A model-based study of ice and freshwater transport variability along both sides of Greenland |
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| Authors: | Camille Lique Anne Marie Treguier Markus Scheinert Thierry Penduff |
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| Institution: | (1) Laboratoire de Physique des Océans, CNRS-Ifremer-UBO-IRD, Brest, France;(2) Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenshaften, IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany;(3) Laboratoire des Ecoulements Géophysiques et Industriels, Grenoble, France;(4) Department of Oceanography, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA |
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| Abstract: | We investigate some aspects of the variability of the Arctic freshwater content during the 1965–2002 period using the DRAKKAR
eddy admitting global ocean/sea-ice model (12 km resolution in the Arctic). A comparison with recent mooring sections shows
that the model realistically represents the major advective exchanges with the Arctic basin, through Bering, Fram and Davis
Straits, and the Barents Sea. This allows the separate contributions of the inflows and outflows across each section to be
quantified. In the model, the Arctic freshwater content variability is explained by the sea-ice flux at Fram and the combined
variations of ocean freshwater inflow (at Bering) and outflow (at Fram and Davis). At all routes, except trough Fram Strait,
the freshwater transport variability is mainly accounted for by the liquid component, with small contributions from the sea-ice
flux. The ocean freshwater transport variability through both Davis and Fram is controlled by the variability of the export
branch (Baffin Island Current and East Greenland Current, respectively), the variability of the inflow branches playing a
minor role. We examine the respective role of velocity and salinity fluctuations in the variability of the ocean freshwater
transport. Fram and Davis Straits offer a striking contrast in this regard. Freshwater transport variations across Davis Strait
are completely determined by the variations of the total volume flux (0.91 correlation). On the other hand, the freshwater
transport through Fram Strait depends both on variations of volume transport and salinity. As a result, there is no significant
correlation between the variability of freshwater flux at Fram and Davis, although the volume transports on each side of Greenland
are strongly anti-correlated (−0.84). Contrary to Davis Strait, the salinity of water carried by the East Greenland Current
through Fram Strait varies strongly due to the ice-ocean flux north of Greenland. |
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| Keywords: | Arctic Ocean Freshwater budget Freshwater flux Davis Strait Fram Strait |
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