Impact of Resolution on the Representation of the Mean and Extreme Winds Along Nares Strait

Moore, G. W. K.; Imrit, Amreen A.

doi:10.1029/2022jd037443

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…It is well known that flow distortion associated with the narrowness of Smith Sound leads to an acceleration of the local wind 19 , 41 . It has also been shown that Kennedy Channel is another region along Nares Strait where wind speeds are elevated 42 , 43 . Given these colocations, it is likely that these localized regions of high winds contribute to these minima in sea ice concentration and thickness.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolving relationship of Nares Strait ice arches on sea ice along the Strait and the North Water, the Arctic’s most productive polynya

Moore

Howell

Brady

2023

Sci Rep

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Nares Strait, the waterway that separates northwest Greenland from Ellesmere Island, is a major pathway along which sea ice leaves the Arctic, including the planet’s oldest and thickest sea ice that is experiencing an accelerated loss. Ice arches that develop during the winter at the Strait’s northern or southern terminus can remain stable for months at a time during which the transport of sea ice ceases. The Arctic’s most productive polynya, the North Water (NOW) or Pikialasorsuaq (West Greenlandic for ‘great upwelling’) forms at the Strait’s southern end. There is evidence that a warming climate and the concomitant thinning of Arctic sea ice is weakening the arches and it has been proposed that this may impact the stability of NOW and the complex ecosystem that it sustains. Here we employ a categorization of recent winters with respect to the presence or absence of ice arches to explore their impact on sea ice along the Strait and over the NOW. We find that winters during which a southern ice arch is absent are associated with a reduced and thinner ice cover along the Strait with ice conditions over the NOW similar to that during winters with a southern arch. In winters, without a southern arch, there is also an acceleration of the winds along the Strait that contributes to the presence of reduced ice cover. Ocean color remote sensing data suggests that current levels of primary productivity over the NOW are independent of the presence or absence of an ice arch. The results suggest more research is needed to assess the stability of the NOW, with respect to reduced ice cover and primary productivity, in a future where ice arches cease to form along Nares Strait.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sea ice in the CARRA is assumed to a uniform thickness of 0.75 m 60 . Within the Nares Strait region, a comparison with in-situ wind data suggests an uncertainty of ± 2.5 m/s 42 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving relationship of Nares Strait ice arches on sea ice along the Strait and the North Water, the Arctic’s most productive polynya

Moore

Howell

Brady

2023

Sci Rep

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“…An ice arch along the Strait contributes to its formation by blocking southward ice transport 14,15 . The high winds that flow through the narrow opening of Smith Sound also contribute to the formation of the NOW by sweeping any ice downstream 16,17 . Indeed, it has been argued that even during winters without an arch present, the winds along Smith Sound are strong enough to reduce ice cover within the NOW region 11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of ice dynamics along Nares Strait to the stability of ice arches

Moore,

Howell,

Ballinger

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Nares Strait, situated between northwest Greenland and Ellesmere Island, is an important conduit for exporting sea ice from the Arctic, especially thick multi-year ice undergoing an accelerated loss compared to other ice types. This export is impacted by ice arches that can form along the Strait and remain stable for months at a time resulting in a reduction in ice export. Arch stability is a function of sea ice thickness and there is a concern that the thinning of Arctic sea ice may weaken the arches resulting in an accelerated export of sea ice. However, little is known about the spatial and temporal variability of sea ice thickness along the Strait. Here we show that before arch formation, there is a local maximum in ice thickness where arches typically form, which is related to ice convergence. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ice motion continues north of the arch after it forms, resulting in convergence and a dynamic thickening of the sea ice. We propose that, even though thinning ice is a cause for concern, the dynamics of sea ice transport along Nares Strait lead to localized thickening of sea ice that may contribute to continued arch formation and stability.

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“…(2022) find that CARRA outperforms ERA5 when compared against observations, including MET Norway's stations in the Isfjorden region (Svalbard Airport and Isfjord Radio). Moore and Imrit (2022) furthermore show that in contrast to ERA5, CARRA adequately represents the atmospheric near‐surface wind fields in a narrow ocean strait with characteristics similar to Isfjorden in terms of its width and surrounding topography and allows detailed investigations of local Arctic climate conditions with a resolution never available before.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric Climatologies Over Isfjorden, Svalbard

Frank,

Jonassen,

Skogseth

et al. 2023

JGR Atmospheres

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The Isfjorden region at the west coast of Spitsbergen is the most easily accessible area in the Svalbard Archipelago, making it a perfect outdoor laboratory for Arctic research. Due to its location in the high Arctic together with its complex terrain, the climatic conditions vary substantially both in time and space. Based on a new high‐resolution reanalysis, we present climatologies of five major atmospheric variables over the Isfjorden region during 2011–2021 with special focus on local effects. For example, we find that topographic channeling effects often lead to differences in near‐surface wind speeds of several m s−1 over small horizontal distances. During winter, the fjord acts as a heat and moisture island, ultimately impacting the adjacent low‐elevation land areas. These land–sea gradients reverse during summer. High mountain areas surrounding the fjord experience substantially different climatic conditions, with for example, seasonal precipitation doubling from sea level to approximately 700 m. The spatial variability over the Isfjorden region is in general found to be smaller than its temporal counterpart but larger than the diurnal cycle. Besides these findings, this study furthermore demonstrates the importance of high‐resolution regional atmospheric reanalyses compared to global products for the characterization of the local micro‐climate over Arctic fjords and the interaction with surrounding land areas.

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Impact of Resolution on the Representation of the Mean and Extreme Winds Along Nares Strait

Cited by 4 publications

References 49 publications

Evolving relationship of Nares Strait ice arches on sea ice along the Strait and the North Water, the Arctic’s most productive polynya

Evolving relationship of Nares Strait ice arches on sea ice along the Strait and the North Water, the Arctic’s most productive polynya

Contribution of ice dynamics along Nares Strait to the stability of ice arches

Atmospheric Climatologies Over Isfjorden, Svalbard

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