Polar outflow from the Arctic Ocean: A high resolution model study

Abstract

Arctic fresh water plays a large role in both the global ocean circulation and the hydrological cycle. To identify sources and pathways of the Arctic outflow into the North Atlantic, results of a high resolution global model and observations have been examined. It is shown that continental runoff and snowmelt are the dominant sources of Arctic fresh water. The simulations demonstrated that the oceanic transports account for the majority of the fresh water export from the Arctic into the North Atlantic. The oceanic outflow from the Arctic is split between the western route through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the eastern route through the Nordic Seas. Two thirds of total oceanic fresh water comes via the western route. Arctic halocline waters are present on both the western and eastern routes with the western route providing most of the Arctic upper halocline water. Sea ice export contributes more than half the total freshwater flux east of Greenland and less than one fifth of the freshwater flux west of it. Pacific water constitutes about third of the outflow of the Arctic upper halocline water into the North Atlantic.