Export of Pacific carbon through the Arctic Archipelago to the North Atlantic

During an east-to-west transect through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) were measured. The watermass composition throughout the Archipelago is determined using TA and the seawater oxygen isotope fractionation (δ18O) data, and the carbon cha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Continental Shelf Research
Main Authors: Shadwick, E. H., Thomas, H., Gratton, Y., Leong, D., Moore, S .A., Papakyriakou, T., Prowe, A.E. Friederike
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2011
Subjects:
Arctic
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Mackenzie River
Pacific
Arctic Archipelago
Mackenzie river
North Atlantic
Sea ice
Online Access:https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/12750/
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/12750/1/Shadwick.pdf
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/12750/2/tables.csv
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2011.01.014
Description
Summary:During an east-to-west transect through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) were measured. The watermass composition throughout the Archipelago is determined using TA and the seawater oxygen isotope fractionation (δ18O) data, and the carbon characteristics of these waters are examined. The influence of the Mackenzie River is primarily limited to the upper water column in the western Archipelago while the fraction of sea-ice melt water in the surface waters increases eastward with maximum values at the outflows of Jones and Lancaster Sounds. The depth of Pacific-origin upper halocline waters increases eastward through the Archipelago. In the western Archipelago, non-conservative variations in deep water DIC are used to compute a subsurface carbon surplus, which appears to be fueled by organic matter produced in the surface layer and by benthic respiration. The eastward transport of carbon from the Pacific, via the Arctic Archipelago, to the North Atlantic is estimated, and the impact of increased export of sea-ice melt water to the North Atlantic is discussed. Research highlights: ► Inorganic carbon data from east–west transect in Arctic Archipelago. ► Water mass composition determined with TA, S and d18O. ► Fraction of sea-ice melt water increases eastward though Archipelago. ► Non-conservative variations in DIC indicate subsurface carbon surplus. ► Eastward transport of carbon from Pacific to Atlantic estimated.

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