scholarly journals Increased Surface Ocean Heating by Colored Detrital Matter (CDM) Linked to Greater Northern Hemisphere Ice Formation in the GFDL CM2Mc ESM

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (24) ◽  
pp. 9063-9076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace E. Kim ◽  
Anand Gnanadesikan ◽  
Marie-Aude Pradal
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Light Attenuation ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Ice Formation ◽  
Surface Heat Fluxes ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Modular Ocean Model

Abstract Recent observations of Arctic Ocean optical properties have found that colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is of primary importance in determining the nonwater absorption coefficient of light in this region. Although CDOM is an important optical constituent in the Arctic Ocean, it is not included in most of the current generation of Earth system models (ESMs). In this study, model runs were conducted with and without light attenuation by colored detrital matter (CDM), the combined optical contribution of CDOM and nonalgal particles. The fully coupled GFDL CM2 with Modular Ocean Model version 4p1 (MOM4p1) at coarse resolution (CM2Mc) ESM was used to examine the differences in heating and ice formation in the high northern latitudes. The annual cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) is amplified in the model run where the optical attenuation by CDM is included. Annually averaged integrated ice mass is 5% greater and total ice extent is 6% greater owing to colder wintertime SSTs. Differences in ocean heating (i.e., temperature tendency) between the two model runs are well represented by the combined changes in heating by penetrating shortwave radiation, mixing, and surface heat fluxes in the upper 100 m. Shortwave radiation is attenuated closer to the surface, which reduces heating below 10 m during summer months. Mixing entrains colder waters into the mixed layer during the autumn and winter months. Increased cloudiness and ice thickness in the model run with CDM reduces incoming shortwave radiation.

Coupled Sea Ice-Ocean Model of the Arctic Ocean

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. V. Polyakov ◽  
I. Yu. Kulakov ◽  
S. A. Kolesov ◽  
N. Eu. Dmitriev ◽  
R. S. Pritchard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Distribution Functions ◽  
Constitutive Law ◽  
Prognostic Models ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Ocean Layer

A fully prognostic coupled ice-ocean model is described. The ice model is based on the elastic-plastic constitutive law with ice mass and compactness described by distribution functions. The ice thermodynamics model is applied individually to each ice thickness category. Advection of the ice partial mass and concentrations is parameterized by a fourth-order algorithm that conserves monotonicity of the solution. The ocean is described as a three-dimensional time-dependent baroclinic model with free surface. The coupled model is applied to establish the Arctic Ocean seasonal climatology using fully prognostic models for ice and ocean. Results reflect the importance of the ice melting/freezing in the formation of the thermohaline structure of the upper ocean layer.

scholarly journals Arctic Sea Ice Retreat in 2007 Follows Thinning Trend

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Lindsay ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
A. Schweiger ◽  
M. Steele ◽  
H. Stern
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
Pacific Side ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

Abstract The minimum of Arctic sea ice extent in the summer of 2007 was unprecedented in the historical record. A coupled ice–ocean model is used to determine the state of the ice and ocean over the past 29 yr to investigate the causes of this ice extent minimum within a historical perspective. It is found that even though the 2007 ice extent was strongly anomalous, the loss in total ice mass was not. Rather, the 2007 ice mass loss is largely consistent with a steady decrease in ice thickness that began in 1987. Since then, the simulated mean September ice thickness within the Arctic Ocean has declined from 3.7 to 2.6 m at a rate of −0.57 m decade−1. Both the area coverage of thin ice at the beginning of the melt season and the total volume of ice lost in the summer have been steadily increasing. The combined impact of these two trends caused a large reduction in the September mean ice concentration in the Arctic Ocean. This created conditions during the summer of 2007 that allowed persistent winds to push the remaining ice from the Pacific side to the Atlantic side of the basin and more than usual into the Greenland Sea. This exposed large areas of open water, resulting in the record ice extent anomaly.

scholarly journals An Evaluation of Surface Atmospheric Changes over the Arctic Ocean for 2000–09 Using Recent Reanalyses

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayan H. Chaudhuri ◽  
Rui M. Ponte
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Ice Retreat

Abstract The authors examine five recent reanalysis products [NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR), Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), Japanese 25-year Reanalysis Project (JRA-25), Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim), and Arctic System Reanalysis (ASR)] for 1) trends in near-surface radiation fluxes, air temperature, and humidity, which are important indicators of changes within the Arctic Ocean and also influence sea ice and ocean conditions, and 2) fidelity of these atmospheric fields and effects for an extreme event: namely, the 2007 ice retreat. An analysis of trends over the Arctic for the past decade (2000–09) shows that reanalysis solutions have large spreads, particularly for downwelling shortwave radiation. In many cases, the differences in significant trends between the five reanalysis products are comparable to the estimated trend within a particular product. These discrepancies make it difficult to establish a consensus on likely changes occurring in the Arctic solely based on results from reanalyses fields. Regarding the 2007 ice retreat event, comparisons with remotely sensed estimates of downwelling radiation observations against these reanalysis products present an ambiguity. Remotely sensed observations from a study cited herewith suggest a large increase in downwelling summertime shortwave radiation and decrease in downwelling summertime longwave radiation from 2006 and 2007. On the contrary, the reanalysis products show only small gains in summertime shortwave radiation, if any; however, all the products show increases in downwelling longwave radiation. Thus, agreement within reanalysis fields needs to be further checked against observations to assess possible biases common to all products.

scholarly journals Eastern Arctic Ocean Diapycnal Heat Fluxes through Large Double-Diffusive Steps

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 227-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor V. Polyakov ◽  
Laurie Padman ◽  
Y.-D. Lenn ◽  
Andrey Pnyushkov ◽  
Robert Rember ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Dissipation Rate ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Density Ratio ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Eurasian Basin ◽  
Average Flux ◽  
Double Diffusive

AbstractThe diffusive layering (DL) form of double-diffusive convection cools the Atlantic Water (AW) as it circulates around the Arctic Ocean. Large DL steps, with heights of homogeneous layers often greater than 10 m, have been found above the AW core in the Eurasian Basin (EB) of the eastern Arctic. Within these DL staircases, heat and salt fluxes are determined by the mechanisms for vertical transport through the high-gradient regions (HGRs) between the homogeneous layers. These HGRs can be thick (up to 5 m and more) and are frequently complex, being composed of multiple small steps or continuous stratification. Microstructure data collected in the EB in 2007 and 2008 are used to estimate heat fluxes through large steps in three ways: using the measured dissipation rate in the large homogeneous layers; utilizing empirical flux laws based on the density ratio and temperature step across HGRs after scaling to account for the presence of multiple small DL interfaces within each HGR; and averaging estimates of heat fluxes computed separately for individual small interfaces (as laminar conductive fluxes), small convective layers (via dissipation rates within small DL layers), and turbulent patches (using dissipation rate and buoyancy) within each HGR. Diapycnal heat fluxes through HGRs evaluated by each method agree with each other and range from ~2 to ~8 W m−2, with an average flux of ~3–4 W m−2. These large fluxes confirm a critical role for the DL instability in cooling and thickening the AW layer as it circulates around the eastern Arctic Ocean.

scholarly journals Genesis and Decay of Mesoscale Baroclinic Eddies in the Seasonally Ice-Covered Interior Arctic Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-129
Author(s):  
Gianluca Meneghello ◽  
John Marshall ◽  
Camille Lique ◽  
Pål Erik Isachsen ◽  
Edward Doddridge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Baroclinic Instability ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Arctic Basin ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Origin And Evolution

AbstractObservations of ocean currents in the Arctic interior show a curious, and hitherto unexplained, vertical and temporal distribution of mesoscale activity. A marked seasonal cycle is found close to the surface: strong eddy activity during summer, observed from both satellites and moorings, is followed by very quiet winters. In contrast, subsurface eddies persist all year long within the deeper halocline and below. Informed by baroclinic instability analysis, we explore the origin and evolution of mesoscale eddies in the seasonally ice-covered interior Arctic Ocean. We find that the surface seasonal cycle is controlled by friction with sea ice, dissipating existing eddies and preventing the growth of new ones. In contrast, subsurface eddies, enabled by interior potential vorticity gradients and shielded by a strong stratification at a depth of approximately 50 m, can grow independently of the presence of sea ice. A high-resolution pan-Arctic ocean model confirms that the interior Arctic basin is baroclinically unstable all year long at depth. We address possible implications for the transport of water masses between the margins and the interior of the Arctic basin, and for climate models’ ability to capture the fundamental difference in mesoscale activity between ice-covered and ice-free regions.

Separating the influences of low-latitude warming and sea-ice loss on Northern Hemisphere climate change

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-59
Author(s):  
Paul J. Kushner ◽  
Russell Blackport ◽  
Kelly E. McCusker ◽  
Thomas Oudar ◽  
Lantao Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

Abstract Analyzing a multi-model ensemble of coupled climate model simulations forced with Arctic sea-ice loss using a two-parameter pattern-scaling technique to remove the cross-coupling between low- and high-latitude responses, the sensitivity to high-latitude sea-ice loss is isolated and contrasted to the sensitivity to low-latitude warming. In spite of some differences in experimental design, the Northern Hemisphere near-surface atmospheric sensitivity to sea-ice loss is found to be robust across models in the cold season; however, a larger inter-model spread is found at the surface in boreal summer, and in the free tropospheric circulation. In contrast, the sensitivity to low-latitude warming is most robust in the free troposphere and in the warm season, with more inter-model spread in the surface ocean and surface heat flux over the Northern Hemisphere. The robust signals associated with sea-ice loss include upward turbulent and longwave heat fluxes where sea-ice is lost, warming and freshening of the Arctic ocean, warming of the eastern North Pacific relative to the western North Pacific with upward turbulent heat fluxes in the Kuroshio extension, and salinification of the shallow shelf seas of the Arctic Ocean alongside freshening in the subpolar North Atlantic. In contrast, the robust signals associated with low-latitude warming include intensified ocean warming and upward latent heat fluxes near the western boundary currents, freshening of the Pacific Ocean, salinification of the North Atlantic, and downward sensible and longwave fluxes over the ocean.

scholarly journals Climate change and the Arctic hydrologic cycle as calculated by a global coupled atmosphere–ocean model

1995 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 91-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Miller ◽  
Gary L. Russell
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Hydrologic Cycle ◽  
Transient Simulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Glacial Ice ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

A global coupled atmosphere–ocean model is used to examine the hydrologic cycle of the Arctic Ocean. The model has a horizontal resolution of 4° × 5°, nine vertical layers in the atmosphere and 13 in the ocean. River discharge into the Arctic Ocean is included by allowing runoff from each continental grid box to flow downstream according to a specified direction file and a speed that depends on topography. A 74 year control simulation of the present climate is used to examine variability of the hydrologic cycle, including precipitation, sea ice, glacial ice and river discharge. A 74 year transient simulation in which atmospheric CO2increases each year at a compound rate оf 1% is then used to examine potential changes in the hydrologic cycle. Among these changes are a 4°C increase in mean annual surface air temperature in the Arctic Ocean, a decrease in ice cover which begins after 35 years, and increases in river discharge and cloud cover. There is little change in the net difference between precipitation and evaporation. Also in the transient simulation, glacial ice on Greenland decreases relative to the control.

scholarly journals Seasonal Arctic sea-ice simulations with a prognostic ice-ocean model

1991 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Ranelli ◽  
William D. Hibler
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Basin ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Salt Transport ◽  
Salt Flux ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Diagnostic Model ◽  
Quasi Equilibrium ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

A prognostic ice-ocean model of the Arctic, Greenland and Norwegian seas with daily wind and atmospheric forcing is integrated for 30 years to quasi-equilibrium. Three simulations are carried out to investigate the role played by ice deformation and transport in baroclinic adjustment of the Arctic Ocean: a standard run with precipitation and ice transport, a simulation without precipitation and a “thermodynamics only” simulation without ice transport but including precipitation. A diagnostic model is integrated for five years to serve as a comparative control run. Comparison of the vertically integrated stream-function of each of the model runs indicates that the vertical density stratification needed to maintain the circulation of the Arctic Ocean is reduced excessively when precipitation is neglected and artificially enhanced if ice transport out of the basin is ignored. This effect is even more noticeable in the surface currents and is also apparent in a comparison of simulated and observed drifting-buoy tracks. An analysis of the salt budget of the Arctic Ocean indicates that the three main components, salt transport by the ocean, salt flux from the annual cycle of ice, and a fresh-water flux from precipitation and river runoff are approximately of the same magnitude. The main circulation deficiency identified in the simulations is an inadequate flow of Atlantic water into the Arctic Basin through the Fram Strait.

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

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.

scholarly journals Seasonal Arctic sea-ice simulations with a prognostic ice-ocean model

1991 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Ranelli ◽  
William D. Hibler
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Basin ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Salt Transport ◽  
Salt Flux ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Diagnostic Model ◽  
Quasi Equilibrium ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

A prognostic ice-ocean model of the Arctic, Greenland and Norwegian seas with daily wind and atmospheric forcing is integrated for 30 years to quasi-equilibrium. Three simulations are carried out to investigate the role played by ice deformation and transport in baroclinic adjustment of the Arctic Ocean: a standard run with precipitation and ice transport, a simulation without precipitation and a “thermodynamics only” simulation without ice transport but including precipitation. A diagnostic model is integrated for five years to serve as a comparative control run. Comparison of the vertically integrated stream-function of each of the model runs indicates that the vertical density stratification needed to maintain the circulation of the Arctic Ocean is reduced excessively when precipitation is neglected and artificially enhanced if ice transport out of the basin is ignored. This effect is even more noticeable in the surface currents and is also apparent in a comparison of simulated and observed drifting-buoy tracks. An analysis of the salt budget of the Arctic Ocean indicates that the three main components, salt transport by the ocean, salt flux from the annual cycle of ice, and a fresh-water flux from precipitation and river runoff are approximately of the same magnitude. The main circulation deficiency identified in the simulations is an inadequate flow of Atlantic water into the Arctic Basin through the Fram Strait.

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