Southern Tip Of Greenland Research Articles

Extreme wind events responsible for an outsized role in shelf-basin exchange around the southern tip of Greenland.

The coastal circulation around Southern Greenland transports fresh, buoyant water masses from the Arctic and Greenland Ice Sheet near regions of convection, sinking, and deep-water formation in the Irminger and Labrador Seas. Here, we track the pathways and fate of these fresh water masses by initializing synthetic particles in the East Greenland Coastal Current on the Southeast Greenland shelf and running them through altimetry-derived surface currents from 1993 to 2021. We report that the majority of waters (83%) remain on the shelf around the southern tip of Greenland. Variability in the shelf-basin exchange of the remaining particles closely follows the number of tip jet wind events on seasonal and interannual timescales. The probability of a particle exiting the shelf increases almost fivefold during a tip jet event. These results indicate that the number of tip jets is a close proxy of the shelf-basin exchange around Southern Greenland.

Assessment of future wind speed and wind power changes over South Greenland using the Modèle Atmosphérique Régional regional climate model

AbstractWind is an infinitely renewable energy source that is not evenly distributed in space and time. The interconnection of energy‐demanding and energy‐resourceful (yet remote) regions would help prevent energy scarcity in a world where fossil fuels are no longer used. Previous studies have shown that South Greenland and West Europe have complementary wind regimes. In particular, the southern tip of Greenland, Cape Farewell, has gained growing interest for wind farm development as it is one of the windiest places on Earth. In order to gain new insights about future wind speed variations over South Greenland, the Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (MAR), validated against in situ observations over the tundra where wind turbines are most likely to be installed, is used to build climate projections under the emission scenario SSP5‐8.5 by downscaling an ensemble of CMIP6 Earth System Models (ESMs). It appeared that between 1981 and 2100, the wind speed is projected to decrease by ~−0.8 m·s−1 at 100 m a.g.l. over the tundra surrounding Cape Farewell. This decrease is particularly marked in winter while in summer, a wind speed acceleration is projected along the ice sheet margins. An analysis of two‐dimensional wind speed changes at different vertical levels indicates that the winter decrease is likely due to a large‐scale circulation change while in summer, the katabatic winds flowing down the ice sheet are expected to increase due to an enhanced temperature contrast between the ice sheet and the surroundings. As for the mean annual maximum wind power a turbine can yield, a decrease of ~−178.1 W is projected at 100 m a.g.l. Again, the decrease is especially pronounced in winter. Considering the very high winter wind speeds occurring in South Greenland which can cut off wind turbines if too intense, the projected wind speed decrease might be beneficial for the establishment of wind farms near Cape Farewell.

A global analysis of the dry-dynamic forcing during cyclone growth and propagation

Abstract. Mechanisms driving the intensification and propagation direction of extratropical cyclones are an active field of research. Dry-dynamic forcing factors have been established as fundamental drivers of the deepening and propagation of extratropical cyclones, but their climatological interplay, geographical distribution, and relatedness to the observed cyclone deepening and propagation direction remain unknown. This study considers two key dry-dynamic forcing factors, the Eady growth rate (EGR) and the upper-level induced quasi-geostrophic lifting (QGω), and relates them to the surface deepening rates and the propagation direction during the cyclones' growth phase. To this aim, a feature-based cyclone tracking is used, and the forcing environment is climatologically analysed based on ERA-Interim data. The interplay is visualized by means of a forcing histogram, which allows one to identify different combinations of EGR and QGω and their combined influence on the cyclone deepening (12 h sea-level pressure change) and propagation direction. The key results of the study are as follows. (i) The geographical locations of four different forcing categories, corresponding to cyclone growth in environments characterized by low QGω and low EGR (Q↓E↓), low QGω but high EGR (Q↓E↑), high QGω and low EGR (Q↑E↓), and high QGω and EGR (Q↑E↑), display distinct hot spots with only mild overlaps. For instance, cyclone growth in a Q↑E↑ forcing environment is found in the entrance regions of the North Pacific and Atlantic storm tracks. Category Q↓E↑ is typically found over continental North America, along the southern tip of Greenland, over parts of East Asia, and over the western North Pacific. In contrast, category Q↑E↓ dominates the subtropics. (ii) The four categories are associated with different stages of the cyclones' growth phase: large EGR forcing typically occurs earlier, during the growth phase at genesis, while large QGω forcing attains its maximum amplitude later towards maturity. (iii) Poleward cyclone propagation is strongest over the North Pacific and North Atlantic, and the poleward propagation tendency becomes more pronounced as the deepening rate gets larger. Zonal, or even equatorward, propagation on the other hand is characteristic for cyclones developing in the lee of mountain ranges, e.g. to the lee of the Rocky Mountains. The exact location of maximum QGω forcing relative to the surface cyclone centre is found to be a good indicator for the direction of propagation, while no information on the propagation direction can be inferred from the EGR. Ultimately, the strength of the poleward propagation and of the deepening is inherently connected to the two dry-dynamic forcing factors, which allow cyclone development in distinct environments to effectively be identified.

Observed Deep Cyclonic Eddies around Southern Greenland

AbstractRecent mooring measurements from the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program have revealed abundant cyclonic eddies at both sides of Cape Farewell, the southern tip of Greenland. In this study, we present further observational evidence, from both Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives, of deep cyclonic eddies with intense rotation (ζ/f > 1) around southern Greenland and into the Labrador Sea. Most of the observed cyclones exhibit strongest rotation below the surface at 700–1000 dbar, where maximum azimuthal velocities are ~30 cm s−1 at radii of ~10 km, with rotational periods of 2–3 days. The cyclonic rotation can extend to the deep overflow water layer (below 1800 dbar), albeit with weaker azimuthal velocities (~10 cm s−1) and longer rotational periods of about one week. Within the middepth rotation cores, the cyclones are in near solid-body rotation and have the potential to trap and transport water. The first high-resolution hydrographic transect across such a cyclone indicates that it is characterized by a local (both vertically and horizontally) potential vorticity maximum in its middepth core and cold, fresh anomalies in the deep overflow water layer, suggesting its source as the Denmark Strait outflow. Additionally, the propagation and evolution of the cyclonic eddies are illustrated with deep Lagrangian floats, including their detachments from the boundary currents to the basin interior. Taken together, the combined Eulerian and Lagrangian observations have provided new insights on the boundary current variability and boundary–interior exchange over a geographically large scale near southern Greenland, calling for further investigations on the (sub)mesoscale dynamics in the region.

Seasonal Cycle of the Coastal West Greenland Current System Between Cape Farewell and Cape Desolation From a Very High‐Resolution Numerical Model

AbstractThe shelf based West Greenland Current System carries both Arctic Water and Greenland meltwater around Cape Farewell, the southern tip of Greenland, where it may impact the deep water formation in the Labrador Sea. Nevertheless, this current system remains largely unknown due to limited observations. Using a very high‐resolution (1°/60°) numerical simulation integrated from 2005 to 2014, the annual cycle of the current structure in the vicinity of southern Greenland is analyzed to present the seasonal variability of the West Greenland Current System. A distinct shelf break West Greenland Coastal Current (WGCC) exists for about half the year between Cape Farewell and Cape Desolation, although it merges with the main jet of the West Greenland Current (WGC) in winter and separates in summer. The WGC has three components at Juliannehaab Bight: A shelf component, a shelf‐break component and a main slope jet. The shelf system is most energetic in fall, when the freshwater transport is also the greatest in a range of 25–40 mSv, with a broad transport minimum in spring in a range of 15–25 mSv. The seasonal cycle is strongest near Cape Farewell and weakest at Cape Desolation. The strength of the shelf system decreases as one moves north as water is lost offshore, with strongest transports of 0.61 Sv to the east of Cape Farewell and weakest of 0.41 Sv at Cape Desolation. This decrease in transport between Cape Farewell and Cape Desolation suggests substantial exchange between WGCC and WGC in this region.

Cross‐icecap spring migration confirmed in a high‐Arctic seabird, the Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea

Seabirds rarely cross major terrestrial barriers during seasonal migration, possibly because they have a limited ability to build up fat stores. For the first time, we tracked two Ivory Gulls with GPS loggers during spring migration from the wintering area in Davis Strait to the breeding colony in north‐east Greenland. While one bird migrated in March around the southern tip of Greenland, the other delayed migration until May and crossed the Greenland icecap north of 70°N, covering 1345 km in 29 h. Several aspects of the crossing were noteworthy: the track was remarkably direct, the bird made several stops (totalling 6 h) on the icecap, and the bird increased its flying altitude to nearly 3000 m over West Greenland and > 4000 m over East Greenland.

Deep diving harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in South Greenland: movements, diving, haul-out and breeding activities described by telemetry

Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) were formerly widely distributed in Greenland, but in most areas, they have now become rare or extinct. In this study, we deployed 15 satellite-linked data-recorders on 12 individual harbor seals captured near the southern tip of Greenland. The tagging site, a small archipelago, turned out to be their main haul-out and molting location. The seals were tagged around the first week of September across 2 years. Six adult seals transmitted during the breeding season (June–July), during which two males and a female stayed near the tagging site, whereas two females and a male made a targeted swim about 250 km northward along the east coast, just prior to parturition and they returned right after the breeding period. Based on behavior (strong site fidelity and abrupt changes in haul-out and diving activities), we determined that all three females gave birth and that parturition happened during 14–21 June. Prolonged haul-out, relating to the molt, started in early August and peaked during 15 August–8 September with an average of 10–11 h haul-out per day. The seals thereafter gradually transitioned toward a winter mode with more deep dives and on average hauling out 4 h every other day. Dives deeper than 400 m made up less than 1% of their dives, but four seals dove to depths in excess of 575 m, with a record depth of 631 m and the longest dives lasting between 20 and 25 min. To our knowledge, these dives are the deepest recorded for harbor seals.

Christian Medieval Art in Norse Greenland : Crosses and Crucifixes and their European Antecedents

During a spectacular excavation in 1921 at the Norse farm of Herjolfsnes (Ikigaat) on the southern tip of Greenland, Poul Norlund found 58 wooden crosses of drift­wood in the graves at the site. Th ...

Evolution of the Freshwater Coastal Current at the Southern Tip of Greenland

AbstractShipboard hydrographic and velocity measurements collected in summer 2014 are used to study the evolution of the freshwater coastal current in southern Greenland as it encounters Cape Farewell. The velocity structure reveals that the coastal current maintains its identity as it flows around the cape and bifurcates such that most of the flow is diverted to the outer west Greenland shelf, while a small portion remains on the inner shelf. Taking into account this inner branch, the volume transport of the coastal current is conserved, but the freshwater transport decreases on the west side of Cape Farewell. A significant amount of freshwater appears to be transported off the shelf where the outer branch flows adjacent to the shelfbreak circulation. It is argued that the offshore transposition of the coastal current is caused by the flow following the isobaths as they bend offshore because of the widening of the shelf on the west side of Cape Farewell. An analysis of the potential vorticity shows that the subsequent seaward flux of freshwater can be enhanced by instabilities of the current. This set of circumstances provides a pathway for the freshest water originating from the Arctic, as well as runoff from the Greenland ice sheet, to be fluxed into the interior Labrador Sea where it could influence convection in the basin.

Observationally constrained reconstruction of 19th to mid-20th century sea-ice extent off eastern Greenland

Arctic sea ice has a significant impact on the global radiation budget, oceanic and atmospheric circulation and the stability of the Greenland ice sheet (Vaughan et al. 2013). Prior to the era of aircraft and satellite, information on sea-ice extent relied on observations from ships and people living at the coast. This information is a valuable contribution to better understand the history of sea ice. However, the information exists in a range of formats, e.g., sea-ice extent before the late 1800s is typically reported in the literature as an annual index from a single geographical point or as hand-drawn maps. This makes it difficult to assess and compare data across time and space. The combination of digitised historical maps and single-point data makes the information more accessible and provides a record that can help understand the dynamics and processes of the climate and its interactions with the cryosphere (Chapman & Walsh 1993). In this study, maps of sea-ice extent by Koch (1945) were digitised. We use these maps in combination with sea-ice charts from the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) and Koch’s sea-ice index from 1820 to 1939, to map estimated sea-ice extent between Iceland and Greenland going back to 1821. This information has not been included in even the most recent databases of Arctic sea ice (Walsh et al. 2015, 2017). Furthermore, we extract time series of sea-ice extent at a number of locations and investigate the relationship between them. Our observation area is along eastern Greenland, between the southern tip of Greenland at 59°46´N northwards to 77°21´N.

Water mass circulation and weathering inputs in the Labrador Sea based on coupled Hf–Nd isotope compositions and rare earth element distributions

The Labrador Sea is one of the key areas for deep water formation driving the Atlantic thermohaline circulation and thus plays an important role in Northern Hemisphere climatic fluctuations. In order to better constrain the overturning processes and the origins of the distinct water masses, combined dissolved Hf–Nd isotopic compositions and rare earth element (REE) distribution patterns were obtained from four water depth profiles along a section across the Labrador Sea. These were complemented by one surface sample off the southern tip of Greenland, three shallow water samples off the coast of Newfoundland, and two deep water samples off Nova Scotia.Although light REEs are markedly enriched in the surface waters off the coast of Newfoundland compared to north Atlantic waters, the REE concentration profiles are essentially invariant throughout the water column across the Labrador Sea. The hafnium concentrations of surface waters exhibit a narrow range between 0.6 and 1pmol/kg but are not significantly higher than at depth.Neodymium isotope signatures (ɛNd) vary from unradiogenic values between −16.8 and −14.9 at the surface to more radiogenic values near −11.0 at the bottom of the Labrador Sea mainly reflecting the advection of the Denmark Strait Overflow Water and North East Atlantic Deep Water, the signatures of which are influenced by weathering contributions from Icelandic basalts. Unlike Nd, water column radiogenic Hf isotope signatures (ɛHf) are more variable representing diverse weathering inputs from the surrounding landmasses. The least radiogenic seawater ɛHf signatures (up to −11.7) are found in surface waters close to Greenland and near the Canadian margin. This reflects the influence of recirculating Irminger Current Waters, which are affected by highly unradiogenic inputs from Greenland. A three to four ɛHf unit difference is observed between Denmark Strait Overflow Water (ɛHf∼−4) and North East Atlantic Deep Water (ɛHf∼−0.1), although their source waters have essentially the same ɛNd signature. This most likely reflects different weathering signals of hafnium delivered to Denmark Strait Overflow Water and North East Atlantic Deep Water (incongruent weathering of old rocks from Greenland versus basaltic rocks from Iceland). In addition, the ɛHf data resolve two layers within the main body of Labrador Sea Water not visible in the ɛNd distribution, which are shallow Labrador Sea Water (ɛHf∼−2) and deep Labrador Sea Water (ɛHf∼−4.5). The latter layer was formed between the late 1980’s and mid 1990’s during the last cold state of the Labrador Sea and underwent substantial modification since its formation through the admixture of Irminger Water, Iceland Slope Water and North East Atlantic Deep Water, which is reflected in its less radiogenic ɛHf signature. The overall behavior of Hf in the water column suggests its higher sensitivity to local changes in weathering inputs on annual to decadal timescales. Although application of Hf isotopes as a tracer for global water mass mixing is complicated by their susceptibility to incongruent weathering inputs they are a promising tracer of local processes in restricted basins such as the Labrador Sea.

Climate versus geological controls on glacial meltwater micronutrient production in southern Greenland

Low concentrations of micronutrients in subarctic North Atlantic surface waters limit phytoplankton growth. Iron, phosphorous, and silicon are all potentially bio-limiting nutrients; iron is the most well documented in the subarctic North Atlantic. Manganese, nickel, copper and zinc are also essential trace metals for phytoplankton cell function. However, the spatial and temporal variability in the flux of these elements to the subarctic North Atlantic is undercharacterized. Here we show new data from the meltseason peak in 2013 indicating that glacial meltwater from the southern tip of Greenland has elevated dissolved major and trace metal concentrations compared to glacial meltwater draining shorter melt season glacial catchments to the north. Fe concentrations range from 0.13 to 6.97 μM, Zn from 4 to 95 μM, and Si from 4 to 36 μM, all higher than the depleted surface waters of the subarctic North Atlantic. Measured hydrochemical data modeled by PHREEQC indicates meltwater is undersaturated in pyrite and silicate phases but supersaturated with respect to oxyhydroxides, hematite and goethite, all phases that precipitate Fe as colloids, of which the nanoparticle phases should remain biologically available. The variability in geologic units between the sites indicates that subglacial lithology is a minor but not the dominant control on meltwater chemistry. The disparity in concentrations is directly correlated with climate, and an extended melt season, suggesting that future warming in Greenland will lead to increased trace element, and potential micronutrient, flux to the subarctic North Atlantic surface waters.

North Atlantic atmospheric and ocean inter-annual variability over the past fifty years – Dominant patterns and decadal shifts

The atmosphere and ocean of the North Atlantic have undergone significant changes in the past century. To understand these changes, their mechanisms, and their regional implications requires a quantitative understanding of processes in the coupled ocean and atmosphere system. Central to this understanding is the role played by the dominant patterns of ocean and atmospheric variability which define coherent variations in physical characteristics over large areas.Cluster analysis is used in this article to identify the patterns of the North Atlantic atmospheric variability in the subseasonal and interannual spectral intervals. Four dominant subseasonal weather regimes are defined using Bayesian Gaussian mixture models. All correlation patterns of the Sea Level Pressure (SLP) anomalies with the membership probability time series for the weather regimes show similarities with the dipole structure typical for the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The SLP patterns of two of the regimes represent the opposite phases NAO+ and NAO−. The two other weather regimes, the Atlantic Ridge (AR) and Scandinavian-Greenland dipole (SG), have dipole spatial structures with the northern and southern centers of action shifted with respect to the NAO pattern. These two patterns define blocking structures over Scandinavia and near the southern tip of Greenland, respectively. The storm tracks typical for the four regimes resemble the well known paths for positive/negative phases of NAO for the NAO+/NAO− weather regimes, and paths influenced by blocking off the south Greenland tip for AR and over Scandinavia for SG. The correlation patterns of momentum and heat fluxes to the ocean for the four regimes have tripole structures with positive (warm) downward heat flux anomalies over the Subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) for the NAO− and the AR and negative heat flux anomalies over the SPNA for the NAO+. The downward heat flux anomalies associated with the SG are negative over the Labrador Sea and positive over the eastern SPNA.The long term impact of the weather regimes on the regional climate is characterized by their distribution; i.e. the frequency of occurrence and persistence in time of each of them. Four typical distributions of the weather regimes are identified in this study which are associated with four dominant spatial interannual patterns representing the phases of two asymmetrical “modes”. The first two patterns have the spatial structures of positive and negative phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The third and fourth patterns, here referred to as G+ and G−, define the opposite phases of a mode, that has a spatial structure defined by three centers found over Florida, south of Greenland and over Scandinavia. The NAO+ interannual patterns are associated with negative anomalies of the surface downward heat flux and ocean heat content over the SPNA. The NAO− and G+ are associated with positive anomalies of heat flux and ocean heat content.In the 1960s the dominant NAO− and G+ interannual patterns favored warmer than normal atmospheric and ocean temperatures over the SPNA. The winters in the late 1980s and early 1990s over the SPNA were colder than normal. This decadal shift in the atmospheric state between 1970s and 1980s was associated with a change in the dominant interannual patterns towards NAO+ and G− in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The recent warming of the SPNA since the mid-1990s was related to dominance of the G+/G− interannual patterns in the distribution of interannual patterns probability membership.Our analysis suggests that this decadal variability was associated with long term shifts in atmospheric behavior over the SPNA that can be described by a change in the 1980s of the distribution of membership probabilities for the interannual patterns. Within the interannual pattern phase space, this change is characterized with a shift from the NAO−/G+/G− subspace in the 1950 and 1960s, towards NAO+/G+/G− since the mid 1980s.

The Deep Western Boundary Current at Cape Farewell: Results from a Moored Current Meter Array

Abstract An analysis is made of data from 30 Aanderaa recording current meters (RCMs) set on nine moorings located east of Cape Farewell, the southern tip of Greenland. The purpose of the measurements was to allow for the estimation of transport in the deep western boundary current (DWBC) below a depth of about 1500 m. The records commenced in September 2005 and lasted from 9.5 to 11.5 months. After calibration of the raw data, 12-h averages of temperature and current were derived and the latter employed to estimate the flow across and along the array direction. The 9.5-month average transport of water colder than 3°C was found to be 7.8 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 1 × 106 m3 s−1) with a standard error of 0.8 Sv. For water denser than σθ = 27.85 kg m−3, the transport is calculated as 4.5 Sv. Whether either of these values is significantly different from comparable measurements made 500 km upstream cannot be determined. In marked contrast, for σθ > 27.8 kg m−3, the transport is estimated as only 9.0 Sv, smaller than the widely accepted value of 13 Sv for nearby measurements made in 1978. A reevaluation of the calculations and assumptions made then allows one to determine the uncertainty of the earlier estimate and thereby conclude that the difference between the previous and present measurements is significant, that is, that the transport has decreased between 1978 and 2005–06. A weakening of the transport during the 9.5-month period is also observed, along with a warming and an increase in salinity in the core of the DWBC. These latter changes are shown to be consistent with interannual variability rather than a long-term trend.

Geodetic measurements of postglacial adjustments in Greenland

We analyze data from seven continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and one tide gauge, all located along the edge of the Greenland ice sheet, to determine vertical uplift rates. We compare our results with predictions based on the ICE‐5G deglaciation model of Peltier (2004). Results from the GPS receiver at Kellyville (−1.2 ± 1.1 mm/a) and from the tide gauge at Nuuk (−2.2 ± 1.3 mm/a), indicate that ICE‐5G overestimates the subsidence rates at those locations by 2.1 and 1.1 mm/a, respectively. Kellyville and Nuuk are located along the southwestern margin of the Greenland ice sheet, and the observed negative uplift rates are consistent with independent evidence that the ice margin along the southwestern edge readvanced during the last ∼8 ka to its current position. The ICE‐5G glaciation‐deglaciation history includes a readvance between the latitudes of 62°N and 72°N. The GPS measurements suggest the ICE‐5G readvance may be too large or mistimed. Our GPS results at Qaqortoq, located at the southern tip of Greenland, suggest a secular subsidence rate of −0.3 ± 1.1 mm/a, while ICE‐5G predicts an uplift rate of 1.0 mm/a. ICE‐5G assumes no ice sheet readvance in south Greenland, including no readvance of the Qassimiut lobe. The difference of 1.3 ± 1.1 mm/a can tentatively be explained as due to a ∼33 km readvance of the Qassimiut lobe during the last ∼3 ka. For the other GPS sites, the observed/predicted uplift rates are 3.6 ± 1.1/−0.1 mm/a at Thule, 0.0 ± 1.1/2.0 mm/a at Scoresbysund, and −0.4 ± 1.1/−1.7 mm/a at Kulusuk. For Thule, Kulusuk, and Scoresbysund the differences between the observed and predicted rates are on the order of 1.3–3.7 mm/a, though with opposite signs, and indicate that ICE‐5G does not exactly reproduce the correct rebound signal at those locations.

Fine structure of a Greenland reverse tip jet: a numerical simulation

Reverse tip jets are strong low-level winds with easterly component that form near the southern tip of Greenland. In the present study, a reverse tip jet case which occurred from 21 to 22 December 2000 was examined to clarify its fine structure using a numerical model with a horizontal resolution of 3 km. The reverse tip jet, showing the supergeostrophic wind speed with a maximum wind speed in excess of 45 m s-1, extended from the east coast of Greenland to the west of Cape Farewell with anticyclonic curvature. A cloud free region coincided with the jet indicated that there was a mesoscale downdraft. Along the eastern edge of the jet, a banded cloud formed between the upstream easterly wind and the colder northerly wind that is a part of the jet and is located along the east coast. This cloud was associated with large gradients in surface wind speed, temperature, moisture, and heat flux. A maximum surface total heat flux of 300Wm-2 coincided with the location of the jet. It is suggested that the orographic deflection byGreenland’s large-scale topography as well as small-scale downslope winds behind mountains with fiords causes the reverse tip jet.

Influence of the Icelandic Low latitude on the frequency of Greenland tip jet events: Implications for Irminger Sea convection

The occurrence of Greenland tip jet events has been reported as the dominant factor controlling the formation of intermediate water in the Irminger Sea. It has been suggested that the frequency of these events is correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation. To examine this process in more detail, we separate the North Atlantic Oscillation into Icelandic Low and Azores High components and carry out a regression fit of the frequency of tip jet events between 1961 and 2005. Our findings suggest that the frequency of Greenland tip jet events is highly dependent on the latitude of the Icelandic Low and the 2‐year time‐lagged February Icelandic Low latitude, with R2 = 0.48. We find that the winds near the southern tip of Greenland are predominately westerly during years when the Iceland Low is located above 63°N latitude. These conditions also correspond to colder air temperatures in the Labrador and Irminger Seas, implying larger oceanic heat losses due to the Greenland tip jet events and hence stronger convective overturning in the Irminger Sea.

Characteristics of winter cyclone activity in the northern North Atlantic: Insights from observations and regional modeling

Fields from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis are used in conjunction with simulations from Polar MM5 to examine regional processes contributing to cyclone development in the sub‐Arctic/Arctic sector of the North Atlantic. Strong deepening of systems (>6 hPa/6 hours) is especially common south of the tip of Greenland and in the vicinity of the mean Icelandic Low (IL). A secondary maximum is located just south of Svalbard. Composite analyses of strongly deepening systems in these areas point to the influence of pronounced preexisting low‐level temperature gradients linked to ocean currents, the sea ice margin and ocean‐land contrasts. The area of preferred deepening near Svalbard corresponds to the northernmost penetration of open water in the North Atlantic. Impacts of Greenland's orography are prominent in the synoptic complexity of the region. Typical synoptic situations, examined as case studies, include splitting, or “bifurcation” of cyclones at the southern tip of Greenland; orographic cyclogenesis in the lee of Greenland, at the location of the mean IL; and deepening of preexisting systems near the IL. Orographic influences are clearly captured in Polar MM5 simulations for which control runs of the three cases are compared to runs for which the orography of Greenland is removed.

Iodine 129/CFC 11 transit times for Denmark Strait Overflow Water in the Labrador and Irminger Seas

Iodine 129 discharged from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants in France and the United Kingdom is transported into the Nordic Seas on timescales of 3–5 years. Tracer 129I is subsequently injected into intermediate waters that overflow the sills between Greenland, Iceland, and Scotland and ventilate the North Atlantic Deep Waters (NADW). During the early 1990s, discharges of 129I increased by 600%, resulting in a large, well‐resolved tracer “front” whose passage through the Nordic Seas is presently being observed by a time series of 129I measurements on the WOCE (AR7W) section in the Labrador Sea. The highest 129I levels were measured below depths of 3000 m in Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW). These levels increased by about 300% between 1997 and 2001 to values >40 × 107 atoms/L, indicating that the leading edge of the tracer “front” from the early 1990s was being observed entering the NADW. Using a simple mixing/advection model, 129I and CFC 11 results were used to calculate transit times of 0.4–2.6 years for the flow of DSOW from formation regions in the Nordic Seas to the Labrador Sea. Measurements on samples collected in the Irminger Sea in 2001 gave transit times of 0.3 years for core DSOW immediately south of Denmark Strait and about 2 years for locations off the southern tip of Greenland. An increase in DSOW transit times observed in the Labrador Sea between 1999 and 2001 probably reflects a more general weakening in the subpolar gyre of the North Atlantic during the 1990s.

Downward channeling of dense water in topographic corrugations

Dense ocean water is formed primarily at high latitudes, but also in certain marginal seas in warmer areas. The main pathways of this dense water as it moves along the continental slopes is the topic addressed here. An analytical model describing how a geostrophic flow, with the aid of bottom friction, may lean on topographic irregularities and descend downhill toward the deep sea is presented. It is suggested that along-slope variation of the topography is a key element controlling the downward transport of dense bottom water. Deep corrugations can channel more water than shallow, but the transport also depends on their width. On gently sloping topography a maximum downward flow is induced by rather wide canyons (tens of km across), but in steeper regions the most active canyons are only a few km wide. The theory is applied to the continental slope east of Greenland, and it is shown that the transport capacity of this slope is sufficient to redistribute the Denmark Strait Outflow water from the level of 400 m (at the Strait) down to below 2000 m (at the southern tip of Greenland), which is consistent with observations. Application of the theory to the Faroe-Bank Channel (downstream of the sill) is consistent with observations from that region.