Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer
Leads play an important role in the exchange of heat, gases, vapour, and particles between seawater and the atmosphere in ice-covered polar oceans. In summer, these processes can be modified significantly by the formation of a meltwater layer at the surface, yet we know little about the dynamics of...
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University of California Press
2023
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00102 https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article-pdf/doi/10.1525/elementa.2022.00102/786588/elementa.2022.00102.pdf |
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crunicaliforniap:10.1525/elementa.2022.00102 2024-09-15T18:35:34+00:00 Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer Nomura, Daiki Kawaguchi, Yusuke Webb, Alison L. Li, Yuhong Dall’osto, Manuel Schmidt, Katrin Droste, Elise S. Chamberlain, Emelia J. Kolabutin, Nikolai Shimanchuk, Egor Hoppmann, Mario Gallagher, Michael R. Meyer, Hanno Mellat, Moein Bauch, Dorothea Gabarró, Carolina Smith, Madison M. Inoue, Jun Damm, Ellen Delille, Bruno 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00102 https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article-pdf/doi/10.1525/elementa.2022.00102/786588/elementa.2022.00102.pdf en eng University of California Press http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Elem Sci Anth volume 11, issue 1 ISSN 2325-1026 journal-article 2023 crunicaliforniap https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00102 2024-07-11T04:33:34Z Leads play an important role in the exchange of heat, gases, vapour, and particles between seawater and the atmosphere in ice-covered polar oceans. In summer, these processes can be modified significantly by the formation of a meltwater layer at the surface, yet we know little about the dynamics of meltwater layer formation and persistence. During the drift campaign of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), we examined how variation in lead width, re-freezing, and mixing events affected the vertical structure of lead waters during late summer in the central Arctic. At the beginning of the 4-week survey period, a meltwater layer occupied the surface 0.8 m of the lead, and temperature and salinity showed strong vertical gradients. Stable oxygen isotopes indicate that the meltwater consisted mainly of sea ice meltwater rather than snow meltwater. During the first half of the survey period (before freezing), the meltwater layer thickness decreased rapidly as lead width increased and stretched the layer horizontally. During the latter half of the survey period (after freezing of the lead surface), stratification weakened and the meltwater layer became thinner before disappearing completely due to surface ice formation and mixing processes. Removal of meltwater during surface ice formation explained about 43% of the reduction in thickness of the meltwater layer. The remaining approximate 57% could be explained by mixing within the water column initiated by disturbance of the lower boundary of the meltwater layer through wind-induced ice floe drift. These results indicate that rapid, dynamic changes to lead water structure can have potentially significant effects on the exchange of physical and biogeochemical components throughout the atmosphere–lead–underlying seawater system. Article in Journal/Newspaper Sea ice University of California Press Elem Sci Anth 11 1 |
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University of California Press |
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crunicaliforniap |
language |
English |
description |
Leads play an important role in the exchange of heat, gases, vapour, and particles between seawater and the atmosphere in ice-covered polar oceans. In summer, these processes can be modified significantly by the formation of a meltwater layer at the surface, yet we know little about the dynamics of meltwater layer formation and persistence. During the drift campaign of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), we examined how variation in lead width, re-freezing, and mixing events affected the vertical structure of lead waters during late summer in the central Arctic. At the beginning of the 4-week survey period, a meltwater layer occupied the surface 0.8 m of the lead, and temperature and salinity showed strong vertical gradients. Stable oxygen isotopes indicate that the meltwater consisted mainly of sea ice meltwater rather than snow meltwater. During the first half of the survey period (before freezing), the meltwater layer thickness decreased rapidly as lead width increased and stretched the layer horizontally. During the latter half of the survey period (after freezing of the lead surface), stratification weakened and the meltwater layer became thinner before disappearing completely due to surface ice formation and mixing processes. Removal of meltwater during surface ice formation explained about 43% of the reduction in thickness of the meltwater layer. The remaining approximate 57% could be explained by mixing within the water column initiated by disturbance of the lower boundary of the meltwater layer through wind-induced ice floe drift. These results indicate that rapid, dynamic changes to lead water structure can have potentially significant effects on the exchange of physical and biogeochemical components throughout the atmosphere–lead–underlying seawater system. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nomura, Daiki Kawaguchi, Yusuke Webb, Alison L. Li, Yuhong Dall’osto, Manuel Schmidt, Katrin Droste, Elise S. Chamberlain, Emelia J. Kolabutin, Nikolai Shimanchuk, Egor Hoppmann, Mario Gallagher, Michael R. Meyer, Hanno Mellat, Moein Bauch, Dorothea Gabarró, Carolina Smith, Madison M. Inoue, Jun Damm, Ellen Delille, Bruno |
spellingShingle |
Nomura, Daiki Kawaguchi, Yusuke Webb, Alison L. Li, Yuhong Dall’osto, Manuel Schmidt, Katrin Droste, Elise S. Chamberlain, Emelia J. Kolabutin, Nikolai Shimanchuk, Egor Hoppmann, Mario Gallagher, Michael R. Meyer, Hanno Mellat, Moein Bauch, Dorothea Gabarró, Carolina Smith, Madison M. Inoue, Jun Damm, Ellen Delille, Bruno Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer |
author_facet |
Nomura, Daiki Kawaguchi, Yusuke Webb, Alison L. Li, Yuhong Dall’osto, Manuel Schmidt, Katrin Droste, Elise S. Chamberlain, Emelia J. Kolabutin, Nikolai Shimanchuk, Egor Hoppmann, Mario Gallagher, Michael R. Meyer, Hanno Mellat, Moein Bauch, Dorothea Gabarró, Carolina Smith, Madison M. Inoue, Jun Damm, Ellen Delille, Bruno |
author_sort |
Nomura, Daiki |
title |
Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer |
title_short |
Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer |
title_full |
Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer |
title_fullStr |
Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer |
title_full_unstemmed |
Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer |
title_sort |
meltwater layer dynamics in a central arctic lead: effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer |
publisher |
University of California Press |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00102 https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article-pdf/doi/10.1525/elementa.2022.00102/786588/elementa.2022.00102.pdf |
genre |
Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Sea ice |
op_source |
Elem Sci Anth volume 11, issue 1 ISSN 2325-1026 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00102 |
container_title |
Elem Sci Anth |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1810478762392813568 |