Spatiotemporal characteristics of sea ice transport in the Baffin Bay and its association with atmospheric variability

• Published in: Acta Oceanologica Sinica
• Main Authors: Sun, Weifu, Bi, Haibo, Fu, Min, Liang, Xi, Wang, Yunhe, Liang, Yu, Huang, Jue, Huang, Haijun, Yan, Liwen, Yu, Qinglong, Liang, Shuang
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: SPRINGER 2021
• Subjects: sea ice transport; Baffin Bay; Arctic; sea ice area flux (SIAF); Oceanography; Baffin; Fram Strait; Labrador Sea; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/170961; http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/170962; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1720-7

Sea ice export through the Baffin Bay plays a vital role in modulating the sea ice cover variability in the Labrador Sea. In this study, satellite-derived sea ice products are used to obtain the sea ice area flux (SIAF) through the three passages in the Baffin Bay (referred to as A, B, and C for the north, middle, and south passages, respectively). The spatial variability of the monthly sea ice drift in the Baffin Bay is presented. The interannual variability and trends in SIAF via the three passages are outlined. The connection to several large-scale atmospheric circulation modes is assessed. Over the period of 1988-2015, the average annual (October to the following September) SIAF amounts to 555x10(3) km(2), 642x10(3) km(2), and 551x10(3) km(2) through Passages A, B, and C, respectively. These quantities are less than that observed through the Fram Strait (FS, 707x10(3) km(2)) of the corresponding period. The positive trends in annual SIAF, on the order of 53.1x10(3) km(2)/(10 a) and 43.2x10(3) km(2)/(10 a) (significant at the 95% confidence level), are identified at Passages A and B, respectively. The trend of the south passage (C), however, is slightly negative (-13.3x10(3) km(2)/(10 a), not statistically significant). The positive trends in annual SIAF through the Passages A and B are primarily attributable to the significant increases after 2000. The connection between the Baffin Bay sea ice export and the North Atlantic Oscillation is not significant over the studied period. By contrast, the association with the cross-gate sea level pressure difference is robust in the Baffin Bay (R equals 0.69 to 0.71, depending on the passages considered), but relatively weaker than that over FS (R=0.74).