HR: 14:25h
AN: U33B-04    [Abstracts]
TI: On the Relative Importance of Freshwater Fluxes and Variability From the Arctic Ocean into the North Atlantic
AU: * Maslowski, W
EM: maslowsk@nps.edu
AF: Naval Postgraduate School, Department of Oceanography 833 Dyer Road, Monterey, CA 93943, United States
AU: Clement Kinney, J L
EM: jlclemen@nps.edy
AF: Naval Postgraduate School, Department of Oceanography 833 Dyer Road, Monterey, CA 93943, United States
AU: Jakacki, J
EM: jjakacki@iopan.gda.pl
AF: Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences 55 Powstancow Warszawy, Sopot, 81-712, Poland
AB: We use a high resolution coupled ice-ocean model of the Pan-Arctic region forced with realistic atmospheric data to investigate the variability of freshwater content within the Arctic Ocean as well as sea ice and liquid freshwater fluxes into the North Atlantic during 1979-2004. Modeled fluxes are validated against recently published estimates. Results are analyzed to compare the relative contribution of the total combined liquid and solid freshwater flux through the two main pathways: Fram-Denmark Strait (FDS) and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago- Davis-Hudson Strait (CAADHS). Our results suggest the relative importance of the freshwater flux through CAADHS into the Labrador Sea. This implies the need for ocean models to adequately represent mass and property fluxes through the narrow and shallow passages of the Canadian Archipelago and Davis and Hudson Straits. We argue that this requirement must be satisfied to advance studies of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) and especially its variability. Given the recent record sea ice melt in the Arctic Ocean, it is critical that global ocean and climate models improve their skill in simulating and predicting effects of changing exports from the Arctic Ocean into the North Atlantic.
DE: 1635 Oceans (1616, 3305, 4215, 4513)
DE: 4207 Arctic and Antarctic oceanography (9310, 9315)
DE: 4215 Climate and interannual variability (1616, 1635, 3305, 3309, 4513)
DE: 4513 Decadal ocean variability (1616, 1635, 3305, 4215)
DE: 4532 General circulation (1218, 1222)
SC: Union [U]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting