Abstract
AbstractA coupled ice-ocean model is used to study the sensitivity of the Beaufort Sea climatology to representation of sub-grid-scale eddies; to hypothetically not present and double Mackenzie River discharge; and to approximate climate warming specified through a surface air-temperature increase of 3° C. The eddy effect is considered in two ways: as eddy interaction with sea-floor topography yielding a driving force ("neptune" parameterization) and as eddy diffusion and viscosity. The model with neptune parameterization reproduces surface layer circulation, as well as the bathymetrically steered Beaufort Undercurrent, while the model with usual damping does not simulate the Beaufort Undercurrent. The absence of the strong boundary Beaufort Undercurrent affects the thermohaline structure of the Beaufort Sea which becomes less consistent with observational data. The increase of the Mackenzie River discharge causes more northward transport of sea ice, resulting in sea-ice thinning in Mackenzie Bay, while the absence of the Mackenzie River discharge induces southward sea-ice drift and sea-ice thickening in Mackenzie Bay. The sensitivity study of surface air-temperature warming shows a shrinkage of sea ice by 6% in area and 15% in volume, causing the freshening and warming of the surface ocean layer. The sensitivity studies of river discharge and surface air temperature use the neptune parameterization.
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