Jens Hölemann

Seasonal modification of the Arctic Ocean intermediate water layer off the eastern Laptev Sea continental shelf break

up to 75% of the total variance. Our data suggest that the entire AW layer down to at least 840 m is affected by seasonal cycling, although the strength of the seasonal signal in temperature and salinity reduces from 260 m (±0.25C and ±0.025 psu) to 840 m (±0.05C and ±0.005 psu). The seasonal velocity signal is substantially weaker, strongly masked by high-frequency variability, and lags the thermohaline cycle by 45–75 days. We hypothesize that our mooring record shows a time history of the along-margin propagation of the AW seasonal signal carried downstream by the AW boundary current. Our analysis suggests that the seasonal signal in the Fram Strait Branch of AW (FSBW) at 260 m is predominantly translated from Fram Strait, while the seasonality in the Barents Sea branch of AW (BSBW) domain (at 840 m) is attributed instead to the seasonal signal input from the Barents Sea. However, the characteristic signature of the BSBW seasonal dynamics observed through the entire AW layer leads us to speculate that BSBW also plays a role in seasonally modifying the properties of the FSBW.

Fate of early 2000s Arctic warm water pulse

The water mass structure of the Arctic Ocean is remarkable, for its intermediate (depth range ~150–900 m) layer is filled with warm (temperature >0°C) and salty water of Atlantic origin (usually called the Atlantic Water, AW). This water is carried into and through the Arctic Ocean by the pan-Arctic boundary current, which moves cyclonically along the basins’ margins (Fig. 1). This system provides the largest input of water, heat, and salt into the Arctic Ocean; the total quantity of heat is substantial, enough to melt the Arctic sea ice cover several times over. By utilizing an extensive archive Fate of Early 2000s Arctic Warm Water Pulse of recently collected observational data, this study provides a cohesive picture of recent large-scale changes in the AW layer of the Arctic Ocean. These recent observations show the warm pulse of AW that entered the Arctic Ocean in the early 1990s finally reached the Canada Basin during the 2000s. The second warm pulse that entered the Arctic Ocean in the mid-2000s has moved through the Eurasian Basin and is en route downstream. One of the most intriguing results of these observations is the realization of the possibility of uptake of anomalous AW heat by overlying layers, with possible implications for an already-reduced Arctic ice cover.

Observational program tracks Arctic Ocean transition to a warmer state

Over the past several decades, the Arctic Ocean has undergone substantial change. Enhanced transport of warmer air from lower latitudes has led to increased Arctic surface air temperature. Concurrent reductions in Arctic ice extent and thickness have been documented. The first evidence of warming in the intermediate Atlantic Water (AW, water depth between 150 and 900 meters) of the Arctic Ocean was found in 1990. Another anomaly, found in 2004, suggests that the Arctic Ocean is in transition toward a new, warmer state [Polyakov et al., 2005, and references therein].

Impact of the Arctic Ocean Atlantic water layer on Siberian shelf hydrography

This paper examines the role of the Arctic Ocean Atlantic water (AW) in modifying the Laptev Sea shelf bottom hydrography on the basis of historical records from 1932 to 2008, field observations carried out in April–May 2008, and 2002–2009 cross‐slope measurements. A climatology of bottom hydrography demonstrates warming that extends offshore from the 30–50 m depth contour. Bottom layer temperature‐time series constructed from historical records links the Laptev Sea outer shelf to the AW boundary current transporting warm and saline water from the North Atlantic. The AW warming of the mid‐1990s and the mid‐2000s is consistent with outer shelf bottom temperature variability. For April–May 2008 we observed on‐shelf near‐bottom warm and saline water intrusions up to the 20 m isobath. These intrusions are typically about 0.2°C warmer and 1–1.5 practical salinity units saltier than ambient water. The 2002–2009 cross‐slope observations are suggestive for the continental slope upward heat flux from the AW to the overlying low‐halocline water (LHW). The lateral on‐shelf wind‐driven transport of the LHW then results in the bottom layer thermohaline anomalies recorded over the Laptev Sea shelf. We also found that polynya‐induced vertical mixing may act as a drainage of the bottom layer, permitting a relatively small portion of the AW heat to be directly released to the atmosphere. Finally, we see no significant warming (up until now) over the Laptev Sea shelf deeper than 10–15 m in the historical record. Future climate change, however, may bring more intrusions of Atlantic‐modified waters with potentially warmer temperature onto the shelf, which could have a critical impact on the stability of offshore submarine permafrost.

Intermittent Intense Turbulent Mixing under Ice in the Laptev Sea Continental Shelf

Vertical mixing in the bottom boundary layer and pycnocline of the Laptev Sea is evaluated from a rapidly sampled 12-h time series of microstructure temperature, conductivity, and shear observations collected under 100% sea ice during October 2008. The bottom boundary turbulent kinetic energy dissipation was observed to be enhanced (ϵ ∼ 10−4 W m−3) beyond background levels (ϵ ∼ 10−6 W m−3), extending up to 10 m above the seabed when simulated tidal currents were directed on slope. Upward heat fluxes into the halocline-class waters along the Laptev Sea seabed peaked at ∼4–8 W m−2, averaging out to ∼2 W m−2 over the 12-h sampling period. In the Laptev Sea pycnocline, an isolated 2-h episode of intense dissipation (ϵ ∼ 10−3 W m−3) and vertical diffusivities was observed that was not due to a localized wind event. Observations from an acoustic Doppler current meter moored in the central Laptev Sea near the M2 critical latitude are consistent with a previous model in which mixing episodes are driven by an enhancement of the pycnocline shear resulting from the alignment of the rotating pycnocline shear vector with the under-ice stress vector. Upward cross-pycnocline heat fluxes from the Arctic halocline peaked at ∼54 W m−2, resulting in a 12-h average of ∼12 W m−2. These results highlight the intermittent nature of Arctic shelf sea mixing processes and how these processes can impact the transformation of Arctic Ocean water masses. The observations also clearly demonstrate that absence or presence of sea ice profoundly affects the availability of near-inertial kinetic energy to drive vertical mixing on the Arctic shelves.

Atmospheric controlled freshwater release at the Laptev Sea continental margin

Considerable interannual differences were observed in river water and sea-ice meltwater inventory values derived from δ18O and salinity data in the Eurasian Basin along the continental margin of the Laptev Sea in the summers of 1993 and 1995, and in the summers of 2005 and 2006 during Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational system (NABOS) expeditions. The annually different pattern in river and sea-ice meltwater inventories remain closely linked for all of the years studied, which indicates that source regions and transport mechanisms for both river water and sea-ice formation are largely similar over the relatively shallow Laptev Sea Shelf. A simple Ekman trajectory model for surface Lagrangian particles based solely on wind forcing can explain the main features observed between years with significantly different wind patterns and vorticities, and can also explain differences in river water distributions observed for years with a generally similar offshore wind setting. An index based on this simplified trajectory model is rather similar to the vorticity index, but reflects the hydrology on the shelf better for distinctive years. This index is not correlated with the Arctic Oscillation, but rather with a local mode of oscillation, which controls the outflow and distribution of the Eurasian Basin major freshwater source on an annual timescale.

Near-bottom water warming in the Laptev Sea in response to atmospheric and sea-ice conditions in 2007

In this paper we present new data from ship-based measurements and two-year observations from moorings in the Laptev Sea along with Russian historical data. The observations from the Laptev Sea in 2007 indicate that the bottom water temperatures on the mid-shelf increased by more than 3°C compared to the long-term mean as a consequence of the unusually high summertime surface water temperatures. Such a distinct increase in near-bottom temperatures has not been observed before. Remnants of the relatively warm bottom water occupied the mid-shelf from September 2007 until April 2008. Strong polynya activity during March to May 2007 caused more summertime open water and therefore warmer sea surface temperatures in the Laptev Sea. During the ice-free period in August and September 2007, the prevailing cyclonic atmospheric circulation deflected the freshwater plume of the River Lena to the east, which increased the salinity on the mid-shelf north of the Lena Delta. The resulting weaker density stratification allowed more vertical mixing of the water column during storms in late September and early October, leading to the observed warming of the near-bottom layer in the still ice-free Laptev Sea. In summer and autumn 2008, when the density stratification was stronger and sea surface temperatures were close to the long-term mean, no near-bottom water warming was observed. Warmer water temperatures near the seabed may also impact the stability of the shelfs submarine permafrost.

Suspended particulate matter on the Laptev Sea shelf (Siberian Arctic) during ice-free conditions

Optical turbidity surveys combined with pigment, plankton, and current measurements were used to investigate the vertical and horizontal dynamics of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the Laptev Sea, one of the largest Siberian shelf seas, during the ice-free period. Optical measuring devices prove to be an excellent tool to measure SPM distribution in real time. SPM concentrations were quantified owing to the high correlation of water samples and optical backscatter. Thus, the formation and distribution of the bottom nepheloid layer, a layer of increased SPM concentration, and its significance for the sediment transport on the Laptev Sea shelf can be described. Two nepheloid layers exist in the eastern and central Laptev Sea. Formation and concentration of the surface layer are mainly related to the amount of phytoplankton and zooplankton occurrence. However, in the vicinity of the Lena Delta, the concentration is strongly dependent on riverine discharge. The bottom nepheloid layer is suggested to develop during and briefly after the spring breakup, when about 60% of the mean annual sediment input is discharged onto the shelf. SPM spreads over the shelf and is kept in suspension within the bottom layer. Especially during the ice-free period, almost no sedimentation takes place. However, bottom material is resuspended due to wind-induced increased bottom currents, mainly in paleo-river valleys and on shoals. Valleys act as transport conduits during the ice-free period and SPM is shifted within them. An intermediate layer near Stolbovoy Bank is probably caused by the displacement of the bottom layer from the topographic highs into the valleys. The combined turbidity and current measurements indicate that most of the sediment transport on the Laptev Sea shelf takes place in the bottom nepheloid layer.

Validating satellite derived and modelled sea-ice drift in the Laptev Sea with in situ measurements from the winter of 2007/2008

A correct representation of the ice movement in an Arctic sea-ice–ocean coupled model is essential for a realistic sea-ice and ocean simulation. The aim of this study is to validate the observational and simulated sea-ice drift for the Laptev Sea Shelf region with in situ measurements from the winter of 2007/08. Several satellite remote-sensing data sets are first compared to mooring measurements and afterwards to the sea-ice drift simulated by the coupled sea-ice–ocean model. The different satellite products have a correlation to the in situ data ranging from 0.56 to 0.86. The correlations of sea-ice direction or individual drift vector components between the in situ data and the observations are high, about 0.8. Similar correlations are achieved by the model simulations. The sea-ice drift speed derived from the model and from some satellite products have only moderate correlations of about 0.6 to the in situ record. The standard errors for the satellite products and model simulations drift components are similar to the errors of the satellite products in the central Arctic and are about 0.03 m/s. The fast-ice parameterization implementation in the model was also successfully tested for its influence on the sea-ice drift. In contrast to the satellite products, the model drift simulations have a full temporal and spatial coverage and results are reliable enough to use as sea-ice drift estimates on the Laptev Sea Shelf.

Sea ice production and water mass modification in the eastern Laptev Sea

A simple polynya flux model driven by standard atmospheric forcing is used to investigate the ice formation that took place during an exceptionally strong and consistent western New Siberian (WNS) polynya event in 2004 in the Laptev Sea. Whether formation rates are high enough to erode the stratification of the water column beneath is examined by adding the brine released during the 2004 polynya event to the average winter density stratification of the water body, preconditioned by summers with a cyclonic atmospheric forcing (comparatively weakly stratified water column). Beforehand, the model performance is tested through a simulation of a well-documented event in April 2008. Neglecting the replenishment of water masses by advection into the polynya area, we find the probability for the occurrence of density-driven convection down to the bottom to be low. Our findings can be explained by the distinct vertical density gradient that characterizes the area of the WNS polynya and the apparent lack of extreme events in the eastern Laptev Sea. The simple approach is expected to be sufficiently rigorous, since the simulated event is exceptionally strong and consistent, the ice production and salt rejection rates are likely to be overestimated, and the amount of salt rejected is distrusted over a comparatively weakly stratified water column. We conclude that the observed erosion of the halocline and formation of vertically mixed water layers during a WNS polynya event is therefore predominantly related to wind- and tidally driven turbulent mixing processes.