Water mass distribution in the northern Bering and southern Chukchi seas using light absorption of chromophoric dissolved organic matter

Abstract

The northern Bering Sea (NBS) and southern Chukchi Sea (SCS) contain several water masses with different characteristics that have been conventionally classified using temperature and salinity data. However, recent warming and sea ice decline can change these water properties, which suggests that classifying water masses using temperature–salinity diagrams could be problematic for this region. We used the light absorption coefficient of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), aCDOM, as an alternative way to classify water masses. The aCDOM spectra of several water depths were measured in the NBS, the Gulf of Anadyr included, and SCS in July 2017 and 2018, and August 2018. Optical parameters that indicate CDOM quantity and quality, aCDOM(350) and spectral slopes (S275–295 and S350–400), were calculated for each sample; water masses were classified using cluster analysis. When surface waters in the NBS and SCS are classified on the basis of the conventional method using a temperature–salinity diagram, they are mistakenly identified as Alaskan Coastal Water because of warmer temperatures. However, our cluster analysis using CDOM parameters evenly classified seven water masses with reasonable distributions. A water mass with the highest aCDOM(350) and lowest S275–295 was found along the coast of the Gulf of Anadyr and Alaska mainland, which suggests that freshwater originates from the Anadyr and Yukon rivers and is transported by the Anadyr Current and Alaskan Coastal Current, respectively. A CDOM-based water mass with high S275–295, indicating CDOM degradation by ultraviolet radiation, was present at the sea surface. A water mass with low S275–295 was found at deeper water depths and river mouths. These results suggest that classification with CDOM parameters is consistent with geographical features. In addition, we recognized a water mass with high nitrate concentrations, which is likely Anadyr Water that originates in the region from the Bering Slope to the Gulf of Anadyr. Overall, this study reveals that water mass classification using CDOM parameters is useful in coastal sea areas in which water mass mixing is complex.