Distribution, variability and burial of organic carbon at Northern Fram Strait and Yermak Plateau ...

The environment of the Fram Strait, the only deepwater connection of the Arctic Ocean to the world oceans via the North Atlantic (Fig.7.8.1; see Fig.7.1.9), is influenced by the distribution of sea-ice and two opposing current systems. The northward flowing West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) transports...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Birgel, Daniel, Stein, Ruediger
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: PANGAEA 2004
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.728140
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.728140
Description
Summary:The environment of the Fram Strait, the only deepwater connection of the Arctic Ocean to the world oceans via the North Atlantic (Fig.7.8.1; see Fig.7.1.9), is influenced by the distribution of sea-ice and two opposing current systems. The northward flowing West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) transports warm, near-surface water (Manley 1995; Rudels et al. 2000) to the Northern Fram Strait. About 22% of the northward flowing Atlantic waters are re-circulated within the RAC (Return Atlantic Current) between 78 and 80°N, west of Svalbard. At 80°N the WSC splits into the Svalbard (ca. 33% of the WSC waters) and the Yermak Branch (ca. 45% of the WSC waters). On the western side of the Fram Strait, the East Greenland Current (EGC) transports cold and low-salinity water southwards along the eastern continental margin of Greenland. (Fig.7.8.1).Primary production in ice-covered areas of western Fram Strait is limited by sea-ice cover, and influenced by the predominant water mass. Productivity in the interior Arctic Ocean ... : Supplement to: Birgel, Daniel; Stein, Ruediger (2004): Northern Fram Strait and Yermak Plateau: distribution, variability and burial of organic carbon and paleoenvironmental implications. In: Stein, R & Macdonald, R W (eds.), The Organic Carbon Cycle in the Arctic Ocean, Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 279-294 ...