Intrusion of summer Alaskan Coastal Water in the western Arctic Ocean
from 1999 to 2019: insights into interannual trends and driving
mechanism
Abstract
This work is a study of the interannual variability of Alaskan Coastal
Water (ACW) supplied into the Arctic Ocean during the summer season.
Based on hydrological data obtained during ten Chinese National Arctic
Research Expeditions conducted in the summer from 1999 to 2019, the
expansion of area, volume, thickness, and heat content of ACW in the
southern Chukchi Sea and northern Bering Sea have been calculated for
the first time, demonstrating the presence of substantial interannual
variability. From 1999 to 2019, in general, each of the fundamental
parameters showed two stages, namely 1999-2008 and 2010-2019, with the
latter being at a higher value than the former. We repeatedly surveyed
meridional hydrographic/velocity sections in the vicinity of the Bering
Strait to verify that the changes in the water mass flowing into the
strait are the main factors affecting water parameters in both the
northern Bering Strait and the southern Chukchi Sea.