Arctic mass, freshwater and heat fluxes: methods and modelled seasonal variability

• Published in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
• Main Authors: Bacon, Sheldon, Aksenov, Yevgeny, Fawcett, Stephen, Madec, Gurvan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2015
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0169; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsta.2014.0169; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsta.2014.0169

Considering the Arctic Ocean (including sea ice) as a defined volume, we develop equations describing the time-varying fluxes of mass, heat and freshwater (FW) into, and storage of those quantities within, that volume. The seasonal cycles of fluxes and storage of mass, heat and FW are quantified and illustrated using output from a numerical model. The meanings of ‘reference values’ and FW fluxes are discussed, and the potential for error through the use of arbitrary reference values is examined.