Beaufort Shelfbreak Research Articles

Alexandrium on the Alaskan Beaufort Sea shelf: Impact of upwelling in a warming Arctic

The harmful algal genus Alexandrium has characteristically been found in temperate and subtropical regions; however recent evidence suggests global warming may be expanding its range into high latitude waters. Alexandrium cysts have previously been documented in the Chukchi Sea and we hypothesize that Alexandrium may be expanding further into the Arctic due to distribution by the Beaufort shelfbreak jet. Here we document the presence of Alexandrium catenella along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea shelf, marking an expansion of its known range. The observations of A. catenella were made using three different methods: FlowCAM imaging, 18S eukaryotic sequencing, and real-time quantitative PCR. Four occupations of a shelf/slope transect spanned the evolution of a strong wind-driven upwelling event over a 5-day period. A nearby mooring provided the physical context for the event, revealing that enhanced easterly winds reversed the Beaufort shelfbreak jet to the west and induced upwelling of colder, denser water onto the outer shelf. A. catenella sequences dominated the surface phytoplankton community at the onset of the upwelling event. This signal vanished during and after the event, likely due to a combination of alongstream advection, cross-stream advection, and wind mixing. These results suggest contrasting physical processes that are both subject to global warming amplification, delivery of warm waters via the Beaufort shelfbreak jet and upwelling, may control the proliferation of this potential harmful alga into the Arctic.

Coastal upwelling enhances abundance of a symbiotic diazotroph (UCYN-A) and its haptophyte host in the Arctic Ocean

The apparently obligate symbiosis between the diazotroph Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa (UCYN-A) and its haptophyte host, Braarudosphaera bigelowii, has recently been found to fix dinitrogen (N2) in polar waters at rates (per cell) comparable to those observed in the tropical/subtropical oligotrophic ocean basins. This study presents the novel observation that this symbiosis increased in abundance during a wind-driven upwelling event along the Alaskan Beaufort shelfbreak. As upwelling relaxed, the relative abundance of B. bigelowii among eukaryotic phytoplankton increased most significantly in waters over the upper slope. As the host’s nitrogen demands are believed to be supplied primarily by UCYN-A, this response suggests that upwelling may enhance N2 fixation as displaced coastal waters are advected offshore, potentially extending the duration of upwelling-induced phytoplankton blooms. Given that such events are projected to increase in intensity and number with ocean warming, upwelling-driven N2 fixation as a feedback on climate merits investigation.

Bowhead and beluga whale acoustic detections in the western Beaufort Sea 2008-2018.

The Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) was established to detect environmental changes in the Pacific Arctic by regular monitoring of biophysical responses in each of 8 DBO regions. Here we examine the occurrence of bowhead and beluga whale vocalizations in the western Beaufort Sea acquired by acoustic instruments deployed from September 2008-July 2014 and September 2016-October 2018 to examine inter-annual variability of these Arctic endemic species in DBO Region 6. Acoustic data were collected on an oceanographic mooring deployed in the Beaufort shelfbreak jet at ~71.4°N, 152.0°W. Spectrograms of acoustic data files were visually examined for the presence or absence of known signals of bowhead and beluga whales. Weekly averages of whale occurrence were compared with outputs of zooplankton, temperature and sea ice from the BIOMAS model to determine if any of these variables influenced whale occurrence. In addition, the dates of acoustic whale passage in the spring and fall were compared to annual sea ice melt-out and freeze-up dates to examine changes in phenology. Neither bowhead nor beluga whale migration times changed significantly in spring, but bowhead whales migrated significantly later in fall from 2008–2018. There were no clear relationships between bowhead whales and the environmental variables, suggesting that the DBO 6 region is a migratory corridor, but not a feeding hotspot, for this species. Surprisingly, beluga whale acoustic presence was related to zooplankton biomass near the mooring, but this is unlikely to be a direct relationship: there are likely interactions of environmental drivers that result in higher occurrence of both modeled zooplankton and belugas in the DBO 6 region. The environmental triggers that drive the migratory phenology of the two Arctic endemic cetacean species likely extend from Bering Sea transport of heat, nutrients and plankton through the Chukchi and into the Beaufort Sea.

Formation and transport of corrosive water in the Pacific Arctic region

Ocean acidification (OA), driven by rising anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2), is rapidly advancing in the Pacific Arctic Region (PAR), producing conditions newly corrosive to biologically important carbonate minerals like aragonite. Naturally short linkages across the PAR food web mean that species-specific acidification stress can be rapidly transmitted across multiple trophic levels, resulting in widespread impacts. Therefore, it is critical to understand the formation, transport, and persistence of acidified conditions in the PAR in order to better understand and project potential impacts to this delicately balanced ecosystem. Here, we synthesize data from process studies across the PAR to show the formation of corrosive conditions in colder, denser winter-modified Pacific waters over shallow shelves, resulting from the combination of seasonal terrestrial and marine organic matter respiration with anthropogenic CO2. When these waters are subsequently transported off the shelf, they acidify the Pacific halocline. We estimate that Barrow Canyon outflow delivers ~2.24 Tg C yr-1 to the Arctic Ocean through corrosive winter water transport. This synthesis also allows the combination of spatial data with temporal data to show the persistence of these conditions in halocline waters. For example, one study in this synthesis indicated that 0.5–1.7 Tg C yr-1 may be returned to the atmosphere via air-sea gas exchange of CO2 during upwelling events along the Beaufort Sea shelf that bring Pacific halocline waters to the ocean surface. The loss of CO2 during these events is more than sufficient to eliminate corrosive conditions in the upwelled Pacific halocline waters. However, corresponding moored and discrete data records indicate that potentially corrosive Pacific waters are present in the Beaufort shelfbreak jet during 80% of the year, indicating that the persistence of acidified waters in the Pacific halocline far outweighs any seasonal mitigation from upwelling. Across the datasets in this large-scale synthesis, we estimate that the persistent corrosivity of the Pacific halocline is a recent phenomenon that appeared between 1975 and 1985. Over that short time, these potentially corrosive waters originating over the continental shelves have been observed as far as the entrances to Amundsen Gulf and M’Clure Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The formation and transport of corrosive waters on the Pacific Arctic shelves may have widespread impact on the Arctic biogeochemical system and food web reaching all the way to the North Atlantic.

Seasonal variation of the Beaufort shelfbreak jet and its relationship to Arctic cetacean occurrence

Using mooring time series from September 2008 to August 2012, together with ancillary atmospheric and satellite data sets, we quantify the seasonal variations of the shelfbreak jet in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea and explore connections to the occurrences of bowhead and beluga whales. Wind patterns during the 4 year study period are different from the long-term climatological conditions that the springtime peak in easterly winds shifted from May to June and the autumn peak was limited to October instead of extending farther into the fall. These changes were primarily due to the behavior of the two regional atmospheric centers of action, the Aleutian Low and Beaufort High. The volume transport of the shelfbreak jet, which peaks in the summer, was decomposed into a background (weak wind) component and a wind-driven component. The wind-driven component is correlated to the Pt. Barrow, AK alongcoast wind speed record although a more accurate prediction is obtained when considering the ice thickness at the mooring site. An upwelling index reveals that wind-driven upwelling is enhanced in June and October when storms are stronger and longer-lasting. The seasonal variation of Arctic cetacean occurrence is dominated by the eastward migration in spring, dictated by pack-ice patterns, and westward migration in fall, coincident with the autumn peak in shelfbreak upwelling intensity.

Early summer water mass transformation in the eastern Chukchi Sea

Pacific water entering the Chukchi Sea through Bering Strait can be modified by physical processes such as surface heating and cooling, and internal mixing. Here we document the existence of a previously unobserved water mass in the eastern Chukchi Sea during the early-summer using hydrographic and velocity data from the June–July 2010 ICESCAPE survey. The water mass in question is as salty as Pacific Winter Water (PWW), but is much warmer with temperatures typical of summer waters. We label the water mass Dense Chukchi Summer Water (dCSW) which is dense enough to ventilate the upper halocline of the western Arctic Ocean, normally ventilated by the much colder PWW. Satellite sea surface temperature data, long-term mooring data from Bering Strait and the Beaufort Shelfbreak, and atmospheric reanalysis fields are used to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of the dCSW and explore potential forcing scenarios that can lead to its formation. In 2010 the dCSW did not enter the Chukchi Sea through Bering Strait, hence it had to be formed locally on the shelf. Two distinct forcing mechanisms are considered: (1) mixing of very warm Alaskan Coastal Water with the cold PWW when the two water masses come in contact in the energetic Alaskan Coastal Current; and (2) warming of PWW when it experiences solar heating within the coastal polynya in the northeastern Chukchi Sea during the spring melt season. Finally, we explore the conditions under which the springtime polynya has formed over the past three decades as it relates to the formation of dCSW.

Dive Behavior of Eastern Chukchi Beluga Whales (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>), 1998–2008

We provide an exploratory description of the dive behavior of 23 beluga whales of the eastern Chukchi Sea stock, tagged with satellite-linked time and depth recorders at Point Lay, Alaska, between 1998 and 2007. Because of differences in how transmitters were parameterized, we analyzed data from tags deployed from 1998 to 2002 (n = 20 tags) and data from tags deployed in 2007 (n = 3 tags) separately. Using cluster analysis, we found three basic dive types in the 1998–2002 dataset. “Shallow” diving behavior was characterized by dives mostly 50 m in depth. “Intermediate” diving behavior was characterized by having one mode near the surface and a second mode near 250 m. “Deep” diving behavior was characterized by having one mode near the surface and a second mode more than 400 m from the surface. The average number of dives per hour ranged from 5.1 (SD = 2.1) to 9.8 (SD = 2.9) across dive types, with the fewest dives per hour in the deep diving category. In general, duration of dives ranged from 1 to 18 minutes; however, dives up to 21 minutes occurred in the deepest diving category. We found little evidence that dive behavior of the belugas in our sample varied by sex or age. In general, belugas dove more deeply in the eastern Beaufort Sea than in the western Beaufort or Chukchi Seas. The depths to which belugas most commonly dive in Barrow Canyon and along the Beaufort shelf break (200–300 m) correspond to the boundary where colder Pacific water overlies warmer Atlantic water, which is probably where Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) are most dense. Diving depths within the Arctic Basin suggest that belugas are foraging mostly within the warm layer of Atlantic Water (~200–1000 m).

Dynamics of upwelling in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea and associated shelf–basin fluxes

Data from a high-resolution mooring array deployed across the Alaskan Beaufort shelfbreak and slope, together with an idealized numerical model, are used to investigate the dynamics of wind-driven upwelling and the magnitude of the resulting shelf–basin exchange. The analysis focuses on a single storm event in November 2002 when the sea-ice concentration was 50–70%. The normally eastward-flowing shelfbreak jet was reversed to the west, and the secondary circulation near the shelfbreak was characterized by offshore flow in the upper layer and a nearly equal amount of onshore flow at depth. Ekman theory accurately predicts the strength of the secondary circulation when one takes into account the ice–ocean stress. The depth-integrated alongstream momentum balance reveals that, near the shelf edge, the reversed jet is driven by a combination of the surface stress and divergence of cross-stream momentum flux. The reversed jet is primarily spun-down – before the winds subside – by the alongstream pressure gradient that likely results from the variation in sea surface height. The shelf–basin fluxes of heat, freshwater, and nitrate resulting from the storm are substantial. Much of the yearly supply of heat to the Beaufort shelf from the inflowing Pacific water through Bering Strait was fluxed offshore, and the amount of freshwater transported into the basin represents a substantial fraction of the year-to-year variation in the freshwater inventory of the Beaufort Gyre. The on-shelf flux of nitrate from 4 to 5 such storms could account for most of the net annual primary production that occurs on the Beaufort shelf.

Western Arctic primary productivity regulated by shelf-break warm eddies

The response of phytoplankton to the Beaufort shelf-break eddies in the western Arctic Ocean is examined using the eddy-resolving coupled sea ice–ocean model including a lower-trophic marine ecosystem formulation. The regional model driven by the reanalysis 2003 atmospheric forcing from March to November captures the major spatial and temporal features of phytoplankton bloom following summertime sea ice retreat in the shallow Chukchi shelf and Barrow Canyon. The shelf-break warm eddies spawned north of the Barrow Canyon initially transport the Chukchi shelf water with high primary productivity toward the Canada Basin interior. In the eddy-developing period, the anti-cyclonic rotational flow along the outer edge of each eddy moving offshore occasionally traps the shelf water. The primary production inside the warm eddies is maintained by internal dynamics in the eddy-maturity period. In particular, the surface central area of an anti-cyclonic eddy acquires adequate light, nutrient, and warm environment for photosynthetic activity partly attributed to turbulent mixing with underlying nutrient-rich water. The simulated biogeochemical properties with the dominance of small-size phytoplankton inside the warm eddies are consistent with the observational findings in the western Arctic Ocean. It is also suggested that the light limitation before autumn sea ice freezing shuts down the primary production in the shelf-break eddies in spite of nutrient recovery. These results indicate that the time lag between the phytoplankton bloom in the shelf region following the summertime sea ice retreat and the eddy generation along the Beaufort shelf break is an important index to determine biological regimes in the Canada Basin.

Beaufort shelf break eddies and shelf-basin exchange of Pacific summer water in the western Arctic Ocean detected by satellite and modeling analyses

[1] Mesoscale eddies and shelf-basin exchange of Pacific summer water in the western Arctic Ocean are examined using satellite data sets and an eddy-resolving coupled sea ice–ocean model. Several surface eddy-like features along the Beaufort shelf break are detected by the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sea surface temperature and the Global Imager (GLI) radiance image. The QuikSCAT sea wind vectors indicate that summertime shelf-wide wind is an important factor for interannual variations in the eddy properties. A realistic numerical experiment reveals that the origin of shelf break warm eddies and timing of their generation can be classified into three types. Type I eddies are frequently produced in the vicinity of the Barrow Canyon throughout the summer season by a combination of outflow of Pacific summer water with a low potential vorticity from the Barrow Canyon and lateral velocity shear of the canyon jet. Surface wind variability modulates the timing of generation. Type II and Type III eddies originate from an eastward current along the Beaufort shelf break, although origin depth and background hydrographic structure differ between them. Type II eddies are spawned from the shelf slope at middepth during early summer. Type III eddies are generated from the surface isopycnal front over the shelf break during late summer. The shift from Type II eddies to Type III eddies is caused by surface buoyancy input in the upstream region. A sensitivity experiment using different atmospheric forcing data suggest that the mechanism controlling Pacific water transport from the Chukchi shelf to the Canada Basin differs depending on surface wind fields in the shelf region. The mesoscale eddies primarily induce the shelf-to-basin transport under weak or westerly wind conditions during summer, while wind-driven Ekman transport is a major driver in the easterly wind regime. Year 2003 (2007) corresponds to the former (latter) case.

Upwelling in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea: Atmospheric forcing and local versus non-local response

The spin up and relaxation of an autumn upwelling event on the Beaufort slope is investigated using a combination of oceanic and atmospheric data and numerical models. The event occurred in November 2002 and was driven by an Aleutian low storm. The wind field was strongly influenced by the pack-ice distribution, resulting in enhanced winds over the open water of the Chukchi Sea. Flow distortion due to the Brooks mountain range was also evident. Mooring observations east of Barrow Canyon show that the Beaufort shelfbreak jet reversed to the west under strong easterly winds, followed by upwelling of Atlantic Water onto the shelf. After the winds subsided a deep eastward jet of Atlantic Water developed, centered at 250 m depth. An idealized numerical model reproduces these results and suggests that the oceanic response to the local winds is modulated by a propagating signal from the western edge of the storm. The disparity in wave speeds between the sea surface height signal—traveling at the fast barotropic shelf wave speed—versus the interior density signal—traveling at the slow baroclinic wave speed—leads to the deep eastward jet. The broad-scale response to the storm over the Chukchi Sea is investigated using a regional numerical model. The strong gradient in windspeed at the ice edge results in convergence of the offshore Ekman transport, leading to the establishment of an anti-cyclonic gyre in the northern Chukchi Sea. Accordingly, the Chukchi shelfbreak jet accelerates to the east into the wind during the storm, and no upwelling occurs west of Barrow Canyon. Hence the storm response is fundamentally different on the Beaufort slope (upwelling) versus the Chukchi slope (no upwelling). The regional numerical model results are supported by additional mooring data in the Chukchi Sea.

Mesoscale Distribution of Springtime Waters and Nutrients near the Continental Shelf Break, Beaufort Sea, Alaska~!2010-05-13~!2010-06-25~!2010-09-08~!

Forty two sites on the Alaskan Beaufort Sea shelf break were sampled by helicopter in April 2003 for hydrographic parameters and nutrients. Mesoscale maps delineated two eddies and the Beaufort shelf break current. Higher-salinity nutrient-rich waters upwelled onto the shelf, and the depth of the main pycnocline shoaled to <22 m. A plume of 31.40-31.80 salinity water at 10 m was flowing off the shelf, and maps of Brunt Vaisala frequencies and Richardson numbers showed that its presence weakened the pycnocline stability. The high shelf-break nutrient concentrations could support a spring-bloom productivity of 23 g-C m -2 y -1 , which, when added to previous summertime productivity measurements, demonstrated significant production along the Beaufort Sea shelf break.

Pacific Water Transport in the Western Arctic Ocean Simulated by an Eddy-Resolving Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean Model

Abstract The process of the Pacific water transport in the Chukchi Sea and the southern Canada Basin is investigated by using an eddy-resolving coupled sea ice–ocean model. The simulation result demonstrates that the Pacific water flows into the basin by mesoscale baroclinic eddies, which are generated and developed as a result of the instability of a narrow and intense jet through the Barrow Canyon. Each eddy has a baroclinic anticyclonic structure, and its horizontal and vertical scales grow up by being merged with other ones during August and September, they separate into anticyclones whose diameters are about 50 km in October, and then they gradually shrink in early winter. The Pacific water transport across the Beaufort shelf break reaches maximum (about 0.3 Sv, where 1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) during late summer and early autumn when the eddy activities are enhanced. The sensitivity experiments indicate that the shelf-to-basin transport differs depending on the sea ice condition in the Chukchi Sea during summer. The difference is found to be associated with the jet strength, which is closely related to the location of the sea ice margin. When the sea ice margin is located in the Canada Basin, the jet is stronger, and mesoscale eddy activities and corresponding inflow of the Pacific water into the basin are enhanced. When sea ice remains in the shelf even in late summer, sea ice ocean stress plays a great role in braking the jet and the consequent suppression of the shelf-to-basin transport. The freshwater and heat transports into the basin associated with the Pacific water inflow depend on not only the volume flux but also on surface buoyancy flux in the shelf, which varies according to sea ice condition. The freshwater transport referenced to 34.8 psu is 259 km3 yr−1 in the medium sea ice extent case. Although the Pacific water becomes freshened as a result of its mixing with sea ice meltwater in the large extent case, the freshwater transport is still less than in the other cases. The heat transport is promoted by preferable absorption of solar heat in addition to energetic eddy-induced transport in the small extent case. The heat amount provided into the basin is equivalent to the reduction of sea ice thickness by about 1 m yr−1 north of the Chukchi and Beaufort shelf breaks.

Intrusion of warm Bering/Chukchi waters onto the shelf in the western Beaufort Sea

Wind‐driven changes in the path of warm Bering/Chukchi waters carried by the Alaska Coastal Current (ACC) through Barrow Canyon during late summer are described from high‐resolution hydrography, acoustic Doppler current profiler–measured currents, and satellite‐measured sea surface temperature imagery acquired from mid‐August to mid‐September 2005–2007 near Barrow, Alaska. Numerical simulations are used to provide a multidecadal context for these observational data. Four generalized wind regimes and associated circulation states are identified. When winds are from the east or east‐southeast, the ACC jet tends to be relatively strong and flows adjacent to the shelf break along the southern flank of Barrow Canyon. These easterly winds drive inner shelf currents northwestward along the Alaskan Beaufort coast where they oppose significant eastward intrusions of warm water from Barrow Canyon onto the shelf. Because these easterly winds promote sea level set down over the Beaufort shelf and upwelling along the Beaufort slope, the ACC jet necessarily becomes weaker, broader, and displaced seaward from the Beaufort shelf break upon exiting Barrow Canyon. Winds from the northeast promote separation of the ACC from the southern flank of Barrow Canyon and establish an up‐canyon current along the southern flank that is fed in part by waters from the western Beaufort shelf. When winds are weak or from the southwest, warm Bering/Chukchi waters from Barrow Canyon intrude onto the western Beaufort shelf.

Flow of winter-transformed Pacific water into the Western Arctic

Abstract The dynamics of the flow of dense water through Barrow Canyon is investigated using data from a hydrographic survey in summer 2002. The focus is on the winter-transformed Bering water—the highest volumetric mode of winter water in the Chukchi Sea—which drains northward through the canyon in spring and summer. The transport of this water mass during the time of the survey was 0.2–0.3 Sv. As the layer flowed from the head of the canyon to the mouth, it sank, decelerated, and stretched. Strong cyclonic relative vorticity was generated on the seaward side of the jet, which compensated for the stretching. This adjustment was incomplete, however, in that it did not extend across the entire current, possibly because of internal mixing due to shear instabilities. The resulting vorticity structure of the flow at the canyon mouth was conducive for baroclinic instability and eddy formation. Multiple eddies of winter-transformed Bering water were observed along the Chukchi–Beaufort shelfbreak. Those to the west of Barrow Canyon were in the process of being spawned by the eastward-flowing shelfbreak current emanating from Herald Canyon, while the single eddy observed to the east originated from the Barrow Canyon outflow. It is argued that such an eddy formation is a major source of the ubiquitous cold-core anti-cyclones observed historically throughout the Canada Basin. Implications for the ventilation of the upper halocline of the Western Arctic are discussed.

Shelfbreak circulation in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea: Mean structure and variability

Historical hydrographic and current meter data are used to investigate the properties and circulation at the shelf edge of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Thirty‐three individual cross‐sections, spanning the time period 1950 to 1987, are combined in a topographical framework to produce mean vertical hydrographic sections, as well as a section of mean absolute geostrophic velocity referenced using the current meter data. This reveals the presence of a narrow (order 20 km) eastward current, referred to as the Beaufort shelfbreak jet. The jet has three distinct seasonal configurations: In late‐spring to late‐summer, cold, winter‐transformed Bering water is advected in a subsurface current; from mid‐summer to early fall a surface intensified current advects predominantly Bering summer water; and from mid‐fall to mid‐spring, under easterly winds, the jet transports upwelled Atlantic water. The volume transport of the jet represents a significant fraction of the inflowing transport through Bering Strait. While the characteristics and flow of the winter‐transformed Bering water vary interannually, this water mass ventilates predominantly the upper halocline.