Comparing modeled streamfunction, heat and freshwater content in the Arctic Ocean

Steiner, Nadja; Holloway, Greg; Gerdes, R.; Häkkinen, Sirpa; Holland, David M.; Kärcher, Michael; Kauker, Frank; Maslowski, Wieslaw; Proshutinsky, Andrey; Steele, Michael; Zhang, J.

doi:10.1016/s1463-5003(03)00013-1

Cited by 49 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…These are the regions of seasonal ice cover or totally ice-free and due to this the energy exchange with the atmosphere is more intensive. The results follow the heat content estimates of Steiner et al (2004). When compared with the PHC deviation, the models seem to reveal less variability along the Barents-Arctic shelf edge.…”

Section: à2supporting

confidence: 71%

An energy-diagnostics intercomparison of coupled ice-ocean Arctic models

et al. 2006

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Monthly energetics of the Arctic Ocean are estimated based on results from six different coupled iceocean models. The components of the kinetic, potential and available potential energies, energy conversion and forcing rates are studied. The energy balances derived from the models differ significantly in the abyss, notably regarding the conversion of potential and kinetic energies. The models produce arctic boundary undercurrents controlled by the non-geostrophic components of the momentum equation, like advection and friction. Discrepancies exist where the modeled boundary currents are located and how completely the flow circulates around the Arctic Ocean. Two models produce cyclonic circulation, which is strongest ARTICLE IN PRESSat the depths of 300-800 m. The initial stratification, based on observations, contains a marked gradient of the available potential energy between the Eurasian and Canadian Basins with two corresponding circulation cells. The stratification is modified by the modeled circulation systematically so that this gradient vanishes. The models aim to produce a closer match toward the expected circulation, but result in a deviation from the observed, initial stratification.

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Section: à2supporting

confidence: 71%

An energy-diagnostics intercomparison of coupled ice-ocean Arctic models

et al. 2006

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“…However, the effect of the Pacific water is seen in the East Siberian Sea in our result, instead of in the Western Canadian Basin. This is possibly due to model bias such that the water flowing from the Pacific Ocean into Arctic Ocean tends to affect the western region more than in the real ocean, which is a common aspect of low resolution ocean GCMs (Steiner et al 2004). Accordingly, the reported feedback loop in the Canadian Basin is not established in our result.…”

Section: E Beaufort Gyrementioning

confidence: 65%

Impact of the Assimilation of Sea Ice Concentration Data on an Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Coupled Simulation of the Arctic Ocean Climate

Toyoda

Awaji

Sugiura

et al. 2011

SOLA

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We have investigated the effects of assimilating sea ice concentration (SIC) data on a simulation of Arctic Ocean climate using an atmosphere-ocean-sea ice coupled model. Our results show that the normal overestimation of summertime SIC in the East Siberian Sea and the Beaufort Sea in simulations without sea-ice data input can be greatly reduced by assimilating seaice data and that this improvement is also evident in a following hindcast experiment for 3−4 years after the initialization of the assimilation. In the hindcast experiment, enhanced heat storage in both sea ice and in the ocean surface layer plays a central role in improving the accuracy of the sea ice distribution, particularly in summer. Our detailed investigation suggests that the ice-albedo feedback and the feedback associated with the atmospheric pressure pattern generated by the improved estimation of SIC work more effectively to retain the heat signal after initialization for a coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice system prediction. In addition, comparison with field observations confirms that the model fails to produce a realistic feedback loop, which is (presumably) due to inadequacies in both the ice-cloud feedback model and the feedback via the Beaufort Gyre circulation. Further development of coupled models is thus required to better define Arctic Ocean climate processes and to improve the accuracy of their predictions. IntroductionThe Arctic Ocean climate system is largely characterized by the presence of sea ice. Recently, satellite and in-situ observations clearly identify a retreat of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean (e.g., Maslanik et al. 2007). Previous studies have so far reported the importance of (a) ice-albedo feedback (Curry et al. 1995), (b) the sea level pressure pattern, and in particular the dipolar anomaly (e.g., Watanabe et al. 2006), (c) ice-cloud feedback (Ikeda et al. 2003), and (d) the warmer Pacific Summer Water (Shimada et al. 2006). These four factors can enhance the impact of global warming. Such studies underline the importance of the positive feedback loop for sea ice reduction via both the atmosphere and the ocean that is required to advance our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the variation in the Arctic Ocean climate. One promising approach to the investigation of coupled processes in this area of sea ice research makes use of sophisticated numerical models. However, current state-of-the-art simulation models are not yet sufficiently advanced to be able to reproduce highlatitude processes adequately.Data assimilation methods have recently focused on obtaining an optimal synthesis of observations and models for better descriptions of realistic physical processes. Their application successfully reduced the errors inherent in ocean-sea ice coupled simulations of the Arctic Ocean (e.g., Lindsay and Zhang 2006). Therefore, the assimilation of observational sea-ice data represents a promising means of improving the atmosphere-ocean-sea ice coupled simulations. Moreover, since the data assimilation appr...

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“…The variety of models is large, ranging from regional to global domain, different vertical coordinates such as z‐, sigma‐, or isopycnal coordinates, and free surface or rigid lid assumptions at the ocean's upper surface. Previous intercomparison studies from AOMIP have focussed on stream function, heat and fresh water content [ Steiner et al , 2004], and energy diagnostics [ Uotila et al , 2005].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the dynamics of Atlantic Water circulation in the Arctic Ocean

et al. 2007

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[1] We use a subset of models from the coordinated experiment of the Arctic Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (AOMIP) to analyze differences in intensity and sense of rotation of Atlantic Water circulation. We focus on the interpretation of the potential vorticity (PV) balance. Results differ drastically for the Eurasian and the Amerasian Basins of the Arctic Ocean. We find indications that in the Eurasian Basin the lateral net flux of PV is a significant factor for the determination of the sense of rotation of Atlantic Water circulation on timescales beyond pentades. The main source of high PV causing cyclonic circulation in the Eurasian Basin is the Barents Sea, where the seasonal cycle of surface buoyancy fluxes forms stratified water that leaves the shelf and feeds the Atlantic Water Layer (AWL) in the Arctic Basins. However, in the Amerasian Basin vertical PV fluxes are the more important factor. These are closely related to wind field changes. We find an intense response of the AWL flow to wind forcing, approximated by the sea level pressure difference between the Bering Sea and the central Canadian Basin, which describes about half the variance of AWL flow of the Amerasian Basin. An experiment driven with a repeated atmospheric climatology exhibits an extreme case where a permanent high pressure system over the Beaufort Sea dominates the circulation in the Amerasian Basin, demonstrating the potential of the Beaufort Gyre to adjust in such a way as to suppress a cyclonic AWL flow in the Amerasian Basin. In more realistic cases the Beaufort Gyre still modulates the Amerasian Basin AWL circulation significantly.

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Comparing modeled streamfunction, heat and freshwater content in the Arctic Ocean

Cited by 49 publications

References 29 publications

An energy-diagnostics intercomparison of coupled ice-ocean Arctic models

An energy-diagnostics intercomparison of coupled ice-ocean Arctic models

Impact of the Assimilation of Sea Ice Concentration Data on an Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Coupled Simulation of the Arctic Ocean Climate

On the dynamics of Atlantic Water circulation in the Arctic Ocean

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