Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas

The locations, times, and mechanisms by which heat and salt are transported through and within the Nordic Seas are discussed. The analysis is based on a regional, high resolution coupled sea ice-ocean numerical model, a climatological hydrographic data set, and atmospheric reanalysis. The model and...

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Published in:Progress in Oceanography
Main Authors: Spall, Michael A., Almansi, Mattia, Huang, Jie, Haine, Thomas W.N., Pickart, Robert S.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531093/
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531093/1/Spall_etal_PO_2021.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609
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author Spall, Michael A.
Almansi, Mattia
Huang, Jie
Haine, Thomas W.N.
Pickart, Robert S.
author_facet Spall, Michael A.
Almansi, Mattia
Huang, Jie
Haine, Thomas W.N.
Pickart, Robert S.
author_sort Spall, Michael A.
collection Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive
container_start_page 102609
container_title Progress in Oceanography
container_volume 196
description The locations, times, and mechanisms by which heat and salt are transported through and within the Nordic Seas are discussed. The analysis is based on a regional, high resolution coupled sea ice-ocean numerical model, a climatological hydrographic data set, and atmospheric reanalysis. The model and climatology are broadly consistent in terms of heat loss, water masses, and mean geostrophic currents. The model fields are used to demonstrate that the dominant exchange between basins is an export of warm, salty water from the Norwegian Sea into the Greenland and Iceland Seas, with both the mean cyclonic boundary current system and eddy fluxes playing important roles. In both the model and the climatology, approximately 2/3 of the heat loss to the atmosphere over the Nordic Seas is found over the mean cyclonic flow and 1/3 takes place within the closed recirculations in the interior of each of the basin gyres, with the Norwegian Sea having the largest heat loss. The seasonal cycle is dominated by local air-sea heat flux within the gyres while it is dominated by lateral advection in the cyclonic boundary current, particularly in the northern Norwegian and Greenland Seas. The freshwater flux off the east Greenland shelf is correlated with the local winds such that in winter, when winds are generally towards the southwest, freshwater is advected onto the shelf and in summer, when winds are weak or towards the northeast, freshwater is advected into the Greenland Sea, which leads to salinification in winter and freshening in summer.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
genre East Greenland
Greenland
Greenland Sea
Iceland
Nordic Seas
Norwegian Sea
Sea ice
genre_facet East Greenland
Greenland
Greenland Sea
Iceland
Nordic Seas
Norwegian Sea
Sea ice
geographic Greenland
Norwegian Sea
geographic_facet Greenland
Norwegian Sea
id ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:531093
institution Open Polar
language English
op_collection_id ftnerc
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609
op_relation https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531093/1/Spall_etal_PO_2021.pdf
Spall, Michael A.; Almansi, Mattia orcid:0000-0001-6849-3647
Huang, Jie; Haine, Thomas W.N.; Pickart, Robert S. 2021 Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas. Progress in Oceanography, 196, 102609. 10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609>
publishDate 2021
record_format openpolar
spelling ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:531093 2025-04-20T14:36:17+00:00 Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas Spall, Michael A. Almansi, Mattia Huang, Jie Haine, Thomas W.N. Pickart, Robert S. 2021-05-29 text https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531093/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531093/1/Spall_etal_PO_2021.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531093/1/Spall_etal_PO_2021.pdf Spall, Michael A.; Almansi, Mattia orcid:0000-0001-6849-3647 Huang, Jie; Haine, Thomas W.N.; Pickart, Robert S. 2021 Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas. Progress in Oceanography, 196, 102609. 10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609> Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2021 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609 2025-04-09T03:58:26Z The locations, times, and mechanisms by which heat and salt are transported through and within the Nordic Seas are discussed. The analysis is based on a regional, high resolution coupled sea ice-ocean numerical model, a climatological hydrographic data set, and atmospheric reanalysis. The model and climatology are broadly consistent in terms of heat loss, water masses, and mean geostrophic currents. The model fields are used to demonstrate that the dominant exchange between basins is an export of warm, salty water from the Norwegian Sea into the Greenland and Iceland Seas, with both the mean cyclonic boundary current system and eddy fluxes playing important roles. In both the model and the climatology, approximately 2/3 of the heat loss to the atmosphere over the Nordic Seas is found over the mean cyclonic flow and 1/3 takes place within the closed recirculations in the interior of each of the basin gyres, with the Norwegian Sea having the largest heat loss. The seasonal cycle is dominated by local air-sea heat flux within the gyres while it is dominated by lateral advection in the cyclonic boundary current, particularly in the northern Norwegian and Greenland Seas. The freshwater flux off the east Greenland shelf is correlated with the local winds such that in winter, when winds are generally towards the southwest, freshwater is advected onto the shelf and in summer, when winds are weak or towards the northeast, freshwater is advected into the Greenland Sea, which leads to salinification in winter and freshening in summer. Article in Journal/Newspaper East Greenland Greenland Greenland Sea Iceland Nordic Seas Norwegian Sea Sea ice Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Greenland Norwegian Sea Progress in Oceanography 196 102609
spellingShingle Spall, Michael A.
Almansi, Mattia
Huang, Jie
Haine, Thomas W.N.
Pickart, Robert S.
Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas
title Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas
title_full Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas
title_fullStr Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas
title_full_unstemmed Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas
title_short Lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the Nordic Seas
title_sort lateral redistribution of heat and salt in the nordic seas
url https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531093/
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531093/1/Spall_etal_PO_2021.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102609