Seasonal Ice Zone Research Articles

Amino acid racemization in Quaternary foraminifera from the Yermak Plateau, Arctic Ocean

Abstract. Amino acid racemization (AAR) geochronology is a powerful tool for dating Quaternary marine sediments across the globe, yet its application to Arctic Ocean sediments has been limited. Anomalous rates of AAR in foraminifera from the central Arctic were reported in previously published studies, indicating that either the rate of racemization is higher in this area, or inaccurate age models were used to constrain the sediment ages. This study investigates racemization rates in foraminifera from three well-dated sediment cores taken from the Yermak Plateau during the 2015 TRANSSIZ (TRansitions in the Arctic Seasonal Sea Ice Zone) expedition on RV Polarstern. D and L isomers of the amino acids aspartic acid (Asp) and glutamic acid (Glu) were separated in samples of the planktic foraminifer Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and the benthic species Cassidulina neoteretis to quantify the extent of racemization. In total, 241 subsamples were analysed, extending back to marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 7. Two previously published power functions, which relate the extent of racemization of Asp and Glu in foraminifera to sample age are revisited, and a comparison is made between the ages predicted by these calibrated age equations and independent geochronological constraints available for the cores. Our analyses reveal an excellent match between ages predicted by a global compilation of racemization rates for N. pachyderma and confirm that a proposed Arctic-specific calibration curve is not applicable at the Yermak Plateau. These results generally support the rates of AAR determined for other cold bottom water sites and further highlight the anomalous nature of the purportedly high rate of racemization indicated by previous analyses of central Arctic sediments.

Nutrient Controls on Export Production in the Southern Ocean

We use observations from novel biogeochemical profiling floats deployed by the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling program to estimate annual net community production (ANCP; associated with carbon export) from the seasonal drawdown of mesopelagic oxygen and surface nitrate in the Southern Ocean. Our estimates agree with previous observations in showing an increase in ANCP in the vicinity of the polar front (∼3 mol C m−2 y−1), compared to lower rates in the subtropical zone (≤ 1 mol C m−2 y−1) and the seasonal ice zone (<2 mol C m−2 y−1). Paradoxically, the increase in ANCP south of the subtropical front is associated with elevated surface nitrate and silicate concentrations, but decreasing surface iron. We hypothesize that iron limitation promotes silicification in diatoms, which is evidenced by the low silicate to nitrate ratio of surface waters around the Antarctic polar front. High diatom silicification increases the ballasting effect of particulate organic carbon and overall ANCP in this region. A model‐based assessment of our methods shows a good agreement between ANCP estimates based on oxygen and nitrate drawdown and the modeled downward organic carbon flux at 100 m. This agreement supports the presumption that net biological consumption is the dominant process affecting the drawdown of these chemical tracers and that, given sufficient data, ANCP can be inferred from observations of oxygen and/or nitrate drawdown in the Southern Ocean.

Low‐Level and Surface Wind Jets Near Sea Ice Edge in the Beaufort Sea in Late Autumn

AbstractLow‐level wind jets (LLJs) and strong surface winds are frequently observed near the sea ice edge in the presence of strong thermal contrast between open water and sea ice. Two LLJ cases near the sea ice edge in the Beaufort Sea are examined using dropsonde observations made from Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Survey flights. Ensembles of Polar Weather Research and Forecast simulations with and without sea ice demonstrate the contribution of the surface thermal contrast to the boundary layer structure, the LLJ, and surface ice edge jets. Because the surface temperature contrast only influences the lower most hundreds of meters in the atmospheric boundary layer, its contribution to the temperature gradient and wind speed at the level of the LLJ is limited. The sea ice does strengthen the LLJ by extending the LLJ northward over sea ice and increasing the maximum LLJ wind speeds by up to 13% and as much as 29% further north at a lower altitude. However, the primary reason for the observed strong winds in these two cases are the synoptic interactions between anticyclones and approaching cyclones. The effect of the surface thermal contrast on surface winds is controlled by a separate mechanism. The cold and stable boundary layer over sea ice prevents the momentum transport from the LLJ to the surface. This leads to weaker surface winds over sea ice and confines the strong surface winds close to the sea ice edge. This mechanism contributes to the frequent occurrence of the surface “ice edge jets.”

Regional variability of Arctic sea ice seasonal change climate indicators from a passive microwave climate data record

The seasonal evolution of Arctic sea ice can be described by the timing of key dates of sea ice concentration (SIC) change during its annual retreat and advance cycle. Here, we use SICs from a satellite passive microwave climate data record to identify the sea ice dates of opening (DOO), retreat (DOR), advance (DOA), and closing (DOC) and the periods of time between these events. Regional variability in these key dates, periods, and sea ice melt onset and freeze-up dates for 12 Arctic regions during the melt seasons of 1979–2016 is investigated. We find statistically significant positive trends in the length of the melt season (outer ice-free period) for most of the eastern Arctic, the Bering Sea, and Hudson and Baffin Bays with trends as large as 11.9 d decade−1 observed in the Kara Sea. Trends in the DOR and DOA contribute to statistically significant increases in the length of the open water period for all regions within the Arctic Ocean ranging from 3.9 to 13.8 d decade−1. The length of the ice retreat period (DOR−DOO) ranges from 17.1 d in the Sea of Okhotsk to 41 d in the Greenland Sea. The length of the ice advance period (DOC−DOA) is generally much shorter and ranges from 17.9 to 25.3 d in the Sea of Okhotsk and Greenland Sea, respectively. Additionally, we derive the extent of the seasonal ice zone (SIZ) and find statistically significant negative trends (SIZ is shrinking) in the Sea of Okhotsk, Baffin Bay, Greenland Sea, and Barents Sea regions, which are geographically open to the oceans and influenced by reduced winter sea ice extent. Within regions of the Arctic Ocean, statistically significant positive trends indicate that the extent of the SIZ is expanding as Arctic summer sea ice declines.

Eukaryote plankton assemblages in the southern Kerguelen Axis region: Ecological drivers differ between size fractions

Southern Ocean plankton communities are extremely important for global biogeochemical processes. However, recent efforts to survey marine eukaryote diversity focussed on tropical and temperate plankton communities, with limited sampling of the Southern Ocean. We used high-throughput sequencing of 18S ribosomal DNA to characterise eukaryotic diversity in 284 size-fractionated plankton samples from across the southern Kerguelen Axis, one of the most productive regions in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean. Based on three size fractions, combined eukaryote communities in the K-Axis region form three distinct groups, corresponding to a southern seasonal ice zone (SIZ), northern SIZ and open ocean zone. Generalised dissimilarity modelling showed that days since sea-ice melt was the key driver of community composition for the two larger size fractions (nano- and microplankton). In contrast, chlorophyll a and nitrate concentrations were better predictors for eukaryotic communities smaller than 5 µm (piconanoplankton). Other predictors varied in importance between taxonomic groups and depths, providing insights into drivers of community structure for different groups. Our results suggest that Southern Ocean eukaryotes will respond differently to environmental change depending on their taxonomy and size. Predicted changes in sea-ice extent and other environmental factors will not simply cause a shift in community location, but change the overall community composition and the suite of possible ecological interactions, with implications for trophodynamics, biogeochemistry, and carbon export.

Assessing Phytoplankton Activities in the Seasonal Ice Zone of the Greenland Sea Over an Annual Cycle

AbstractIn seasonal ice zones (SIZs), such as the one of the Greenland Sea, the sea ice growth in winter and subsequent melting in summer influence the phytoplankton activity. However, studies assessing phytoplankton activities over complete annual cycles and at a fine temporal resolution are lacking in this environment. Biogeochemical‐Argo floats, which are able to sample under the ice, were used to collect physical and biogeochemical data along vertical profiles and at 5‐day resolution during two complete annual cycles in the Greenland Sea SIZ. Three phytoplankton activity phases were distinct within an annual cycle: one under ice, a second at the ice edge, and a third one around an open‐water subsurface chlorophyll maximum. As expected, the light and nitrate availabilities controlled the phytoplankton activity and the establishment of these phases. On average, most of the annual net community production occurred equally under ice and at the ice edge. The open‐water subsurface chlorophyll maximum phase contribution, on the other hand, was much smaller. Phytoplankton biomass accumulation and production thus occur over a longer period than might be assumed if under ice blooms were neglected. This also means that satellite‐based estimates of phytoplankton biomass and production in this SIZ are likely underestimated. Simulations with the Arctic‐based physical‐biologically coupled SINMOD model suggest that most of the annual net community production in this SIZ results from local processes rather than due to advection of nitrate from the East Greenland and Jan Mayen Currents.

Dissolved iron concentration in the recent snow of the Lambert Glacial Basin, Antarctica

Iron (Fe) is a limiting nutrient in the Southern Ocean (SO), and the input of atmospheric iron may fertilize the SO. Therefore, it is important to estimate the deposition and solubility of atmospheric iron in the Antarctica. For this purpose, we measured iron in a 3 m snow pit from the Lambert Glacial Basin (LGB), covering the period 2012–2017. We estimated an average annual dissolved iron (DFe) flux of 1.29 × 10−3 mg m−2 a−1 and an average total dissolvable iron (TDFe) flux of 0.14 mg m−2 a−1 for this site. The atmospheric fractional iron solubility (FFS) ranges from 0.01% to 21.47% (mean value 1.20%) and shows an inverse hyperbolic relationship with the TDFe concentration. This relationship suggests that atmospheric iron in the LGB comes from a mixture of mineral dust with low FFS and aerosol with high FFS (e.g. combustion aerosols and volcanic ash). Based on the mean value of the atmospheric iron deposit fluxes from both this and previous studies, we estimated that ∼0.013 Gg of dissolved atmospheric iron could be deposited in the seasonal sea ice zone (SSIZ) every year, potentially supporting an annual algal production of ∼2.52 × 1012 g C in the Antarctic coastal water. This is less than 1% of the annual primary production in the SSIZ of the SO estimated from satellite data. The result shows that, compared with other sources of iron such as iceberg and glacier meltwater, the dissolved atmospheric iron has very small effect on the annual primary production in the SSIZ.

Assessment of the Carbonate Chemistry Seasonal Cycles in the Southern Ocean From Persistent Observational Platforms

AbstractObservations from Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) biogeochemical profiling Argo floats are used to characterize the climatological seasonal cycles and drivers of dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2), and the saturation state of aragonite at the surface and at 200 m across five Southern Ocean frontal regimes, including under sea ice. The Southern Ocean ranges from a temperature‐dominated system in the northernmost Subtropical Zone to a biologically dominated system in the most poleward Seasonal Sea Ice Zone. In all zones, the ingassing or outgassing of CO2 must be balanced by geostrophic and Ekman transport, mixing from below, and particle transport of carbon into or out of the euphotic zone. The climatological seasonal cycles spanning the period from 2014 to 2017 compare favorably with existing climatologies in spring and summer and less so during winter months, at higher latitudes, and in ice‐covered regions due, in part, to limited wintertime observations before SOCCOM. We observe increases in the carbon and nutrient content of surface waters south of the Subantarctic Front between climatological data products and the SOCCOM float climatologies, even after adjusting for anthropogenic change, suggesting a large‐scale increase in the amount of upwelled carbon‐ and nutrient‐rich deep waters. This increased upwelling corresponds to a positive Southern Annular Mode Index over 2014–2017 and likely acts to decrease the magnitude of the Southern Ocean sink of total carbon by increasing outgassing of natural CO2, especially during winter months.

Development of under-ice stratification in Himmerfjärden bay, North-Western Baltic proper, and their effect on the phytoplankton spring bloom

Abstract Seasonal sea ice cover reduces wind-driven mixing and allows for under-ice stratification to develop. These under-ice plumes are a common phenomenon in the seasonal sea ice zone. They stabilize stratification and concentrate terrestrial runoff in the top layer, transporting it further offshore than during ice-free seasons. In this study, the effect of sea ice on spring stratification is investigated in Himmerfjarden bay in the NW Baltic Sea. Distinct under-ice plumes were detected during long ice seasons. The preconditions for the development of the under-ice plumes are described as well as the typical spatial and temporal dimensions of the resulting stratification patterns. Furthermore, the effect of the under-ice plume on the timing of the onset and the maximum of the phytoplankton spring bloom were investigated, in terms of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations. At the head of the bay, bloom onset was delayed on average by 18 days in the event of an under-ice plume. However, neither the maximum concentration of Chl-a nor the timing of the Chl-a maximum were affected, implying that the growth period was shorter with a higher daily productivity. During this period from spring bloom onset to maximum Chl-a, the diatom biomass was higher and Mesodinium rubrum biomass was lower in years with under-ice plumes compared to years without under-ice plumes. Our results thus suggest that the projected shorter ice seasons in the future will reduce the probability of under-ice plume development, creating more dynamic spring bloom conditions. These dynamic conditions and the earlier onset of the spring bloom seem to favor the M. rubrum rather than diatoms.

THIN ICE AREA EXTRACTION IN THE SEASONAL SEA ICE ZONES OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE USING MODIS DATA

Abstract. Sea ice has an important role of reflecting the solar radiation back into space. However, once the sea ice area melts, the area starts to absorb the solar radiation which accelerates the global warming. This means that the trend of global warming is likely to be enhanced in sea ice areas. In this study, the authors have developed a method to extract thin ice area using reflectance data of MODIS onboard Terra and Aqua satellites of NASA. The reflectance of thin sea ice in the visible region is rather low. Moreover, since the surface of thin sea ice is likely to be wet, the reflectance of thin sea ice in the near infrared region is much lower than that of visible region. Considering these characteristics, the authors have developed a method to extract thin sea ice areas by using the reflectance data of MODIS (NASA MYD09 product, 2017) derived from MODIS L1B. By using the scatter plots of the reflectance of Band 1 (620 nm–670 nm) and Band 2 (841 nm–876 nm)) of MODIS, equations for extracting thin ice area were derived. By using those equations, most of the thin ice areas which could be recognized from MODIS images were well extracted in the seasonal sea ice zones in the Northern Hemisphere, namely the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. For some limited areas, Landsat-8 OLI images were also used for validation.

Physical and Biological Drivers of Biogeochemical Tracers Within the Seasonal Sea Ice Zone of the Southern Ocean From Profiling Floats

AbstractHere we present initial findings from nine profiling floats equipped with pH, O2, , and other biogeochemical sensors that were deployed in the seasonal ice zone (SIZ) of the Southern Ocean in 2014 and 2015 through the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modelling (SOCCOM) project. A large springtime phytoplankton bloom was observed that coincided with sea ice melt for all nine floats. We argue this bloom results from a shoaling of the mixed layer depth, increased vertical stability, and enhanced nutrient and light availability as the sea ice melts. This interpretation is supported by the absence of a springtime bloom when one of the floats left the SIZ in the second year of observations. During the sea ice covered period, net heterotrophic conditions were observed. The rate of uptake of O2 and release of dissolved inorganic carbon (derived from pH and estimated total alkalinity) and is reminiscent of biological respiration and is nearly Redfieldian for the nine floats. A simple model of mixed layer physics was developed to separate the physical and biological components of the signal in pH and O2 over one annual cycle for a float in the Ross Sea SIZ. The resulting annual net community production suggests that seasonal respiration during the ice covered period of the year nearly balances the production in the euphotic layer of up to 5 mol C m−2 during the ice free period leading to a net of near zero carbon exported to depth for this one float.

An Examination of the Sea Ice Rheology for Seasonal Ice Zones Based on Ice Drift and Thickness Observations

AbstractThe validity of the sea ice rheological model formulated by Hibler (1979), which is widely used in present numerical sea ice models, is examined for the Sea of Okhotsk as an example of the seasonal ice zone (SIZ), based on satellite‐derived sea ice velocity, concentration and thickness. Our focus was the formulation of the yield curve, the shape of which can be estimated from ice drift pattern based on the energy equation of deformation, while the strength of the ice cover that determines its magnitude was evaluated using ice concentration and thickness data. Ice drift was obtained with a grid spacing of 37.5 km from the AMSR‐E 89 GHz brightness temperature using a maximum cross‐correlation method. The ice thickness was obtained with a spatial resolution of 100 m from a regression of the PALSAR backscatter coefficients with ice thickness. To assess scale dependence, the ice drift data derived from a coastal radar covering a 70 km range in the southernmost Sea of Okhotsk were similarly analyzed. The results obtained were mostly consistent with Hibler's formulation that was based on the Arctic Ocean on both scales with no dependence on a time scale, and justify the treatment of sea ice as a plastic material, with an elliptical shaped yield curve to some extent. However, it also highlights the difficulty in parameterizing sub‐grid scale ridging in the model because grid scale ice velocities reduce the deformation magnitude by half due to the large variation of the deformation field in the SIZ.

Oxygen in the Southern Ocean From Argo Floats: Determination of Processes Driving Air‐Sea Fluxes

AbstractThe Southern Ocean is of outsized significance to the global oxygen and carbon cycles with relatively poor measurement coverage due to harsh winters and seasonal ice cover. In this study, we use recent advances in the parameterization of air‐sea oxygen fluxes to analyze 9 years of oxygen data from a recalibrated Argo oxygen data set and from air‐calibrated oxygen floats deployed as part of the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) project. From this combined data set of 150 floats, we find a total Southern Ocean oxygen sink of −183 ± 80 Tmol yr−1 (positive to the atmosphere), greater than prior estimates. The uptake occurs primarily in the Polar‐Frontal Antarctic Zone (PAZ, −94 ± 30 Tmol O2 yr−1) and Seasonal Ice Zone (SIZ, −111 ± 9.3 Tmol O2 yr−1). This flux is driven by wintertime ventilation, with a large portion of the flux in the SIZ passing through regions with fractional sea ice. The Subtropical Zone (STZ) is seasonally driven by thermal fluxes and exhibits a net outgassing of 47 ± 29 Tmol O2 yr−1 that is likely driven by biological production. The Subantarctic Zone (SAZ) uptake is −25 ± 12 Tmol O2 yr−1. Total oxygen fluxes were separated into a thermal and nonthermal component. The nonthermal flux is correlated with net primary production and mixed layer depth in the STZ, SAZ, and PAZ, but not in the SIZ where seasonal sea ice slows the air‐sea gas flux response to the entrainment of deep, low‐oxygen waters.

Importance of oceanographical background for a conservation priority areas network planned using MARXAN decision support tool in the Russian Arctic seas

Abstract The aim of the present study is to assess a conservation priority area (CPA) network proposed for the Russian Arctic seas (47 areas) with regard to underlying oceanographical features and to discuss further development of marine conservation planning. The oceanographical features included in the analysis were obtained from the literature or inferred from schemes of climatic oceanography. The most frequent oceanographic feature associated with a particular CPA is constant advection of a particular water mass, followed by local water mass transformation, seasonal ice zones, flaw polynyas, and external sources of nutrients. Particularly important are major frontal zones, and coastal phenomena such as coastal/offshore waters transition zones, massifs of fast ice and specific regimes of semi‐isolated fjords and bays. Each Arctic sea in the study area or its large part (in the Barents Sea) is characterized by a distinct combination of oceanographical features associated with the respective CPAs. Although most oceanographical features were not involved in the process of developing the CPA network directly, the resulting CPAs are shown to have a solid oceanographical background. While this oceanographical background needs further understanding, it provides the possibility to refine the MPA boundaries and plan future studies. Furthermore it allows evaluation of potential resistance and resilience of CPAs to climate change by focusing on relevant oceanographical processes and the adaptive potential of biota on an area by area basis.

Synoptic Conditions, Clouds, and Sea Ice Melt Onset in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seasonal Ice Zone

Cloud response to synoptic conditions over the Beaufort and Chukchi seasonal ice zone is examined. Four synoptic states with distinct thermodynamic and dynamic signatures are identified using ERA-Interim reanalysis data from 2000 to 2014. CloudSat and CALIPSO observations suggest control of clouds by synoptic states. Warm continental air advection is associated with the fewest low-level clouds, while cold air advection generates the most low-level clouds. Low-level clouds are related to lower-tropospheric stability and both are regulated by synoptic conditions. High-level clouds are associated with humidity and vertical motions in the upper atmosphere. Observed cloud vertical and spatial variability is reproduced well in ERA-Interim, but winter low-level cloud fraction is overestimated. This suggests that synoptic conditions constrain the spatial extent of clouds through the atmospheric structure, while the parameterizations for cloud microphysics and boundary layer physics are critical for the life cycle of clouds in numerical models. Sea ice melt onset is related to synoptic conditions. Melt onsets occur more frequently and earlier with warm air advection. Synoptic conditions with the highest temperatures and precipitable water are most favorable for melt onsets even though fewer low-level clouds are associated with these conditions.

Evidence for ice-ocean albedo feedback in the Arctic Ocean shifting to a seasonal ice zone

Ice-albedo feedback due to the albedo contrast between water and ice is a major factor in seasonal sea ice retreat, and has received increasing attention with the Arctic Ocean shifting to a seasonal ice cover. However, quantitative evaluation of such feedbacks is still insufficient. Here we provide quantitative evidence that heat input through the open water fraction is the primary driver of seasonal and interannual variations in Arctic sea ice retreat. Analyses of satellite data (1979–2014) and a simplified ice-upper ocean coupled model reveal that divergent ice motion in the early melt season triggers large-scale feedback which subsequently amplifies summer sea ice anomalies. The magnitude of divergence controlling the feedback has doubled since 2000 due to a more mobile ice cover, which can partly explain the recent drastic ice reduction in the Arctic Ocean.

Characteristics of the surface water DMS and pCO2 distributions and their relationships in the Southern Ocean, southeast Indian Ocean, and northwest Pacific Ocean

AbstractOceanic dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is of interest due to its critical influence on atmospheric sulfur compounds in the marine atmosphere and its hypothesized significant role in global climate. High‐resolution shipboard underway measurements of surface seawater DMS and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) were conducted in the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean sectors of the Southern Ocean (SO), the southeast Indian Ocean, and the northwest Pacific Ocean from February to April 2014 during the 30th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition. The SO, particularly in the region south of 58°S, had the highest mean surface seawater DMS concentration of 4.1 ± 8.3 nM (ranged from 0.1 to 73.2 nM) and lowest mean seawater pCO2 level of 337 ± 50 μatm (ranged from 221 to 411 μatm) over the entire cruise. Significant variations of surface seawater DMS and pCO2 in the seasonal ice zone (SIZ) of SO were observed, which are mainly controlled by biological process and sea ice activity. We found a significant negative relationship between DMS and pCO2 in the SO SIZ using 0.1° resolution, [DMS] seawater = −0.160 [pCO2] seawater + 61.3 (r2 = 0.594, n = 924, p < 0.001). We anticipate that the relationship may possibly be utilized to reconstruct the surface seawater DMS climatology in the SO SIZ. Further studies are necessary to improve the universality of this approach.

Annual nitrate drawdown observed by SOCCOM profiling floats and the relationship to annual net community production

AbstractAnnual nitrate cycles have been measured throughout the pelagic waters of the Southern Ocean, including regions with seasonal ice cover and southern hemisphere subtropical zones. Vertically resolved nitrate measurements were made using in situ ultraviolet spectrophotometer (ISUS) and submersible ultraviolet nitrate analyzer (SUNA) optical nitrate sensors deployed on profiling floats. Thirty‐one floats returned 40 complete annual cycles. The mean nitrate profile from the month with the highest winter nitrate minus the mean profile from the month with the lowest nitrate yields the annual nitrate drawdown. This quantity was integrated to 200 m depth and converted to carbon using the Redfield ratio to estimate annual net community production (ANCP) throughout the Southern Ocean south of 30°S. A well‐defined, zonal mean distribution is found with highest values (3–4 mol C m−2 yr−1) from 40 to 50°S. Lowest values are found in the subtropics and in the seasonal ice zone. The area weighted mean was 2.9 mol C m−2 yr−1 for all regions south of 40°S. Cumulative ANCP south of 50°S is 1.3 Pg C yr−1. This represents about 13% of global ANCP in about 14% of the global ocean area.

22-year surface salinity changes in the Seasonal Ice Zone near 140°E off Antarctica

Abstract Seasonal and interannual variations in sea surface salinity (SSS) are analyzed in the Sea Ice Zone south of 60°S, from a 22-year time series of observations near 140°E. In the northern sea-ice zone during the warming, melting cycle from October to March, waters warm by an average of 3.5 °C and become fresher by 0.1 to 0.25. In the southern sea-ice zone, the surface temperatures vary from − 1 to 1 °C over summer, and the maximal SSS range occurs in December, with a minimum SSS of 33.65 near the Southern Boundary of the ACC, reaching 34.4 in the shelf waters close to the coast. The main fronts, normally defined at subsurface, are shown to have more distinct seasonal characteristics in SSS than in SST. The interannual variations in SSS are more closely linked to variations in upstream sea-ice cover than surface forcing. SSS and sea-ice variations show distinct phases, with large biannual variations in the early 1990s, weaker variations in the 2000s and larger variations again from 2009 onwards. The calving of the Mertz Glacier Tongue in February 2010 leads to increased sea-ice cover and widespread freshening of the surface layers from 2011 onwards. Summer freshening in the northern sea-ice zone is ~ 0.05–0.07 per decade, increasing to 0.08 per decade in the southern sea-ice zone, largely influenced by the Mertz Glacier calving event at the end of our time series. The summer time series of SSS on the shelf at 140°E is in phase but less variable than the SSS observed upstream in the Adelie Depression, and thus represents a spatially integrated index of the wider SSS variations.

An Autonomous Approach to Observing the Seasonal Ice Zone in the Western Arctic

The Marginal Ice Zone and Arctic Sea State programs examined the processes that govern evolution of the rapidly changing seasonal ice zone in the Beaufort Sea. Autonomous platforms operating from the ice and within the water column collected measurements across the atmosphere-ice-ocean system and provided the persistence to sample continuously through the springtime retreat and autumn advance of sea ice. Autonomous platforms also allowed operational modalities that reduced the field programs’ logistical requirements. Observations indicate that thermodynamics, especially the radiative balances of the ice-albedo feedback, govern the seasonal cycle of sea ice, with the role of surface waves confined to specific events. Continuous sampling from winter into autumn also reveals the imprint of winter ice conditions and fracturing on summertime floe size distribution. These programs demonstrate effective use of integrated systems of autonomous platforms for persistent, multiscale Arctic observing. Networks of autonomous systems are well suited to capturing the vast scales of variability inherent in the Arctic system.