Seasonality of Freshwater in the East Greenland Current System From 2014 to 2016

Bras, Isabela Le; Straneo, F.; Holte, James; Holliday, N. Penny

doi:10.1029/2018jc014511

Cited by 48 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(131 reference statements)

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“…The mean vectors and standard deviation ellipses are shown for selected locations. (d) Mean circulation on the eastern Greenland shelf from the 0.08° HYCOM‐CICE resolves major dynamic features discussed in the previous studies (De Steur et al, ; Le Bras et al, ; Våge et al, ). In (c) and (d), abbreviated currents are as follows: EGC = East Greenland Current, EGCC = East Greenland Coastal Current, IC = Irminger Current, WGC = West Greenland Current, BIC = Baffin Island Current, LC = Labrador Current, NAC = North Atlantic Current, SC = Shetland Current, NCC = Norwegian Coastal Current, NwAC = Norwegian Atlantic Current, WSC = West Spitsbergen Current, JMC = Jan Mayen Current, EIC = East Icelandic Current.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Role of Greenland Freshwater Anomaly in the Recent Freshening of the Subpolar North Atlantic

et al. 2019

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The cumulative Greenland freshwater flux anomaly has exceeded 5,000 km 3 since the 1990s. The volume of this surplus freshwater is expected to cause substantial freshening in the North Atlantic. Analysis of hydrographic observations in the subpolar seas reveals freshening signals in the 2010s. The sources of this freshening are yet to be determined. In this study, the relationship between the surplus Greenland freshwater flux and this freshening is tested by analyzing the propagation of the Greenland freshwater anomaly and its impact on salinity in the subpolar North Atlantic based on observational data and numerical experiments with and without the Greenland runoff. A passive tracer is continuously released during the simulations at freshwater sources along the coast of Greenland to track the Greenland freshwater anomaly. Tracer budget analysis shows that 44% of the volume of the Greenland freshwater anomaly is retained in the subpolar North Atlantic by the end of the simulation. This volume is sufficient to cause strong freshening in the subpolar seas if it stays in the upper 50–100 m. However, in the model the anomaly is mixed down to several hundred meters of the water column resulting in smaller magnitudes of freshening compared to the observations. Therefore, the simulations suggest that the accelerated Greenland melting would not be sufficient to cause the observed freshening in the subpolar seas and other sources of freshwater have contributed to the freshening. Impacts on salinity in the subpolar seas of the freshwater transport through Fram Strait and precipitation are discussed.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Role of Greenland Freshwater Anomaly in the Recent Freshening of the Subpolar North Atlantic

et al. 2019

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“…Several paleoclimate archives and numerical simulations suggest that the Arctic was warmer than today during the early to mid-Holocene thermal maximum (∼ 8000 years ago), which was registered by ∼ 1 km thinning of the Greenland Ice Sheet (Lecavalier et al, 2017). Multiproxy analyses performed on high-resolution and well-dated Holocene marine sediment records from contrasting fjord systems are therefore one approach to understand the nature of such past events, as these sediments simultaneously record climate and some long-term biotic changes representing a unique window into the past.…”

Section: Insights Into the Long-term Effects Of Glacier Retreatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review article: How does glacier discharge affect marine biogeochemistry and primary production in the Arctic?

et al. 2020

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Abstract. Freshwater discharge from glaciers is increasing across the Arctic in response to anthropogenic climate change, which raises questions about the potential downstream effects in the marine environment. Whilst a combination of long-term monitoring programmes and intensive Arctic field campaigns have improved our knowledge of glacier–ocean interactions in recent years, especially with respect to fjord/ocean circulation, there are extensive knowledge gaps concerning how glaciers affect marine biogeochemistry and productivity. Following two cross-cutting disciplinary International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) workshops addressing the importance of glaciers for the marine ecosystem, here we review the state of the art concerning how freshwater discharge affects the marine environment with a specific focus on marine biogeochemistry and biological productivity. Using a series of Arctic case studies (Nuup Kangerlua/Godthåbsfjord, Kongsfjorden, Kangerluarsuup Sermia/Bowdoin Fjord, Young Sound and Sermilik Fjord), the interconnected effects of freshwater discharge on fjord–shelf exchange, nutrient availability, the carbonate system, the carbon cycle and the microbial food web are investigated. Key findings are that whether the effect of glacier discharge on marine primary production is positive or negative is highly dependent on a combination of factors. These include glacier type (marine- or land-terminating), fjord–glacier geometry and the limiting resource(s) for phytoplankton growth in a specific spatio-temporal region (light, macronutrients or micronutrients). Arctic glacier fjords therefore often exhibit distinct discharge–productivity relationships, and multiple case-studies must be considered in order to understand the net effects of glacier discharge on Arctic marine ecosystems.

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“…Bacon et al () estimate 0.07–0.08 Sv mean freshwater flux (including sea‐ice transport) at 63 °N (also referenced to 34.8). Recently, Le Bras et al () report 77 mSv at Cape Farewell (referenced to 34.9). The similarity of these fluxes might suggest little fresh water loss from the Greenland shelf.…”

Section: Volume Heat and Freshwater Budgetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volume, Heat, and Freshwater Divergences in the Subpolar North Atlantic Suggest the Nordic Seas as Key to the State of the Meridional Overturning Circulation

Chafik

Rossby

2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) decreases rapidly in subpolar and Nordic regions where the warm upper layer loses its buoyancy due to intense heat loss, sinks, and flows south. The major volume loss of the upper limb of the MOC, ~9.6 Sv out of 18.4 ± 3.4 Sv, occurs as subduction across the Iceland Basin and Irminger Sea while the major heat loss, 273 TW out of 395 ± 74 TW is associated with the MOC branch that continues into the Nordic Seas where North Atlantic deep overflow water is produced. The 122 ± 79 TW heat flux convergence in the subpolar gyre appears to be significantly larger than various estimates of heat loss to the atmosphere. Much of the 0.09 ± 0.02 Sv freshwater divergence is presumably balanced by runoff from the Greenland shelf. These estimates suggest that the Nordic Seas, not the Labrador Sea, are key to the state of the MOC.

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Seasonality of Freshwater in the East Greenland Current System From 2014 to 2016

Cited by 48 publications

References 70 publications

Role of Greenland Freshwater Anomaly in the Recent Freshening of the Subpolar North Atlantic

Role of Greenland Freshwater Anomaly in the Recent Freshening of the Subpolar North Atlantic

Review article: How does glacier discharge affect marine biogeochemistry and primary production in the Arctic?

Volume, Heat, and Freshwater Divergences in the Subpolar North Atlantic Suggest the Nordic Seas as Key to the State of the Meridional Overturning Circulation

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