Ocean Heat Transport Into the Barents Sea: Distinct Controls on the Upward Trend and Interannual Variability
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Ocean heat transport through the Barents Sea Opening (BSO) has strong impacts on the Barents Sea ice extent and the climate. In this paper we quantified the contributions from different atmospheric forcing components to the trend and interannual variability of the BSO heat transport. Ocean‐ice model simulations were conducted in which the interannual variation of atmospheric forcing was maintained only in or outside the Arctic in two different simulations. The sum of their BSO heat transport anomalies reasonably replicated the trend and variability from a hindcast simulation. The upward trend of the BSO heat transport mainly stems from the increasing ocean temperature in the subpolar North Atlantic. For the interannual variability, the local wind and upstream forcing are similarly important. The location of the Atlantic Water boundary current in the Nordic Seas, influenced by the cyclonic atmospheric circulation, is crucial in determining part of the BSO inflow variability.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2019gl083837
Institutions: Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Hohai University, Constructor University, University of Bremen, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology. PP Shirshov Russian Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, First Institute of Oceanography
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
OpenAlex ID: W2972124243