Deep-water flow over the Lomonosov Ridge in the Arctic Ocean

• Published in: Journal of Physical Oceanography
• Main Authors: Timmermans, Mary-Louise, Winsor, Peter, Whitehead, John A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Meteorological Society 2005
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Lomonosov Ridge
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4206

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Physical Oceanography 35 (2005): 1489–1493, doi:10.1175/JPO2765.1. The Arctic Ocean likely impacts global climate through its effect on the rate of deep-water formation and the subsequent influence on global thermohaline circulation. Here, the renewal of the deep waters in the isolated Canadian Basin is quanitified. Using hydraulic theory and hydrographic observations, the authors calculate the magnitude of this renewal where circumstances have thus far prevented direct measurements. A volume flow rate of Q = 0.25 ± 0.15 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3s−1) from the Eurasian Basin to the Canadian Basin via a deep gap in the dividing Lomonosov Ridge is estimated. Deep-water renewal time estimates based on this flow are consistent with 14C isolation ages. The flow is sufficiently large that it has a greater impact on the Canadian Basin deep water than either the geothermal heat flux or diffusive fluxes at the deep-water boundaries. Financial support was provided to P. Winsor from NSF OPP- 0352628.