Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations
Siberian river water is a first-order contribution to the Arctic freshwater budget, with the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena supplying nearly half of the total surface freshwater flux. However, few details are known regarding where, when, and how the freshwater transverses the vast Siberian shelf seas. This p...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:511352 2023-05-15T14:27:45+02:00 Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations Janout, Markus A. Aksenov, Yevgeny Hölemann, Jens A. Rabe, Benjamin Schauer, Ursula Polyakov, Igor V. Bacon, Sheldon Coward, Andrew C. Karcher, Michael Lenn, Yueng-Djern Kassens, Heidemarie Timokhov, Leonid 2015-07 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511352/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511352/1/jgrc21287.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010635 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511352/1/jgrc21287.pdf Janout, Markus A.; Aksenov, Yevgeny orcid:0000-0001-6132-3434 Hölemann, Jens A.; Rabe, Benjamin; Schauer, Ursula; Polyakov, Igor V.; Bacon, Sheldon orcid:0000-0002-2471-9373 Coward, Andrew C. orcid:0000-0002-9111-7700 Karcher, Michael; Lenn, Yueng-Djern; Kassens, Heidemarie; Timokhov, Leonid. 2015 Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 120 (7). 4925-4944. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010635 <https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010635> Marine Sciences Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2015 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010635 2023-02-04T19:41:53Z Siberian river water is a first-order contribution to the Arctic freshwater budget, with the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena supplying nearly half of the total surface freshwater flux. However, few details are known regarding where, when, and how the freshwater transverses the vast Siberian shelf seas. This paper investigates the mechanism, variability, and pathways of the fresh Kara Sea outflow through Vilkitsky Strait toward the Laptev Sea. We utilize a high-resolution ocean model and recent shipboard observations to characterize the freshwater-laden Vilkitsky Strait Current (VSC), and shed new light on the little-studied region between the Kara and Laptev Seas, characterized by harsh ice conditions, contrasting water masses, straits, and a large submarine canyon. The VSC is 10–20 km wide, surface intensified, and varies seasonally (maximum from August to March) and interannually. Average freshwater (volume) transport is 500 ± 120 km3 a−1 (0.53 ± 0.08 Sv), with a baroclinic flow contribution of 50–90%. Interannual transport variability is explained by a storage-release mechanism, where blocking-favorable summer winds hamper the outflow and cause accumulation of freshwater in the Kara Sea. The year following a blocking event is characterized by enhanced transports driven by a baroclinic flow along the coast that is set up by increased freshwater volumes. Eventually, the VSC merges with a slope current and provides a major pathway for Eurasian river water toward the western Arctic along the Eurasian continental slope. Kara (and Laptev) Sea freshwater transport is not correlated with the Arctic Oscillation, but rather driven by regional summer pressure patterns. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea laptev Laptev Sea Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Arctic Arctic Ocean Laptev Sea Kara Sea Yenisey ENVELOPE(82.680,82.680,71.828,71.828) Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 120 7 4925 4944 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
topic |
Marine Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Marine Sciences Janout, Markus A. Aksenov, Yevgeny Hölemann, Jens A. Rabe, Benjamin Schauer, Ursula Polyakov, Igor V. Bacon, Sheldon Coward, Andrew C. Karcher, Michael Lenn, Yueng-Djern Kassens, Heidemarie Timokhov, Leonid Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations |
topic_facet |
Marine Sciences |
description |
Siberian river water is a first-order contribution to the Arctic freshwater budget, with the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena supplying nearly half of the total surface freshwater flux. However, few details are known regarding where, when, and how the freshwater transverses the vast Siberian shelf seas. This paper investigates the mechanism, variability, and pathways of the fresh Kara Sea outflow through Vilkitsky Strait toward the Laptev Sea. We utilize a high-resolution ocean model and recent shipboard observations to characterize the freshwater-laden Vilkitsky Strait Current (VSC), and shed new light on the little-studied region between the Kara and Laptev Seas, characterized by harsh ice conditions, contrasting water masses, straits, and a large submarine canyon. The VSC is 10–20 km wide, surface intensified, and varies seasonally (maximum from August to March) and interannually. Average freshwater (volume) transport is 500 ± 120 km3 a−1 (0.53 ± 0.08 Sv), with a baroclinic flow contribution of 50–90%. Interannual transport variability is explained by a storage-release mechanism, where blocking-favorable summer winds hamper the outflow and cause accumulation of freshwater in the Kara Sea. The year following a blocking event is characterized by enhanced transports driven by a baroclinic flow along the coast that is set up by increased freshwater volumes. Eventually, the VSC merges with a slope current and provides a major pathway for Eurasian river water toward the western Arctic along the Eurasian continental slope. Kara (and Laptev) Sea freshwater transport is not correlated with the Arctic Oscillation, but rather driven by regional summer pressure patterns. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Janout, Markus A. Aksenov, Yevgeny Hölemann, Jens A. Rabe, Benjamin Schauer, Ursula Polyakov, Igor V. Bacon, Sheldon Coward, Andrew C. Karcher, Michael Lenn, Yueng-Djern Kassens, Heidemarie Timokhov, Leonid |
author_facet |
Janout, Markus A. Aksenov, Yevgeny Hölemann, Jens A. Rabe, Benjamin Schauer, Ursula Polyakov, Igor V. Bacon, Sheldon Coward, Andrew C. Karcher, Michael Lenn, Yueng-Djern Kassens, Heidemarie Timokhov, Leonid |
author_sort |
Janout, Markus A. |
title |
Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations |
title_short |
Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations |
title_full |
Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations |
title_fullStr |
Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations |
title_full_unstemmed |
Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations |
title_sort |
kara sea freshwater transport through vilkitsky strait: variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western arctic ocean from a model and observations |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511352/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511352/1/jgrc21287.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010635 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(82.680,82.680,71.828,71.828) |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Laptev Sea Kara Sea Yenisey |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Laptev Sea Kara Sea Yenisey |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea laptev Laptev Sea |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea laptev Laptev Sea |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511352/1/jgrc21287.pdf Janout, Markus A.; Aksenov, Yevgeny orcid:0000-0001-6132-3434 Hölemann, Jens A.; Rabe, Benjamin; Schauer, Ursula; Polyakov, Igor V.; Bacon, Sheldon orcid:0000-0002-2471-9373 Coward, Andrew C. orcid:0000-0002-9111-7700 Karcher, Michael; Lenn, Yueng-Djern; Kassens, Heidemarie; Timokhov, Leonid. 2015 Kara Sea freshwater transport through Vilkitsky Strait: Variability, forcing, and further pathways toward the western Arctic Ocean from a model and observations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 120 (7). 4925-4944. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010635 <https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010635> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010635 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
120 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
4925 |
op_container_end_page |
4944 |
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1766301641880895488 |