Winter Arctic Outflow Winds Cause Upper Ocean Cooling and Reoxygenation in a Temperate Canadian Fjord

Abstract Arctic outflow winds bring cold air from the continent to the coastline through mountain passes. Using observational data and a 2‐D model, we show that a February 2019 outflow event caused the upper 100 m in Bute Inlet, British Columbia (within the traditional territory of the Homalco Natio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: J. M. Jackson, K. Holmes, J. M. Klymak, L. Bianucci, W. Evans, W. C. Floyd, C. G. Hannah, A. Hare, D. Wan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023
Subjects:
British Columbia
fjord
Arctic outflow
climate change
temperature
oxygen
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
Climate change
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL104549
https://doaj.org/article/6e84c35e45cd404d8a134864340c2d54
Description
Summary:Abstract Arctic outflow winds bring cold air from the continent to the coastline through mountain passes. Using observational data and a 2‐D model, we show that a February 2019 outflow event caused the upper 100 m in Bute Inlet, British Columbia (within the traditional territory of the Homalco Nation) to cool up to 1.9°C and gain up to 4.1 mLL−1 of oxygen. The cold, oxygenated water persisted for almost 1 year within the 1,023–1,023.5 kgm−3 isopycnal range (∼50–150 m). Atmospheric (from 1929 to 2022) and oceanographic (from 1951 to 2022) data showed a statistically significant relationship between continental air temperature at Tatlayoko Lake and temperature and oxygen in Bute Inlet. This local mechanism that counters some effects of climate change could create a biological refugium as surrounding waters warm and lose oxygen at a faster rate. The number of outflow events decreased from 1951 to 2018, and increased since.

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