Publikationsdatum:
2016-11-29
Beschreibung:
Freshwater in the Arctic Ocean plays an important role in the regional ocean circulation, sea
ice, and global climate. From salinity observed by a variety of platforms, we are able, for the first time, to
estimate a statistically reliable liquid freshwater trend from monthly gridded fields over all upper Arctic
Ocean basins. From 1992 to 2012 this trend was 600 ± 300 km3 yr−1. A numerical model agrees very well
with the observed freshwater changes. A decrease in salinity made up about two thirds of the freshwater
trend and a thickening of the upper layer up to one third. The Arctic Ocean Oscillation index, a measure
for the regional wind stress curl, correlated well with our freshwater time series. No clear relation to Arctic
Oscillation or Arctic Dipole indices could be found. Following other observational studies, an increased
Bering Strait freshwater import to the Arctic Ocean, a decreased Davis Strait export, and enhanced net sea
ice melt could have played an important role in the freshwater trend we observed.
Repository-Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Materialart:
Article
,
isiRev
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