Atlantic Water Pathways Along the North-Western Svalbard Shelf Mapped Using Vessel-Mounted Current Profilers
A large amount of warm Atlantic water (AW) enters the Arctic as a boundary current through Fram Strait (West Spitsbergen Current [WSC]) and is the major oceanic heat source to the Arctic Ocean. Along the north‐western Svalbard shelf, the WSC splits into the shallow Svalbard Branch, the Yermak Branch...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2601232 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014299 |
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ftimr:oai:imr.brage.unit.no:11250/2601232 2023-05-15T14:59:47+02:00 Atlantic Water Pathways Along the North-Western Svalbard Shelf Mapped Using Vessel-Mounted Current Profilers Menze, Sebastian Ingvaldsen, Randi Brunvær Haugan, Peter M. Fer, Ilker Sundfjord, Arild Beszczynska-Moeller, Agnieszka Falk-Petersen, Stig 2019 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2601232 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014299 eng eng Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics. 2019, 124 (3), 1699-1716. urn:issn:2169-9380 http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2601232 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014299 cristin:1703358 1699-1716 124 Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics 3 Journal article Peer reviewed 2019 ftimr https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014299 2021-09-23T20:14:21Z A large amount of warm Atlantic water (AW) enters the Arctic as a boundary current through Fram Strait (West Spitsbergen Current [WSC]) and is the major oceanic heat source to the Arctic Ocean. Along the north‐western Svalbard shelf, the WSC splits into the shallow Svalbard Branch, the Yermak Branch that follows the slope of the Yermak Plateau, and the Yermak Pass Branch flowing across the plateau. The WSC has previously been studied using moorings, dedicated oceanographic transects, and models. In this study, we mapped the circulation patterns and AW flow around Svalbard using Vessel‐Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data from multiple surveys during four consecutive summers (2014–2017). Despite the scattered nature of this compiled data set, persistent circulation patterns could be discerned. Spatial interpolation showed a meandering boundary current west of Svalbard and a more homogeneous AW flow, centered around the 1,000‐m isobath north of Svalbard. In all summers, we observed a northward jet between 79 and 80°N and the 1,000‐ and 500‐m isobaths, before the WSC divided into the three branches. North of Svalbard, the shallow Svalbard Branch reunited with the Yermak Pass Branch between 10 and 15°E and a part of the AW circulated within Hinlopen Trench. The calculated volume transport of 2 Sv in the upper 500 m compares well with model results and previous observations. Our results further show that the Yermak Pass Branch can be as important as the Svalbard Branch in transporting AW across the Yermak Plateau during summer. publishedVersion Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Ocean Fram Strait Svalbard Yermak plateau Spitsbergen Institute for Marine Research: Brage IMR Arctic Arctic Ocean Svalbard Yermak Plateau ENVELOPE(5.000,5.000,81.250,81.250) Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 124 3 1699 1716 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Institute for Marine Research: Brage IMR |
op_collection_id |
ftimr |
language |
English |
description |
A large amount of warm Atlantic water (AW) enters the Arctic as a boundary current through Fram Strait (West Spitsbergen Current [WSC]) and is the major oceanic heat source to the Arctic Ocean. Along the north‐western Svalbard shelf, the WSC splits into the shallow Svalbard Branch, the Yermak Branch that follows the slope of the Yermak Plateau, and the Yermak Pass Branch flowing across the plateau. The WSC has previously been studied using moorings, dedicated oceanographic transects, and models. In this study, we mapped the circulation patterns and AW flow around Svalbard using Vessel‐Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data from multiple surveys during four consecutive summers (2014–2017). Despite the scattered nature of this compiled data set, persistent circulation patterns could be discerned. Spatial interpolation showed a meandering boundary current west of Svalbard and a more homogeneous AW flow, centered around the 1,000‐m isobath north of Svalbard. In all summers, we observed a northward jet between 79 and 80°N and the 1,000‐ and 500‐m isobaths, before the WSC divided into the three branches. North of Svalbard, the shallow Svalbard Branch reunited with the Yermak Pass Branch between 10 and 15°E and a part of the AW circulated within Hinlopen Trench. The calculated volume transport of 2 Sv in the upper 500 m compares well with model results and previous observations. Our results further show that the Yermak Pass Branch can be as important as the Svalbard Branch in transporting AW across the Yermak Plateau during summer. publishedVersion |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Menze, Sebastian Ingvaldsen, Randi Brunvær Haugan, Peter M. Fer, Ilker Sundfjord, Arild Beszczynska-Moeller, Agnieszka Falk-Petersen, Stig |
spellingShingle |
Menze, Sebastian Ingvaldsen, Randi Brunvær Haugan, Peter M. Fer, Ilker Sundfjord, Arild Beszczynska-Moeller, Agnieszka Falk-Petersen, Stig Atlantic Water Pathways Along the North-Western Svalbard Shelf Mapped Using Vessel-Mounted Current Profilers |
author_facet |
Menze, Sebastian Ingvaldsen, Randi Brunvær Haugan, Peter M. Fer, Ilker Sundfjord, Arild Beszczynska-Moeller, Agnieszka Falk-Petersen, Stig |
author_sort |
Menze, Sebastian |
title |
Atlantic Water Pathways Along the North-Western Svalbard Shelf Mapped Using Vessel-Mounted Current Profilers |
title_short |
Atlantic Water Pathways Along the North-Western Svalbard Shelf Mapped Using Vessel-Mounted Current Profilers |
title_full |
Atlantic Water Pathways Along the North-Western Svalbard Shelf Mapped Using Vessel-Mounted Current Profilers |
title_fullStr |
Atlantic Water Pathways Along the North-Western Svalbard Shelf Mapped Using Vessel-Mounted Current Profilers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Atlantic Water Pathways Along the North-Western Svalbard Shelf Mapped Using Vessel-Mounted Current Profilers |
title_sort |
atlantic water pathways along the north-western svalbard shelf mapped using vessel-mounted current profilers |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2601232 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014299 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(5.000,5.000,81.250,81.250) |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Svalbard Yermak Plateau |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Svalbard Yermak Plateau |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Fram Strait Svalbard Yermak plateau Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Fram Strait Svalbard Yermak plateau Spitsbergen |
op_source |
1699-1716 124 Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics 3 |
op_relation |
Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics. 2019, 124 (3), 1699-1716. urn:issn:2169-9380 http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2601232 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014299 cristin:1703358 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014299 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
124 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
1699 |
op_container_end_page |
1716 |
_version_ |
1766331907826515968 |