Variability in the hydrography of two proximate Arctic fjords during 2013–18

• Published in: Polar Science
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Svalbard; Fjords; Atlantic water; Glacial melting; Krossfjorden; Kongsfjord*; Kongsfjorden; Krossfjord*; Polar Science; Spitsbergen
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=16894; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00016763/

Svalbard fjords undergo significant oceanographic and environmental changes associated with the ongoing Arctic warming and increased Atlantic water inflows. We used CTD data from 2013 to 2018 combined with numerical model simulations to decipher the hydrography and circulation in the Krossfjorden-Kongsfjorden, two west Svalbard fjords, with a focus on the Krossfjorden. The Atlantic water prominent in the fjords showed strong inter-annual variability. The Atlantic water and summer freshwater volume (FWV) were more in the Kongsfjorden, with the FWV being 1.4–2.0 times more than 0.08–0.71 km3 in the Krossfjorden. The Krossfjorden had a two-layer structure with warm less-saline surface waters above cold high-saline waters in early summer. The fjord transformed to a three-layer system with warm high-saline waters between cold less-saline surface and cold high-saline deep waters in peak summer and fall. The Krossfjorden temperature showed east-west variability, with a warmer eastern side. Numerical simulations show that the warm Atlantic water from the West Spitsbergen current enters the Krossfjorden through its eastern side, supplying heat to the inner fjord. An outflow is also observed along the western Krossfjorden. This study adds to the understanding of the Svalbard fjord processes in recent times.