Abstract
Abstract. In April 2015, an ice-tethered conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) profiler and a down-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) were deployed from the landfast ice near the tidewater glacier terminus of the Flade Isblink Glacier in the Wandel Sea, NE Greenland. The 3-week time series showed that water dynamics and the thermohaline structure were modified considerably during a storm event on 22–24 April, when northerly winds exceeded 15 m s−1. The storm initiated downwelling-like water dynamics characterized by on-shore water transport in the surface (0–40 m) layer and compensating offshore flow at intermediate depths. After the storm, currents reversed in both layers, and the relaxation phase of downwelling lasted ∼ 4 days. Although current velocities did not exceed 5 cm s−1, the enhanced circulation during the storm caused cold turbid intrusions at 75–95 m depth, which are likely attributable to subglacial water from the Flade Isblink Ice Cap. It was also found that the semidiurnal periodicities in the temperature and salinity time series were associated with the lunar semidiurnal tidal flow. The vertical structure of tidal currents corresponded to the first baroclinic mode of the internal tide with a velocity minimum at ∼ 40 m. The tidal ellipses rotate in opposite directions above and below this depth and cause a divergence of tidal flow, which was observed to induce semidiurnal internal waves of about 3 m height at the front of the glacier terminus. Our findings provide evidence that shelf–basin interaction and tidal forcing can potentially modify coastal Wandel Sea waters even though they are isolated from the atmosphere by landfast sea ice almost year-round. The northerly storms over the continental slope cause an enhanced circulation facilitating a release of cold and turbid subglacial water to the shelf. The tidal flow may contribute to the removal of such water from the glacial terminus.
Highlights
The Arctic region has recently experienced a rapid rise of atmospheric temperature, a steep decrease in sea ice cover, and an accelerated loss of glacial ice in Greenland
Our findings provide evidence that shelf–basin interaction and tidal forcing can potentially modify coastal Wandel Sea waters even though they are isolated from the atmosphere by landfast sea ice almost year-round
We use the spatial conductivity– temperature–depth (CTD) data in order to relate the T /S changes observed with the ice-tethered profiler (ITP) to those measured in the vicinity of the Flade Isblink Ice Cap (FIIC) glacier outlet
Summary
The Arctic region has recently experienced a rapid rise of atmospheric temperature, a steep decrease in sea ice cover, and an accelerated loss of glacial ice in Greenland. Kirillov et al.: Storm-induced water dynamics and thermohaline structure ter at the surface (Straneo et al, 2011; Wilson and Straneo, 2015) Such an interaction is typical for the tidewater outlet glaciers located in relatively deep fjords surrounding the coast of Greenland (Straneo et al, 2010), while the shelf– basin glacial meltwater exchange over the wide open shelves is determined by the local coastal circulation, which is often poorly known due to the lack of observational data in these remote regions.
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