The sources and fate of freshwater exported in the East Greenland Current

Monitoring the sources and fate of freshwater in the East Greenland Current (EGC) is important, as this water has the potential to suppress deep convection in the Nordic and Labrador Seas if the outflow of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean increases in response to climate change. Here, hydrographic,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Dodd, P.A., Heywood, K.J., Meredith, M.P., Naveira Garabato, A.C., Marca, A.D., Falkner, K.K.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Geophysical Union 2009
Subjects:
Marine Sciences
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Greenland
Climate change
Denmark Strait
East Greenland
east greenland current
Fram Strait
Nordic Seas
Sea ice
Online Access:http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/8368/
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/8368/1/grl26285.pdf
Description
Summary:Monitoring the sources and fate of freshwater in the East Greenland Current (EGC) is important, as this water has the potential to suppress deep convection in the Nordic and Labrador Seas if the outflow of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean increases in response to climate change. Here, hydrographic, oxygen isotope ratio and dissolved barium concentration sections across Denmark Strait collected in 1998 and 1999 are used to determine the freshwater composition of the EGC at these times. Comparison of meltwater fluxes at Denmark Strait and Fram Strait indicates a net melting of sea ice into the EGC between these two locations, with a significant proportion of sea ice drifting into the Nordic Seas or on to the East Greenland Shelf. We conclude that the phase of freshwater exiting the Arctic Ocean through Fram Strait is important in determining its possible impact on deep water formation in the Nordic and Labrador Seas.

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