Arctic Ocean Freshening Linked to Anthropogenic Climate Change: All Hands on Deck

Haine, Thomas W. N.

doi:10.1029/2020gl090678

Cited by 9 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Vertical fluxes of freshwater are generally low due to this strong stratification and very low vertical turbulent mixing and diffusion (e.g., Fer, 2009). The reviews of Carmack et al (2016) and Haine et al (2015) confirm the picture above; hence, they mainly considered the Arctic freshwater budget in the near-surface layers. This current study expands on their work and describes the processes impacting the vertical (re)distribution of freshwater throughout the entire water column.…”

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…sinks (relatively saline Atlantic oceanic inflow, sea ice growth, evaporation, and liquid and solid transport through oceanic gateways) (Aagaard and Carmack, 1989;Rudels et al, 1994;Serreze et al, 2006;Haine et al, 2015);…”

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another 432 km 3 yr −1 from West and Southwest Greenland are discharged into Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea and 266 km 3 yr −1 from Southeast Greenland into the Irminger basin. For comparison, there is a total of 2440 km 3 yr −1 of combined Arctic river runoff over the same period (Bamber et al, 2012); Haine et al (2015) provide numbers of 3900 km 3 yr −1 ± 10 % for the 1980-2000 period and 4200 km 3 yr −1 ± 10 % for the 2000-2010 period, i.e., almost twice as large).…”

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Assessments of Arctic freshwater for the 2000-2010 period relative to 1980-2000 were completed as part of the WCRP/IASC/AMAP Arctic Freshwater Synthesis (Prowse et al, 2015;Carmack et al, 2016;Vihma et al, 2015) and the Arctic-Subarctic Ocean Fluxes program (Haine et al, 2015). These projects found that liquid freshwater increased by 25 % (5000 km 3 ) in the Beaufort Gyre; the Beaufort High was stronger than normal with higher sea level, a deeper halocline, stronger anticyclonic flow, and stronger transpolar drift (Proshutinsky et al, 2009;McPhee et al, 2009;Rabe et al, 2011;Haine et al, 2015). However, estimates of fluxes through the Fram Strait and the Labrador Sea were either too uncertain or showing statistically insignificant changes, leading to speculation on whether freshwater accumulated in the Arctic Ocean, if released via these Arctic gateways, could substantially impact the global ocean overturning circulation and climate (e.g., Haine, 2020;Zhang et al, 2021).…”

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Freshwater in the Arctic Ocean 2010–2019

Solomon

Heuzé²,

Rabe

et al. 2021

Ocean Sci.

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Abstract. The Arctic climate system is rapidly transitioning into a new regime with a reduction in the extent of sea ice, enhanced mixing in the ocean and atmosphere, and thus enhanced coupling within the ocean–ice–atmosphere system; these physical changes are leading to ecosystem changes in the Arctic Ocean. In this review paper, we assess one of the critically important aspects of this new regime, the variability of Arctic freshwater, which plays a fundamental role in the Arctic climate system by impacting ocean stratification and sea ice formation or melt. Liquid and solid freshwater exports also affect the global climate system, notably by impacting the global ocean overturning circulation. We assess how freshwater budgets have changed relative to the 2000–2010 period. We include discussions of processes such as poleward atmospheric moisture transport, runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet and Arctic glaciers, the role of snow on sea ice, and vertical redistribution. Notably, sea ice cover has become more seasonal and more mobile; the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet increased in the 2010s (particularly in the western, northern, and southern regions) and imported warm, salty Atlantic waters have shoaled. During 2000–2010, the Arctic Oscillation and moisture transport into the Arctic are in-phase and have a positive trend. This cyclonic atmospheric circulation pattern forces reduced freshwater content on the Atlantic–Eurasian side of the Arctic Ocean and freshwater gains in the Beaufort Gyre. We show that the trend in Arctic freshwater content in the 2010s has stabilized relative to the 2000s, potentially due to an increased compensation between a freshening of the Beaufort Gyre and a reduction in freshwater in the rest of the Arctic Ocean. However, large inter-model spread across the ocean reanalyses and uncertainty in the observations used in this study prevent a definitive conclusion about the degree of this compensation.

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Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Freshwater In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Freshwater in the Arctic Ocean 2010–2019

Solomon

Heuzé²,

Rabe

et al. 2021

Ocean Sci.

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Observed Changes in the Arctic Freshwater Outflow in Fram Strait

et al. 2022

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We have updated time series of liquid fresh water transport (FWT) in the East Greenland Current (EGC) in the western Fram Strait with mooring observations since 2015. Novel data have been used to correct earlier estimates when instrument coverage was lower. The updated FWT (reference salinity 34.9) shows that the increased export between 2010 and 2015 has not continued, but FWT has decreased to pre‐2009 levels. Salt transport independent of a reference salinity is shown not to be sensitive to salinity changes. Between 2015 and 2019, the FWT in the Polar Water (PW) decreased to an average of 59.9 (±4.5) mSV, 15% less than the 2003–2019 long‐term mean, however, high FWT events occurred in 2017. The overall decrease is related to a slowdown of the EGC, partly attributed to a decrease of the zonal density gradient, due to stronger salinification of the halocline waters (26.5 < σθ < 27.7 kg/m3) over the shelf. This salinification counterbalances the freshening of the surface layer (σθ < 26.5 kg/m3) and the fresh water content decreases. Our results show changes in the PW between 2003 and 2019: Salinity stratification increased as the salinity difference between 155 and 55 m increased by 0.63 psu, the PW layer became thinner by 40–50 m and the Polar‐Atlantic front moved ∼10 km west in June 2015. All processes point to an “Atlantification” of the western Fram Strait and a reduced Polar outflow. Including the novel data sets reduced the uncertainty of the FWT to an average of 8% after 2015, as opposed to 17% in earlier estimates.

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Evidence From Dissolved O₂ Isotopes in North Atlantic Deep Water for a Recent Climatic Shift

Musan

Gildor

Barkan

et al. 2023

Geophysical Research Letters

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Arctic Ocean Freshening Linked to Anthropogenic Climate Change: All Hands on Deck

Abstract: Arctic Ocean freshwater storage increased since the mid-1990s, but the cause was unknown.

Cited by 9 publications

References 29 publications

Freshwater in the Arctic Ocean 2010–2019

Freshwater in the Arctic Ocean 2010–2019

Observed Changes in the Arctic Freshwater Outflow in Fram Strait

Evidence From Dissolved O₂ Isotopes in North Atlantic Deep Water for a Recent Climatic Shift

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Arctic Ocean Freshening Linked to Anthropogenic Climate Change: All Hands on Deck

Abstract: Arctic Ocean freshwater storage increased since the mid-1990s, but the cause was unknown.

Cited by 9 publications

References 29 publications

Freshwater in the Arctic Ocean 2010–2019

Freshwater in the Arctic Ocean 2010–2019

Observed Changes in the Arctic Freshwater Outflow in Fram Strait

Evidence From Dissolved O2 Isotopes in North Atlantic Deep Water for a Recent Climatic Shift

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Evidence From Dissolved O₂ Isotopes in North Atlantic Deep Water for a Recent Climatic Shift