Freshwater and its role in the Arctic Marine System: Sources, disposition, storage, export, and physical and biogeochemical consequences in the Arctic and global oceans
Edward C. Carmack,Michiyo Yamamoto-Kawai,Thomas W. N. Haine,Sheldon Bacon,Bodil A. Bluhm,Camille Lique,Camille Lique,Humfrey Melling,Igor V. Polyakov,Fiamma Straneo,Mary-Louise Timmermans,William J. Williams +11 more
TLDR
The Arctic Ocean is a fundamental node in the global hydrological cycle and the ocean's thermohaline circulation as discussed by the authors, and its key functions and processes include the delivery of fresh and low-salinity waters to the Arctic Ocean by river inflow, net precipitation, distillation during the freeze/thaw cycle, and Pacific Ocean inflows.Abstract:
The Arctic Ocean is a fundamental node in the global hydrological cycle and the ocean's thermohaline circulation. We here assess the system's key functions and processes: (1) the delivery of fresh and low-salinity waters to the Arctic Ocean by river inflow, net precipitation, distillation during the freeze/thaw cycle, and Pacific Ocean inflows; (2) the disposition (e.g., sources, pathways, and storage) of freshwater components within the Arctic Ocean; and (3) the release and export of freshwater components into the bordering convective domains of the North Atlantic. We then examine physical, chemical, or biological processes which are influenced or constrained by the local quantities and geochemical qualities of freshwater; these include stratification and vertical mixing, ocean heat flux, nutrient supply, primary production, ocean acidification, and biogeochemical cycling. Internal to the Arctic the joint effects of sea ice decline and hydrological cycle intensification have strengthened coupling between the ocean and the atmosphere (e.g., wind and ice drift stresses, solar radiation, and heat and moisture exchange), the bordering drainage basins (e.g., river discharge, sediment transport, and erosion), and terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., Arctic greening, dissolved and particulate carbon loading, and altered phenology of biotic components). External to the Arctic freshwater export acts as both a constraint to and a necessary ingredient for deep convection in the bordering subarctic gyres and thus affects the global thermohaline circulation. Geochemical fingerprints attained within the Arctic Ocean are likewise exported into the neighboring subarctic systems and beyond. Finally, we discuss observed and modeled functions and changes in this system on seasonal, annual, and decadal time scales and discuss mechanisms that link the marine system to atmospheric, terrestrial, and cryospheric systems.read more
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Greater role for Atlantic inflows on sea-ice loss in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean
Igor V. Polyakov,Andrey V. Pnyushkov,Matthew B. Alkire,Igor Ashik,Till Baumann,Eddy C. Carmack,Ilona Goszczko,John D. Guthrie,Vladimir Ivanov,Vladimir Ivanov,Torsten Kanzow,Torsten Kanzow,Richard A. Krishfield,Ron Kwok,Arild Sundfjord,James H. Morison,Robert Rember,Alexander Yulin +17 more
TL;DR: It is shown that recent ice reductions, weakening of the halocline, and shoaling of the intermediate-depth Atlantic Water layer in the eastern Eurasian Basin have increased winter ventilation in the ocean interior, making this region structurally similar to that of the western Eurasian basin.
Journal ArticleDOI
Changing state of Arctic sea ice across all seasons
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the ongoing loss of Arctic sea ice across all seasons and found that recent anomalies in spring and winter sea ice coverage have been more significant than any observed drop in summer sea ice extent.
Journal ArticleDOI
Arctic warming hotspot in the northern Barents Sea linked to declining sea-ice import
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the link between changing sea-ice import and this Arctic warming hotspot, and showed that a sharp increase in ocean temperature and salinity is apparent from the mid-2000s, which can be linked to a recent decline in sea ice import and a corresponding loss in freshwater, leading to weakened ocean stratification, enhanced vertical mixing and increased upward fluxes of heat and salt that prevent seaice formation and increase ocean heat content.
Journal ArticleDOI
Arctic terrestrial hydrology: A synthesis of processes, regional effects, and research challenges
Arvid Bring,Arvid Bring,I. Fedorova,I. Fedorova,Yonas Dibike,Yonas Dibike,Larry D. Hinzman,Johanna Mård,Sebastian H. Mernild,Sebastian H. Mernild,Terry D. Prowse,Terry D. Prowse,Olga Semenova,Olga Semenova,Svetlana Stuefer,M‐k. Woo +15 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the role of terrestrial hydrology in the Arctic system and its freshwater circulation. But they focus on water transport and water constituents vary, however, across a very diverse geography.
Journal ArticleDOI
The urgency of Arctic change
James E. Overland,Edward J. Dunlea,Jason E. Box,Robert W. Corell,Martin Forsius,Vladimir M. Kattsov,Morten Skovgård Olsen,Janet Pawlak,Lars-Otto Reiersen,Muyin Wang,Muyin Wang +10 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a synthesis of the latest observational trends and projections for the future of the Arctic, showing that even limiting global temperature increases to near 2°C will leave the Arctic a much different environment by mid-century with less snow and sea ice, melted permafrost, altered ecosystems, and a projected annual mean Arctic temperature increase of +4°C.
References
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