Depletion of perennial sea ice in the East Arctic Ocean

Nghiem, S. V.; Chao, Yi; Neumann, Gregory A.; Li, P.; Perovich, Donald K.; Street, T.; Clemente‐Colón, P.

doi:10.1029/2006gl027198

Cited by 84 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Finally, as previously discussed, it may be that total Northern Hemisphere seasonal sea ice (or Arctic Ocean sea ice, which also showed no relationship to AMDEs) is not a good representation of seasonal ice in the region(s) where AMDEs at Alert originate. Future detailed analysis of higher-resolution sea ice conditions, particularly now that seasonal sea ice area can be more accurately estimated from satellite scatterometer data (Nghiem et al, 2006), may reveal a clearer relationship with AMDEs at Alert once a longer data set is collected.…”

Section: Correlations Of Depletion and Emission Events With Meteorolomentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in long-term gaseous mercury observations in the Arctic and effects of temperature and other atmospheric conditions

Cole

Steffen

2010

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) measurements at Alert, Canada, from 1995 to 2007 were analyzed for statistical time trends and for correlations with meteorological and climate data. A significant decreasing trend in annual GEM concentration is reported at Alert, with an estimated slope of −0.0086 ng m −3 yr −1 (−0.6% yr −1 ) over this 13-year period. It is shown that there has been a shift in the month of minimum mean GEM concentration from May to April due to a change in the timing of springtime atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs). These AMDEs are found to decrease with increasing local temperature within each month, both at Alert and at Amderma, Russia. These results support the temperature dependence suggested by previous experimental results and theoretical kinetic calculations on both bromine generation and mercury oxidation and highlight the potential for changes in Arctic mercury chemistry with climate. A correlation between total monthly AMDEs at Alert and the Polar/Eurasian Teleconnection Index was observed only in March, perhaps due to higher GEM inputs in early spring in those years with a weak polar vortex. A correlation of AMDEs at Alert with wind direction supports the origin of mercury depletion events over the Arctic Ocean, in agreement with a previous trajectory study of ozone depletion events. Interannual variability in total monthly depletion event frequency at Alert does not appear to correlate significantly with total or first-year northern hemispheric sea ice area or with other major teleconnection patterns. Nor do AMDEs at either Alert or Amderma correlate with local wind speed, as might be expected if depletion events are sustained by stable, low-turbulence atmospheric conditions. The data presented here -both the change in Correspondence to: A. S. Cole (amanda.cole@ec.gc.ca) timing of depletion events and their relationship with temperature -can be used as additional constraints to improve the ability of models to predict the cycling and deposition of mercury in the Arctic.

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Section: Correlations Of Depletion and Emission Events With Meteorolomentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in long-term gaseous mercury observations in the Arctic and effects of temperature and other atmospheric conditions

Cole

Steffen

2010

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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“…Including 2008, the linear trend in September ice extent over the satellite record stands at −11.7% per decade (http://nsidc.com/arctiseaicenews). Attendant thinning of the ice pack finds support in satellite observations pointing to declining coverage of perennial (multiyear) ice (Nghiem et al, 2006;Kwok, 2007) and results from an ice age tracking algorithm (Maslanik et al, 2007b). Zhang and Walsh (2006) note that essentially all coupled models participating in the IPCC-AR4 show declining sea ice over the period of observations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The emergence of surface-based Arctic amplification

et al. 2009

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Abstract. Rises in surface and lower troposphere air temperatures through the 21st century are projected to be especially pronounced over the Arctic Ocean during the cold season. This Arctic amplification is largely driven by loss of the sea ice cover, allowing for strong heat transfers from the ocean to the atmosphere. Consistent with observed reductions in sea ice extent, fields from both the NCEP/NCAR and JRA-25 reanalyses point to emergence of surface-based Arctic amplification in the last decade.

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“…The most visible change in the Arctic over the past 30 years is the loss of multiyear sea ice from the Arctic Ocean and its replacement by seasonal sea ice. [8][9][10][11] This transition toward younger, more saline ice will have wide-ranging but poorly understood effects on the biogeochemical cycling of Hg.…”

Section: Jane Kirk Is An Environment Canada Research Scientist At Thementioning

confidence: 99%

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

Douglas

Loseto²,

Macdonald³

et al. 2012

Environ. Chem.

121

147

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Environmental context. Mercury, in its methylated form, is a neurotoxin that biomagnifies in marine and terrestrial foodwebs leading to elevated levels in fish and fish-eating mammals worldwide, including at numerous Arctic locations. Elevated mercury concentrations in Arctic country foods present a significant exposure risk to Arctic people. We present a detailed review of the fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, taking into account the extreme seasonality of Arctic ecosystems and the unique processes associated with sea ice and Arctic hydrology.Abstract. This review is the result of a series of multidisciplinary meetings organised by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme as part of their 2011 Assessment 'Mercury in the Arctic'. This paper presents the state-of-the-art knowledge on the environmental fate of mercury following its entry into the Arctic by oceanic, atmospheric and terrestrial pathways. Our focus is on the movement, transformation and bioaccumulation of Hg in aquatic (marine and fresh water) and terrestrial ecosystems. The processes most relevant to biological Hg uptake and the potential risk associated with Hg exposure in wildlife are emphasised. We present discussions of the chemical transformations of newly deposited or transported Hg in marine, fresh water and terrestrial environments and of the movement of Hg from air, soil and water environmental compartments into food webs. Methylation, a key process controlling the fate of Hg in most ecosystems, and the role of trophic processes in controlling Hg in higher order animals are also included. Case studies on Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and landlocked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) are presented as examples of the relationship between ecosystem trophic processes and biologic Hg levels. We examine whether atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs) contribute to increased Hg levels in Arctic biota and provide information on the links between organic carbon and Hg speciation, dynamics and bioavailability. Long-term sequestration of Hg into non-biological archives is also addressed. The review concludes by identifying major knowledge gaps in our understanding, including:(1) the rates of Hg entry into marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the rates of inorganic and MeHg uptake by Arctic microbial and algal communities; (2) the bioavailable fraction of AMDE-related Hg and its rate of accumulation by biota and (3) the fresh water and marine MeHg cycle in the Arctic, especially the marine MeHg cycle.

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Depletion of perennial sea ice in the East Arctic Ocean

Cited by 84 publications

References 26 publications

Trends in long-term gaseous mercury observations in the Arctic and effects of temperature and other atmospheric conditions

Trends in long-term gaseous mercury observations in the Arctic and effects of temperature and other atmospheric conditions

The emergence of surface-based Arctic amplification

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

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