southern deep water formation from combined neodymium and carbon isotopes

While ocean circulation is driven by the formation of deep water in the North Atlantic and the Circum-Antarctic, the role of southern-sourced deep water formation in climate change is poorly understood. Here we address the balance of northern- and southern-sourced waters in the South Atlantic through the last glacial period using neodymium isotope ratios of authigenic ferromanganese oxides in thirteen deep sea cores from throughout the South Atlantic. The data indicate that northern-sourced water did not reach the Southern Ocean during the late glacial, and was replaced by southern-derived intermediate and deep waters. The high-resolution neodymium isotope record (~ 300 yr sample spacing) from two spliced deep Cape Basin sites indicates that over the last glacial period northern-sourced water mass export to the Southern Ocean was stronger during the major Greenland millennial warming intervals (and Southern Hemisphere cool periods), and particularly during the major interstadials 8, 12, and 14. Northern-sourced water mass export was weaker during Greenland stadials and reached minima during Heinrich Events. The benthic foraminiferal carbon isotopes in the same Cape Basin core reflect a partial control by Southern Hemisphere climate changes and indicate that deep water formation and ventilation occurred in the Southern Ocean during major Greenland cooling intervals (stadials). Together, neodymium isotopes and benthic carbon isotopes provide new information about water mass sourcing and circulation in deep Southern Ocean waters during rapid glacial climate changes. Combining carbon and neodymium isotopes can be used to monitor the relative proportion of northern- and southern-sourced waters in the Cape Basin to gain insight into the processes which control the carbon isotopic composition of deep waters. In this study we show that deep water formation and circulation was more important than biological productivity and nutrient regeneration changes for controlling the carbon isotope chemistry of Antarctic Bottom Water during millennial-scale glacial climate cycles. This observation also lends support to the hypothesis that ocean circulation is linked to interhemispheric climate changes on short timescales, and that ventilation in the glacial ocean rapidly switched between the northern and Southern Hemisphere on millennial timescales.     

Toward Improved Estimation of the Dynamic Topography and Ocean Circulation in the High Latitude and Arctic Ocean: The Importance of GOCE

The Arctic plays a fundamental role in the climate system and shows significant sensitivity to anthropogenic climate forcing and the ongoing climate change. Accelerated changes in the Arctic are already observed, including elevated air and ocean temperatures, declines of the summer sea ice extent and sea ice thickness influencing the albedo and CO₂ exchange, melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and increased thawing of surrounding permafrost regions. In turn, the hydrological cycle in the high latitude and Arctic is expected to undergo changes although to date it is challenging to accurately quantify this. Moreover, changes in the temperature and salinity of surface waters in the Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas may also influence the flow of dense water through the Denmark Strait, which are found to be a precursor for changes in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation with a lead time of around 10 years (Hawkins and Sutton in Geophys Res Lett 35:L11603, 2008). Evidently changes in the Arctic and surrounding seas have far reaching influences on regional and global environment and climate variability, thus emphasizing the need for advanced quantitative understanding of the ocean circulation and transport variability in the high latitude and Arctic Ocean. In this respect, this study combines in situ hydrographical data, surface drifter data and direct current meter measurements, with coupled sea ice–ocean models, radar altimeter data and the latest GOCE-based geoid in order to estimate and assess the quality, usefulness and validity of the new GOCE-derived mean dynamic topography for studies of the ocean circulation and transport estimates in the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean.     

Combining T/P altimetric data with hydrographic data to estimate the mean dynamic topography of the North Atlantic and improve the geoid

The mean dynamic topography of the surface of the North Atlantic is estimated using an inverse model of the ocean circulation constrained by hydro-graphic and altimetric observations. In the North Atlantic, altimetric observations have no significant impact on the topography estimate because of the limited precision of available geoid height models. They have a significant impact, however, when uncertainties in the density field are increased to simulate interpolation errors in regions where hydrographic data are scarce. This result, which moderates the conclusion drawn by Ganachaud and co-workers of no significant contribution of altimetric observations to the determination of the large-scale steady circulation, reflects the simple idea that altimetric data are most useful near the surface of the ocean and in areas where the hydrography is poorly determined. One application of the present inverse estimate of the mean dynamic topography is to compute a geoid height correction over the North Atlantic which reduces the uncertainty in the geoid height expanded to spherical harmonic 40 down to a level of about 5 cm.     

Climatic and geographic patterns of river runoff formation in Northern Eurasia

Siberian rivers are of global importance as they impact on the freshwater budget of the Arctic Ocean, which affects the Thermo-Haline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean. Siberian rivers, in particular the tributaries to the larger rivers, are under-represented in the international river-regime databases. The runoff of three Russian rivers in the Central Siberian taiga (Kureyka, Karabula and Erba) is modelled to analyse the relative influence of climate. In addition three rivers (Rhine, Maas and Odra) in Western Europe are similarly assessed as a control. The results show that the role of precipitation and autocorrelation as factors in the formation of river runoff is stronger under oceanic climate conditions, increasing from the central regions of Northern Eurasia towards the Arctic Ocean in the North and the Atlantic in the West. At the same time the influence of summer temperatures is weakened. The formation of Northern Eurasian river runoff appears to be influenced by periodically thawing top horizons of permafrost soil. Time served as an indicator for land use change after inclusion of meteorological data in the models. Maas and Erba showed a significant influence of the time factor. For the Erba the onset of agricultural land use in the catchment coincides with a drop in runoff. A similar causal relationship is suggested for the Maas. Land use can change the formation of runoff, which in turn can be used as an environmental indicator for sustainable land use.     

Analysis of trends in annual streamflow to the Arctic Ocean

There is increasing interest in the magnitude of the flow of freshwater to the Arctic Ocean due to its impacts on the biogeophysical and socio‐economic systems in the north and its influence on global climate. This study examines freshwater flow based on a dataset of 72 rivers that either directly or indirectly contribute flow to the Arctic Ocean or reflect the hydrologic regime of areas contributing flow to the Arctic Ocean. Annual streamflow for the 72 rivers is categorized as to the nature and location of the contribution to the Arctic Ocean, and composite series of annual flows are determined for each category for the period 1975 to 2015. A trend analysis is then conducted for the annual discharge series assembled for each category. The results reveal a general increase in freshwater flow to the Arctic Ocean with this increase being more prominent from the Eurasian rivers than from the North American rivers. A comparison with trends obtained from an earlier study ending in 2000 indicates similar trend response from the Eurasian rivers, but dramatic differences from some of the North American rivers. A total annual discharge increase of 8.7 km³/y/y is found, with an annual discharge increase of 5.8 km³/y/y observed for the rivers directly flowing to the Arctic Ocean. The influence of annual or seasonal climate oscillation indices on annual discharge series is also assessed. Several river categories are found to have significant correlations with the Arctic Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. However, no significant association with climate indices is found for the river categories leading to the largest freshwater contribution to the Arctic Ocean.