New insights on large-scale oceanography in Fram Strait: The West Spitsbergen Current

1995 ◽  
pp. 131-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Claude Gascard ◽  
Claude Richez ◽  
Catherine Rouault
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
The West ◽  
West Spitsbergen

scholarly journals Hydrography, transport and mixing of the West Spitsbergen Current: the Svalbard Branch in summer 2015

Ocean Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1603-1618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eivind Kolås ◽  
Ilker Fer
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Turbulent Heat Flux ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
The West ◽  
Transport And Mixing ◽  
West Spitsbergen

Abstract. Measurements of ocean currents, stratification and microstructure were made in August 2015, northwest of Svalbard, downstream of the Atlantic inflow in Fram Strait in the Arctic Ocean. Observations in three sections are used to characterize the evolution of the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) along a 170 km downstream distance. Two alternative calculations imply 1.5 to 2 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1) is routed to recirculation and Yermak branch in Fram Strait, whereas 0.6 to 1.3 Sv is carried by the Svalbard branch. The WSC cools at a rate of 0.20 ∘C per 100 km, with associated bulk heat loss per along-path meter of (1.1-1.4)×107 W m−1, corresponding to a surface heat loss of 380–550 W m−2. The measured turbulent heat flux is too small to account for this cooling rate. Estimates using a plausible range of parameters suggest that the contribution of diffusion by eddies could be limited to one half of the observed heat loss. In addition to shear-driven mixing beneath the WSC core, we observe energetic convective mixing of an unstable bottom boundary layer on the slope, driven by Ekman advection of buoyant water across the slope. The estimated lateral buoyancy flux is O(10−8) W kg−1, sufficient to maintain a large fraction of the observed dissipation rates, and corresponds to a heat flux of approximately 40 W m−2. We conclude that – at least in summer – convectively driven bottom mixing followed by the detachment of the mixed fluid and its transfer into the ocean interior can lead to substantial cooling and freshening of the WSC.

Large-scale connections between Fram Strait recirculation and warm water pathways towards Greenland fjords

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca McPherson ◽  
Torsten Kanzow ◽  
Claudia Wekerle
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
The Past ◽  
Subsurface Waters ◽  
West Spitsbergen ◽  
Annual Time

<p>In the last two decades, rising ocean temperatures have significantly contributed to the increased melting and retreat of marine-terminating glaciers along the coast of Greenland. Warming subsurface waters have also been shown to interact with the glaciers in Northeast Greenland, which until recently were considered stable, and caused their rapid retreat. The main source of these waters is the westward recirculation of subducted Atlantic Water (AW) in Fram Strait, which has shown a warming of up to 1° C over the past few decades.</p><p>In this study, the connection between the subsurface warm Atlantic Intermediate Water (AIW) found on the wide continental shelf of Northeast Greenland and in the fjords, and AW within the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) is investigated using historical hydrographic observations and high-resolution numerical simulations with the Finite-Element Sea-ice Ocean Model (FESOM). We find that AW from the WSC takes between 10 – 14 months to recirculate across Fram Strait and reach the shelf break where it moves southwards. The pronounced inter-annual variability in the WSC is preserved as the water recirculates. However, the variability of temperature and AIW layer thickness on the shelf at seasonal or inter-annual time scales is at best weakly controlled by the AW temperature in the WSC. There is no significant correlation between AIW and the WSC anywhere on the shelf, suggesting advection from the WSC alone does not control AIW signals. The role of wind-driven, episodic upwelling is then investigated as a driver of transport of AIW from Fram Strait onto the shelf (following an approach by Münchow et al., 2020) where it then may follow the deep trough system towards the glaciers.</p>

scholarly journals Particle sources and downward fluxes in the eastern Fram strait under the influence of the west Spitsbergen current

2015 ◽  
Vol 103 ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sanchez-Vidal ◽  
Oriol Veres ◽  
Leonardo Langone ◽  
Benedicte Ferré ◽  
Antoni Calafat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fram Strait ◽  
The West ◽  
West Spitsbergen

scholarly journals Deep Flow Variability Offshore South-West Svalbard (Fram Strait)

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 683
Author(s):  
Manuel Bensi ◽  
Vedrana Kovačević ◽  
Leonardo Langone ◽  
Stefano Aliani ◽  
Laura Ursella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Deep Layer ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
Atmospheric Forcing ◽  
The West ◽  
Flow Variability ◽  
Dense Water ◽  
West Spitsbergen

Water mass generation and mixing in the eastern Fram Strait are strongly influenced by the interaction between Atlantic and Arctic waters and by the local atmospheric forcing, which produce dense water that substantially contributes to maintaining the global thermohaline circulation. The West Spitsbergen margin is an ideal area to study such processes. Hence, in order to investigate the deep flow variability on short-term, seasonal, and multiannual timescales, two moorings were deployed at ~1040 m depth on the southwest Spitsbergen continental slope. We present and discuss time series data collected between June 2014 and June 2016. They reveal thermohaline and current fluctuations that were largest from October to April, when the deep layer, typically occupied by Norwegian Sea Deep Water, was perturbed by sporadic intrusions of warmer, saltier, and less dense water. Surprisingly, the observed anomalies occurred quasi-simultaneously at both sites, despite their distance (~170 km). We argue that these anomalies may arise mainly by the effect of topographically trapped waves excited and modulated by atmospheric forcing. Propagation of internal waves causes a change in the vertical distribution of the Atlantic water, which can reach deep layers. During such events, strong currents typically precede thermohaline variations without significant changes in turbidity. However, turbidity increases during April–June in concomitance with enhanced downslope currents. Since prolonged injections of warm water within the deep layer could lead to a progressive reduction of the density of the abyssal water moving toward the Arctic Ocean, understanding the interplay between shelf, slope, and deep waters along the west Spitsbergen margin could be crucial for making projections on future changes in the global thermohaline circulation.

Structural evolution of a frontal ramp section of the West Spitsbergen, Tertiary fold and thrust belt, north of Isfjorden, Spitsbergen

1994 ◽  
Vol 131 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole Petter Wennberg ◽  
Arild Andresen ◽  
Sigurd Hansen ◽  
Steffen G. Bergh
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Structural Evolution ◽  
The West ◽  
Kinematic Evolution ◽  
Thrust Front ◽  
Fold And Thrust Belt ◽  
Fault Bend ◽  
Thrust Sheets ◽  
Geometric Relationship ◽  
West Spitsbergen

AbstractThe geometry and kinematic evolution of a frontal ramp section associated with the Tertiary West Spitsbergen Orogenic Belt has been investigated in a small area (Lappdalen) north of Isfjorden. The previously recognized thrust front corresponds to a complex step or ramp in the position of the sole-thrust in the area. The sole-thrust is localized to the evaporites of the Permian Gipshuken Formation to the west of the footwall ramp, whereas to the east it continues as a bedding-parallel thrust in Triassic shales (Sassendalen Group). The area to the west of the footwall ramp is characterized by large scale thrusts and folds involving the Permian Gipshuken and Kapp Starostin formations and the lower part of the Triassic Sassendalen Group. East of the footwall ramp both Permian and Triassic strata are sub-horizontal and apparently undeformed. Three major thrust sheets are recognized. Based on the geometric relationship between folds and faults in the area, both fault-bend and fault-propogation mechanisms of folding are inferred. Restoration of the Kapp Starostin Formation to its pre-deformational state indicates a minimum of 35% shortening. Structural observations within the Sassendalen Group in the study area and on Dickson Land suggest that some of this shortening is transmitted eastwards along one or more bedding parallel thrusts in the Sassendalen Group.

scholarly journals Water mass distribution in Fram Strait and over the Yermak Plateau in summer 1997

2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 687-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Rudels ◽  
R. Meyer ◽  
E. Fahrbach ◽  
V. V. Ivanov ◽  
S. Østerhus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
The West ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Yermak Plateau ◽  
Eurasian Basin ◽  
West Spitsbergen

Abstract. The water mass distribution in northern Fram Strait and over the Yermak Plateau in summer 1997 is described using CTD data from two cruises in the area. The West Spitsbergen Current was found to split, one part recirculated towards the west, while the other part, on entering the Arctic Ocean separated into two branches. The main inflow of Atlantic Water followed the Svalbard continental slope eastward, while a second, narrower, branch stayed west and north of the Yermak Plateau. The water column above the southeastern flank of the Yermak Plateau was distinctly colder and less saline than the two inflow branches. Immediately west of the outer inflow branch comparatively high temperatures in the Atlantic Layer suggested that a part of the extraordinarily warm Atlantic Water, observed in the boundary current in the Eurasian Basin in the early 1990s, was now returning, within the Eurasian Basin, toward Fram Strait. The upper layer west of the Yermak Plateau was cold, deep and comparably saline, similar to what has recently been observed in the interior Eurasian Basin. Closer to the Greenland continental slope the salinity of the upper layer became much lower, and the temperature maximum of the Atlantic Layer was occasionally below  0.5 °C, indicating water masses mainly derived from the Canadian Basin. This implies that the warm pulse of Atlantic Water had not yet made a complete circuit around the Arctic Ocean. The Atlantic Water of the West Spitsbergen Current recirculating within the strait did not extend as far towards Greenland as in the 1980s, leaving a broader passage for waters from the Atlantic and intermediate layers, exiting the Arctic Ocean. A possible interpretation is that the circulation pattern alternates between a strong recirculation of the West Spitsbergen Current in the strait, and a larger exchange of Atlantic Water between the Nordic Seas and the inner parts of the Arctic Ocean.Key words: Oceanography: general (Arctic and Antarctic oceanography; water masses) - Oceanography: physical (general circulation)

scholarly journals Seasonal and Mesoscale Variability of the Two Atlantic Water Recirculation Pathways in Fram Strait

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zerlina Hofmann ◽  
Wilken-Jon von Appen ◽  
Claudia Wekerle
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
Mesoscale Variability ◽  
The West ◽  
East Greenland Current ◽  
Prime Meridian ◽  
Set Up ◽  
West Spitsbergen

<p>Atlantic Water, which is transported northward by the West Spitsbergen Current, partly recirculates (i.e. turns westward) in Fram Strait. This determines how much heat and salt reaches the Arctic Ocean, and how much joins the East Greenland Current on its southward path. We describe the Atlantic Water recirculation's location, seasonality, and mesoscale variability by analyzing the first observations from moored instruments at five latitudes in central Fram Strait, spanning a period from August 2016 to July 2018. We observe recirculation on the prime meridian at 78°50'N and 80°10'N, respectively south and north of the Molly Hole, and no recirculation further south at 78°10'N and further north at 80°50'N. At a fifth mooring location at 79°30'N, we observe some influence of the two recirculation branches. The southern recirculation is observed as a continuous westward flow that carries Atlantic Water throughout the year, though it may be subject to broadening and narrowing. It is affected by eddies in spring, likely due to the seasonality of mesoscale instability in the West Spitsbergen Current. The northern recirculation is observed solely as passing eddies on the prime meridian, which are strongest during late autumn and winter, and absent during summer. This seasonality is likely affected both by the conditions set by the West Spitsbergen Current and by the sea ice. Open ocean eddies originating from the West Spitsbergen Current interact with the sea ice edge when they subduct below the fresher, colder water. Additionally the stratification set up by sea ice presence may inhibit recirculation.</p>

scholarly journals Hydrography, transport and mixing of the West Spitsbergen Current: the Svalbard Branch in summer 2015

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eivind Kolås ◽  
Ilker Fer
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Turbulent Heat Flux ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
The West ◽  
Transport And Mixing ◽  
West Spitsbergen

Abstract. Measurements of ocean currents, stratification and microstructure were made in August 2015, northwest of Svalbard, downstream of the Atlantic inflow in Fram Strait in the Arctic Ocean. Observations in three sections are used to characterize the evolution of the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) along a 170-km downstream distance. Two alternative calculations imply 1.5 to 2 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1) is routed to recirculation and Yermak branch in Fram Strait, whereas 0.6 to 1.3 Sv is carried by the Svalbard branch. The WSC cools at a rate of 0.20 °C per 100 km, with associated bulk heat loss per along-path meter of (1.1–1.4) x 107 W m−1, corresponding to a surface heat loss of 380–550 W m−2. The measured turbulent heat flux is too small to account for this cooling rate. Estimates using a plausible range of parameters suggest that the contribution of diffusion by eddies could be limited to one half of the observed heat loss. In addition to shear-driven mixing beneath the WSC core, we observe energetic convective mixing of an unstable bottom boundary layer on the slope, driven by Ekman advection of buoyant water across the slope. The estimated lateral buoyancy flux is O(10−8) W kg−1, sufficient to maintain a large fraction of the observed dissipation rates, and corresponds to a heat flux of approximately 400 W m−2. Convectively-driven bottom mixing followed by the detachment of the mixed fluid, and its transfer into the ocean interior can lead to substantial cooling of the WSC, at a rate comparable to that expected from diffusion by eddies.

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