Circulation of winter water on the Chukchi shelf in early Summer

Abstract

Using a variety of data sources we investigate the properties and pathways of Pacific-origin winter water as it spreads across the eastern Chukchi shelf in early summer. The focus is on the time period June–July 2011 during which an extensive shipboard hydrographic/velocity survey was undertaken as part of the Impacts of Climate on Ecosystem and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment (ICESCAPE) program. A revised circulation scheme is constructed revealing that the transport pathways on the Chukchi shelf are more complex than previously thought. Notably, the well known branch progressing northward from the Central Channel bifurcates as it reaches Hanna Shoal, flowing around both sides of the shoal and dividing into smaller filaments that continue towards Barrow Canyon. Mass is conserved in the circulation scheme, with approximately 1 Sverdrup flowing poleward across the Chukchi shelf within these pathways, then exiting Barrow Canyon. The salinity of the winter water varied on the shelf in 2011, with saltier water found in the upstream portion of what is defined as the central pathway. Using sea ice concentration data and atmospheric reanalysis fields, we argue that salinization of the winter water in the central pathway occurred via brine rejection as the parcels progressed north and passed through the Cape Lisburne polynya. This demonstrates that winter water pervading the interior shelf can be transformed by convective overturning north of Bering Strait, presumably stirring up nutrients from the sediments and thereby influencing primary productivity in the region of Hanna Shoal.