Freshwater fluxes in the East Greenland Current: A decade of observations

Steur, Laura de; Hansen, Edmond; Gerdes, Rüdiger; Kärcher, Michael; Fahrbach, Eberhard; Holfort, Jürgen

doi:10.1029/2009gl041278

Cited by 164 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…This is at the upper end of the FW transport estimates reported in the literature (Dickson et al, 2007;Serreze et al, 2006). Estimates based on mooring observations alone are much lower than ours, with an annual mean of approximately 30 mSv (1000 km 3 /yr, reference salinity of 34.9; Holfort et al, 2008), varying between 20 mSv to 42 mSv during July, August and September (de Steur et al, 2009). These moorings are a subset of those used to obtain the velocity data in our study.…”

Section: Volume Transportsmentioning

confidence: 74%

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Freshwater components and transports in the Fram Strait – recent observations and changes since the late 1990s

et al. 2009

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Abstract. We present the late summer distribution and transports of freshwater components in the upper western part of the Fram Strait during 1998Strait during , 2004Strait during and 2005. Hydrographic data and and water δ 18 O values are analyzed to distinguish Atlantic Water, ice melt (SIM) and freshwater removal from ice formation (IFB), and Meteoric Water (precipitation and riverine sources; MW). Concentrations of these water masses are combined with volume transport estimates from an inverse model. The average liquid freshwater transport relative to a reference salinity of 34.92, was 2500 km 3 /yr or 80 mSv southward, which is at the upper end of values reported in the literature. Our results indicate that not only the region of the continental slope but also parts of the East Greenland Shelf are important for freshwater transports.We estimate the average transports of of MW and IFB to be between 130 to 160 mSv (4100 to 5000 km 3 /yr) and 60 to 90 mSv (1900 to 2800 km 3 /yr) southward, respectively. The southward transport of MW was higher in 2005 than in 1998, but was compensated by a higher IFB transport. These differences in transports were associated with stronger southward velocities and the absence of northward velocities over the continental slope and the eastern East Greenland Shelf in 2005. A simulation using the North Atlantic-Arctic Ocean Sea Ice Model (NAOSIM) shows that the high transport of MW in the Fram Strait in 2005 is in agreement with the temporary storage of river water on the Siberian shelf in the mid1990s, which reached the north of Greenland in 2003. Our results indicate that the accumulation of increased amounts of river water on the shelves is associated with enhanced ice formation.

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Section: Volume Transportsmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Time series of the moorings show that the seasonal amplitude of the FW transport is of similar magnitude as the annual mean (de Steur et al, 2009). However, the moorings capture only the flow up to the easternmost part of the shelf whereas the surveys allow to extend the analysis further onto the East Greenland Shelf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Freshwater components and transports in the Fram Strait – recent observations and changes since the late 1990s

et al. 2009

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“…However, the low salinities over the shelf can potentially result in large freshwater transports. This aspect has been discussed in Holfort et al (2008) andde Steur et al (2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Simulation of oceanic volume transports through Fram Strait 1995–2005

et al. 2010

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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.

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“…On the eastern side of Greenland, freshwater exits the Arctic Ocean through Fram Strait, flows along the eastern shelf of Greenland as the East Greenland Current (EGC), continues around the southern tip of Greenland, and travels northward through Davis Strait over the west Greenland shelf as the WGC (Cuny et al 2005). The WGC is a combination of the EGC flowing southward from the Arctic through Fram Strait (de Steur et al 2009) and the East Greenland Coastal Current (EGCC) arising from the addition of east Greenland coastal inflow and glacial runoff Sutherland and Pickart 2008). 2a), extends 330 km between Baffin Island, Canada, and Greenland, with a 5-km-wide western shelf (Baffin Island) and a 113-km-wide eastern shelf (Greenland).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiyear Volume, Liquid Freshwater, and Sea Ice Transports through Davis Strait, 2004–10*

Curry

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Petrie

et al. 2014

Journal of Physical Oceanography

177

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Davis Strait is a primary gateway for freshwater exchange between the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans including freshwater contributions from west Greenland and Canadian Arctic Archipelago glacial melt. Data from six years (2004-10) of continuous measurements collected by a full-strait moored array and concurrent high-resolution Seaglider surveys are used to estimate volume and liquid freshwater transports through Davis Strait, with respective annual averages of 21.6 6 0.5 Sverdrups (Sv; 1 Sv [ 10 6 m 3 s 21 ) and 293 6 6 mSv (negative sign indicates southward transport). Sea ice export contributes an additional 210 6 1 mSv of freshwater transport, estimated using satellite ice area transport and moored upward-looking sonar ice thickness measurements. Interannual and annual variability of the net transports are large, with average annual volume and liquid freshwater transport standard deviations of 0.7 Sv and 17 mSv and with interannual standard deviations of 0.3 Sv and 15 mSv. Moreover, there are no clear trends in the net transports over the 6-yr period. However, salinity in the upper 250 m between Baffin Island and midstrait decreases starting in September 2009 and remains below average through August 2010, but appears to return to normal by the end of 2010. This freshening event, likely caused by changes in arctic freshwater storage, is not apparent in the liquid freshwater transport time series due to a reduction in southward volume transport in 2009-10. Reanalysis of Davis Strait mooring data from the period 1987-90, compared to the 2004-10 measurements, reveals less arctic outflow and warmer, more saline North Atlantic inflow during the most recent period.

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Freshwater fluxes in the East Greenland Current: A decade of observations

Cited by 164 publications

References 21 publications

Freshwater components and transports in the Fram Strait – recent observations and changes since the late 1990s

Freshwater components and transports in the Fram Strait – recent observations and changes since the late 1990s

Simulation of oceanic volume transports through Fram Strait 1995–2005

Multiyear Volume, Liquid Freshwater, and Sea Ice Transports through Davis Strait, 2004–10*

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