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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Index Terms

  • Cryosphere: Sea ice
  • Oceanography: General: Numerical modeling
  • Oceanography: General: Climate and interannual variability
  • Oceanography: General: Arctic and Antarctic oceanography

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 32, L21606, 5 PP., 2005
doi:10.1029/2005GL023861

Arctic Ocean change heralds North Atlantic freshening

M. Karcher

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

R. Gerdes

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

F. Kauker

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

C. Köberle

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

I. Yashayaev

Ocean Circulation Section, Ocean Sciences Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

A large pool of freshwater formed of ice and runoff is hosted by the Arctic Ocean. It exits through the Canadian Archipelago and Fram Strait to enter the North Atlantic deep water production regions. Using a numerical model and observations we trace a strong freshwater release to subpolar waters in the mid-1990s. In contrast to the ice export driven 1970's ‘Great Salinity Anomaly’ its source was a large additional liquid freshwater release from the Arctic Ocean. In fact it was a consequence of a change of the Arctic Ocean's thermohaline structure in response to the very intense North Atlantic Oscillation in the early 1990s. Our results show a strong link of large-scale Arctic Ocean changes with the freshwater flux to subpolar waters.

Received 22 June 2005; accepted 5 October 2005; published 15 November 2005.

Citation: Karcher, M., R. Gerdes, F. Kauker, C. Köberle, and I. Yashayaev (2005), Arctic Ocean change heralds North Atlantic freshening, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L21606, doi:10.1029/2005GL023861.

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