Changes in Freshwater Distribution and Pathways in the Arctic Ocean Since 2007 in the Mercator Ocean Global Operational System

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
• Main Authors: Bertosio, Cecilia, Provost, Christine, Athanase, Marylou, Sennéchael, Nathalie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2022
• Subjects: Arctic Ocean; Canadian Archipelago; North Pole; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017701

We evaluated 14 years of simulations from a high-resolution ocean model to identify changes in the upper water column of the Arctic Ocean since 2007. Comparisons of simulations with observations highlighted the model's capabilities for reproducing the properties of the Arctic Ocean. We then examined how the freshwaters, which isolate the sea-ice from the heat stored at depth, have seen their distribution and pathways changed over the last 14 years in the model. The freshwater content increased near the North Pole after 2012, while one of the largest reservoirs of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean retreated to the northeast. We also documented changes in the freshwater pathway exiting the Arctic with more freshwater outflow through the western Canadian Archipelago after 2015.