The Pacific-Atlantic Front in the East Siberian Sea of the Arctic Ocean

Particulate organic carbon (POC) is one of main component of carbon cycle in the Ocean. In this study an attempt to construct a picture of the distribution and fluxes of POC in the Arctic Ocean adjusting for interchange with the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans has been made. The specificity of this construction is associated with an irregular distribution of POC measurements and complicated structure and hydrodynamics of the waters masses. To overcome these difficulties, Multiple Linear Regression technic (MLR) was performed to test the significant relation between POC, temperature, salinity, as well depth, horizon, latitude and offshore distance. The mapping of POC distribution and its fluxes was carrying out at 38 horizons from 5 to 4150 m (resolution 1°×1°). Data on temperature, salinity, meridional and zonal components of current velocities were obtained from ORA S4 database (Integrated Climate Data Center, http://icdc.cen.uni-hamburg.de/las). The import-export of POC between the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as between Arctic Seas was precomputed by summer fluxes. The import of POC in the Arctic Ocean is estimated to be 38±8Tg Cyr-1, and the export is -9.5±4.4Tg Cyr-1.

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Modelling the effect of boundary scavenging on Thorium and Protactinium profiles in the ocean

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-6-7853-2009 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 7853-7896 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. Roy-Barman

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

Water Column ◽

Open Ocean ◽

The Arctic ◽

Transport Parameters ◽

Lateral Transport ◽

Transport Reaction ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Arctic Ocean ◽

Boundary Scavenging

Abstract. The "boundary scavenging" box model is a cornerstone of our understanding of the particle-reactive radionuclide fluxes between the open ocean and the ocean margins. However, it does not describe the radionuclide profiles in the water column. Here, I present the transport-reaction equations for radionuclides transported vertically by reversible scavenging on settling particles and laterally by horizontal currents between the margin and the open ocean. Analytical solutions of these equations are compared with existing data. In the Pacific Ocean, the model produces "almost" linear 230Th profiles (as observed in the data) despite lateral transport. However, omitting lateral transport biased the 230Th based particle flux estimates by as much as 50%. 231Pa profiles are well reproduced in the whole water column of the Pacific Margin and from the surface down to 3000 m in the Pacific subtropical gyre. Enhanced bottom scavenging or inflow of 231Pa-poor equatorial water may account for the model-data discrepancy below 3000 m. The lithogenic 232Th is modelled using the same transport parameters as 230Th but a different source function. The main source of 232Th scavenged in the open Pacific is advection from the ocean margin, whereas a net flux of 230Th produced in the open Pacific is advected and scavenged at the margin, illustrating boundary exchange. In the Arctic Ocean, the model reproduces 230Th measured profiles that the uni-dimensional scavenging model or the scavenging-ventilation model failed to explain. Moreover, if lateral transport is ignored, the 230Th based particle settling speed may by underestimated by a factor 4 at the Arctic Ocean margin. The very low scavenging rate in the open Arctic Ocean combined with the enhanced scavenging at the margin accounts for the lack of high 231Pa/230Th ratio in arctic sediments.

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The Mass Balance of the Sea Ice of the Arctic Ocean

Journal of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/s0022143000032020 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 12 (65) ◽

pp. 173-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R. M. Koerner

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

Ablation Rate ◽

The Arctic ◽

First Year ◽

The North ◽

Ice Accumulation ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Arctic Ocean ◽

Ridged Ice ◽

Ice Production

AbstractFrom data taken on the British Trans-Arctic Expedition it is calculated that 9% of the Arctic Ocean surface between the North Pole and Spitsbergen was hummocked or ridged ice, 17% was unridged ice less than a year old, 73% was unridged old ice and 0.6% was ice-free. The mode of 250 thickness measurements taken through level areas of old floes along the entire traverse lies between 2.25 and 2.75 m. The mean end-of-winter thickness of the ice is calculated to be 4.6 m in the Pacific Gyral and 3.9 m in the Trans-Polar Drift Stream. From measurements of the percentage coverage and thickness of the various ice forms, it is calculated that the total annual ice accumulation in the Arctic Ocean is equivalent to a continuous layer of ice 1.1 m thick. 47% of this accumulation occurs in ice-free areas and under ice less than 1 year old. 20% of the total ice production is either directly or indirectly related to ridging or hummocking. An ice-ablation rate of 500 kg m−2 measured on a level area of a multi-year floe is compared with the rate on deformed and ponded ice. Greatest melting occurs on new hummocks and least on old smooth hummocks. The annual balance of ice older than 1 year but younger than multi-year ice is calculated from a knowledge of ice-drift patterns and the percentage coverage of first-year ice. The same calculations give a mean-maximum drift period of 5 years for ice in the Trans-Polar Drift Stream and 16 years in the Pacific Gyral. It is calculated that for the period February 1968 to May 1969 the annual ice export was 5 580 km3.

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The Frozen Ocean

PMLA ◽

10.1632/pmla.2010.125.3.693 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 125 (3) ◽

pp. 693-702 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Adriana Craciun

Keyword(s):

Eighteenth Century ◽

Arctic Ocean ◽

Native People ◽

The Arctic ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Arctic Ocean

We'll get crushed by the ocean but it will not get us wet.—Isaac Brock, “Invisible” (2007)“There is no Sea With Which Our Age is So Imperfectly Acquainted as the Frozen Ocean,” Wrote the Eighteenth-Century Russian hydrographer Gavriil Sarychev, “and no empire which has more powerful motives and resources for extending its information, in this quarter, than Russia” (iii). Russia's Great Northern Expedition of the 1730s and later expeditions, like Sarychev's in 1785, mapped the shores of the Arctic Ocean across continental Asia, an impressive feat by any century's standards. Meanwhile, the American shores of the Arctic Ocean remained entirely unknown to the European empires (England, France, Spain) most interested in passing to and from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans via the Northwest and Northeast passages. Alexander MacKenzie, Samuel Hearne, and John Franklin, each traveling with native people, walked thousands of miles to reach the Frozen Ocean, leaving in their wake the occasional human disaster and an unimpeachable record of publishing successes, like MacKenzie's Voyages from Montreal to the Frozen Ocean (1801) and Franklin's Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea (1824).

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Distribution of Admete contabulata and Iphinopsis inflata in the Arctic (Gastropoda: Cancellariidae)

Ruthenica, Russian Malacological Journal ◽

10.35885/ruthenica.2018.28(4).5 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 163-168

Author(s):

I. O. Nekhaev

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

The Arctic ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Family ◽

The Arctic Ocean ◽

Extreme North

Only four species of the family Cancellariidae had been reported from the Arctic. However, known distribution of three of them had been limited to the extreme north of the eastern Atlantic so far. The present paper describes findings of Admete contabulata Friele, 1879 from the Barents and the Kara seas and Iphinopsis inflata (Friele, 1879) from the Pacific part of the Arctic Ocean. Lectotype for Admete contabulata is here designated.

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Accurate measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane mole fractions at the Siberian coastal site Ambarchik

10.5194/amt-2018-325 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Friedemann Reum ◽

Mathias Göckede ◽

Jost V. Lavric ◽

Olaf Kolle ◽

Sergey Zimov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽

Monitoring Network ◽

The Arctic ◽

Data Quality Control ◽

In Situ Data ◽

Northeastern Siberia ◽

East Siberian Sea ◽

The Arctic Ocean ◽

Atmospheric Carbon

Abstract. Sparse data coverage in the Arctic hampers our understanding of its carbon cycle dynamics and our predictions of the fate of its vast carbon reservoirs in a changing climate. In this paper, we present accurate measurements of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 dry air mole fractions at the new atmospheric carbon observation station Ambarchik, which closes a large gap in the atmospheric trace gas monitoring network in northeastern Siberia. The site, operational since August 2014, is located near the delta of the Kolyma River at the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Data quality control of CO2 and CH4 measurements includes frequent calibrations traced to WMO scales, employment of a novel water vapor correction, an algorithm to detect influence of local polluters, and meteorological measurements that enable data selection. The available CO2 and CH4 record was characterized in comparison with in situ data from Barrow, Alaska. A footprint analysis reveals that the station is sensitive to signals from the East Siberian Sea, as well as northeast Siberian tundra and taiga regions. This makes data from Ambarchik highly valuable for inverse modeling studies aimed at constraining carbon budgets within the pan-Arctic domain, as well as for regional studies focusing on Siberia and the adjacent shelf areas of the Arctic Ocean.

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Export of Arctic freshwater components through the Fram Strait 1998–2010

Ocean Science Discussions ◽

10.5194/osd-9-2749-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 2749-2792

Author(s):

B. Rabe ◽

P. Dodd ◽

E. Hansen ◽

E. Falck ◽

U. Schauer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

The Arctic ◽

Ice Formation ◽

Fram Strait ◽

Pacific Water ◽

Ice Melt ◽

The North ◽

Beaufort Gyre ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Arctic Ocean

Abstract. The East Greenland Current in the Western Fram Strait is an important pathway for liquid freshwater export from the Arctic Ocean to the Nordic Seas and the North Atlantic subpolar gyre. We analysed five hydrographic surveys and data from moored current meters around 79° N in the Western Fram Strait between 1998 and 2010. To estimate the composition of southward liquid freshwater transports, inventories of liquid freshwater and components from Dodd et al. (2012) were combined with transport estimates from an inverse model between 10.6° W and 4° E. The southward liquid freshwater transports through the section averaged to 92 mSv (2900 km3 yr−1), relative to a salinity of 34.9. The transports consisted of 123 mSv water from rivers and precipitation (meteoric water), 28 mSv freshwater from the Pacific and 60 mSv freshwater deficit due to brine from ice formation. Variability in liquid freshwater and component transports appear to have been partly due to advection of these water masses to the Fram Strait and partly due to variations in the local volume transport; an exception are Pacific Water transports, which showed little co-variability with volume transports. An increase in Pacific Water transports from 2005 to 2010 suggests a release of Pacific Water from the Beaufort Gyre, in line with an observed expansion of Pacific Water towards the Eurasian Basin. The co-variability of meteoric water and brine from ice formation suggests joint processes in the main sea ice formation regions on the Arctic Ocean shelves. In addition, enhanced levels of sea ice melt observed in 2009 likely led to reduced transports of brine from ice formation. At least part of this additional ice melt appears to have been advected from the Beaufort Gyre and from north of the Bering Strait towards the Fram Strait. The observed changes in liquid freshwater component transports are much larger than known trends in the Arctic liquid freshwater inflow from rivers and the Pacific. Instead, recent observations of an increased storage of liquid freshwater in the Arctic Ocean suggest a decreased export of liquid freshwater. This raises the question how fast the accumulated liquid freshwater will be exported from the Arctic Ocean to the deep water formation regions in the North Atlantic and if an increased export will occur through the Fram Strait.

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On the circulation, water mass distribution, and nutrient concentrations of the western Chukchi Sea

Ocean Science ◽

10.5194/os-18-29-2022 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 29-49

Author(s):

Jaclyn Clement Kinney ◽

Karen M. Assmann ◽

Wieslaw Maslowski ◽

Göran Björk ◽

Martin Jakobsson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Numerical Modelling ◽

Arctic Ocean ◽

Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽

Chukchi Sea ◽

The Arctic ◽

Sediment Surface ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Bering Strait ◽

East Siberian Sea ◽

The Arctic Ocean

Abstract. Substantial amounts of nutrients and carbon enter the Arctic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait, distributed over three main pathways. Water with low salinities and nutrient concentrations takes an eastern route along the Alaskan coast, as Alaskan Coastal Water. A central pathway exhibits intermediate salinity and nutrient concentrations, while the most nutrient-rich water enters the Bering Strait on its western side. Towards the Arctic Ocean, the flow of these water masses is subject to strong topographic steering within the Chukchi Sea with volume transport modulated by the wind field. In this contribution, we use data from several sections crossing Herald Canyon collected in 2008 and 2014 together with numerical modelling to investigate the circulation and transport in the western part of the Chukchi Sea. We find that a substantial fraction of water from the Chukchi Sea enters the East Siberian Sea south of Wrangel Island and circulates in an anticyclonic direction around the island. This water then contributes to the high-nutrient waters of Herald Canyon. The bottom of the canyon has the highest nutrient concentrations, likely as a result of addition from the degradation of organic matter at the sediment surface in the East Siberian Sea. The flux of nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, and silicate) and dissolved inorganic carbon in Bering Summer Water and Winter Water is computed by combining hydrographic and nutrient observations with geostrophic transport referenced to lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) and surface drift data. Even if there are some general similarities between the years, there are differences in both the temperature–salinity and nutrient characteristics. To assess these differences, and also to get a wider temporal and spatial view, numerical modelling results are applied. According to model results, high-frequency variability dominates the flow in Herald Canyon. This leads us to conclude that this region needs to be monitored over a longer time frame to deduce the temporal variability and potential trends.

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Hotspots of Dense Water Cascading in the Arctic Ocean: Implications for the Pacific Water Pathways

Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans ◽

10.1029/2020jc016044 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 125 (10) ◽

Author(s):

Maria V. Luneva ◽

Vladimir V. Ivanov ◽

Fedor Tuzov ◽

Yevgeny Aksenov ◽

James D. Harle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

The Arctic ◽

Pacific Water ◽

Dense Water ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Arctic Ocean

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The Mass Balance of the Sea Ice of the Arctic Ocean

Journal of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0022143000032020 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 12 (65) ◽

pp. 173-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

R. M. Koerner

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

Ablation Rate ◽

The Arctic ◽

First Year ◽

The North ◽

Ice Accumulation ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Arctic Ocean ◽

Ridged Ice ◽

Ice Production

Abstract From data taken on the British Trans-Arctic Expedition it is calculated that 9% of the Arctic Ocean surface between the North Pole and Spitsbergen was hummocked or ridged ice, 17% was unridged ice less than a year old, 73% was unridged old ice and 0.6% was ice-free. The mode of 250 thickness measurements taken through level areas of old floes along the entire traverse lies between 2.25 and 2.75 m. The mean end-of-winter thickness of the ice is calculated to be 4.6 m in the Pacific Gyral and 3.9 m in the Trans-Polar Drift Stream. From measurements of the percentage coverage and thickness of the various ice forms, it is calculated that the total annual ice accumulation in the Arctic Ocean is equivalent to a continuous layer of ice 1.1 m thick. 47% of this accumulation occurs in ice-free areas and under ice less than 1 year old. 20% of the total ice production is either directly or indirectly related to ridging or hummocking. An ice-ablation rate of 500 kg m−2 measured on a level area of a multi-year floe is compared with the rate on deformed and ponded ice. Greatest melting occurs on new hummocks and least on old smooth hummocks. The annual balance of ice older than 1 year but younger than multi-year ice is calculated from a knowledge of ice-drift patterns and the percentage coverage of first-year ice. The same calculations give a mean-maximum drift period of 5 years for ice in the Trans-Polar Drift Stream and 16 years in the Pacific Gyral. It is calculated that for the period February 1968 to May 1969 the annual ice export was 5 580 km3.

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