The effect of tides on dense water formation in Arctic shelf seas

Postlethwaite, C. F.; Maqueda, M. A. Morales; Fouest, Vincent Le; Tattersall, G. R.; Holt, Jason; Willmott, Andrew J.

doi:10.5194/os-7-203-2011

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The tidal mixing over topography controls the northward extension of temperate AW and thus sea ice cover variability (Holloway and Proshutinsky, 2007), and enhances dense water formation (Postlethwaite et al, 2011). Recent numerical model results show that there is significant internal tidal wave generation in the Arctic Ocean, with baroclinic tidal energy dissipation structures similar to but 2-3 orders of magnitude less than that observed on mid-Atlantic and Hawaiian ridges (Kagan et al, 2011).…”

Section: Diapycnal Mixing In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in understanding and parameterization of small-scale physical processes in the marine Arctic climate system: a review

et al. 2014

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Abstract. The Arctic climate system includes numerous highly interactive small-scale physical processes in the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean. During and since the International Polar Year 2007-2009, significant advances have been made in understanding these processes. Here, these recent advances are reviewed, synthesized, and discussed. In atmospheric physics, the primary advances have been in cloud physics, radiative transfer, mesoscale cyclones, coastal, and fjordic processes as well as in boundary layer processes and surface fluxes. In sea ice and its snow cover, advances have been made in understanding of the surface albedo and its relationships with snow properties, the internal structure of sea ice, the heat and salt transfer in ice, the formation of superimposed ice and snow ice, and the small-scale dynamics of sea ice. For the ocean, significant advances have been related to exchange processes at the ice-ocean interface, diapycnal mixing, double-diffusive convection, tidal currents and diurnal resonance. Despite this recent progress, some of these small-scale physical processes are still not sufficiently understood: these include wave-turbulence interactions in the atmosphere and ocean, the exchange of heat and salt at the ice-ocean interface, and the mechanical weakening of sea ice. Many other processes are reasonably well understood as stand-alone processes but the challenge is to understand their interactions with and impacts and feedbacks on other processes. Uncertainty in the parameterization of small-scale processes continues to be among the greatest challenges facing climate modelling, particularly in high latitudes. Further improvements in parameterization require new year-round field campaigns on the Arctic sea ice, closely combined with satellite remote sensing studies and numerical model experiments.

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Section: Diapycnal Mixing In the Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in understanding and parameterization of small-scale physical processes in the marine Arctic climate system: a review

et al. 2014

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“…To our knowledge, with the exception of a regional study by Postlethwaite et al . [], there have been no previous modeling studies that consider the effects of tides on the AO by comparing numerical simulations with and without explicitly resolved tides. Although we note that Koentopp et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of tides on the water mass mixing and sea ice in the Arctic Ocean

et al. 2015

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In this study, we use a novel pan-Arctic sea ice-ocean coupled model to examine the effects of tides on sea ice and the mixing of water masses. Two 30 year simulations were performed: one with explicitly resolved tides and the other without any tidal dynamics. We find that the tides are responsible for a $15% reduction in the volume of sea ice during the last decade and a redistribution of salinity, with surface salinity in the case with tides being on average $1.0-1.8 practical salinity units (PSU) higher than without tides. The ice volume trend in the two simulations also differs: 22.09 3 10 3 km 3 /decade without tides and 22.49 3 10 3 km 3 /decade with tides, the latter being closer to the trend of 22.58 3 10 3 km 3 /decade in the PIOMAS model, which assimilates SST and ice concentration. The three following mechanisms of tidal interaction appear to be significant: (a) strong shear stresses generated by the baroclinic clockwise rotating component of tidal currents in the interior waters; (b) thicker subsurface ice-ocean and bottom boundary layers; and (c) intensification of quasi-steady vertical motions of isopycnals (by $50%) through enhanced bottom Ekman pumping and stretching of relative vorticity over rough bottom topography. The combination of these effects leads to entrainment of warm Atlantic Waters into the colder and fresher surface waters, supporting the melting of the overlying ice.

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“…An overview of the ocean currents and circulation in the Barents Sea from model studies can be found (e.g., Maslowski et al, 2004;Aksenov et al, 2010;Postlethwaite et al, 2011). All the authors show the AW slope-current in the Nansen Basin, and Maslowski et al (2004) and Aksenov et al (2010) also show its branching off bringing AW into the NBSO.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arctic layer salinity controls heat loss from deep Atlantic layer in seasonally ice‐covered areas of the Barents Sea

Lind

Ingvaldsen

Furevik

2016

Geophysical Research Letters

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In the seasonally ice‐covered northern Barents Sea an intermediate layer of cold and relatively fresh Arctic Water at ~25–110 m depth isolates the sea surface and ice cover from a layer of warm and saline Atlantic Water below, a situation that resembles the cold halocline layer in the Eurasian Basin. The upward heat flux from the Atlantic layer is of major concern. What causes variations in the heat flux and how is the Arctic layer maintained? Using observations, we found that interannual variability in Arctic layer salinity determines the heat flux from the Atlantic layer through its control of stratification and vertical mixing. A relatively fresh Arctic layer effectively suppresses the upward heat flux, while a more saline Arctic layer enhances the heat flux. The corresponding upward salt flux causes a positive feedback. The Arctic layer salinity and the water column structures have been remarkably stable during 1970–2011.

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The effect of tides on dense water formation in Arctic shelf seas

Cited by 16 publications

References 43 publications

Advances in understanding and parameterization of small-scale physical processes in the marine Arctic climate system: a review

Advances in understanding and parameterization of small-scale physical processes in the marine Arctic climate system: a review

The effects of tides on the water mass mixing and sea ice in the Arctic Ocean

Arctic layer salinity controls heat loss from deep Atlantic layer in seasonally ice‐covered areas of the Barents Sea

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