Nordic Seas Heat Loss, Atlantic Inflow, and Arctic Sea Ice cover over
the last century
Abstract
Poleward ocean heat transport is a key process in the earth system. We
detail and review the northward Atlantic Water (AW) flow, Arctic Ocean
heat transport, and heat loss to the atmosphere since 1900 in relation
to sea ice cover. Our synthesis is largely based on a sea ice-ocean
model forced by a reanalysis atmosphere (1900-2018) corroborated by a
comprehensive hydrographic database (1950-), AW inflow observations
(1996-), and other long-term time series of sea ice extent (1900-),
glacier retreat (1984-) and Barents Sea hydrography (1900-). The Arctic
Ocean, including the Nordic and Barents Seas, has warmed since the
1970s. This warming is congruent with increased ocean heat transport and
sea ice loss and has contributed to the retreat of marine-terminating
glaciers on Greenland. Heat loss to the atmosphere is largest in the
Nordic Seas (60% of total) with large variability linked to the
frequency of Cold Air Outbreaks and cyclones in the region, but there is
no long-term statistically significant trend. Heat loss from the Barents
Sea (~30%) and Arctic seas farther north
(~10%) is overall smaller, but exhibit large positive
trends. The AW inflow, total heat loss to the atmosphere, and dense
outflow have all increased since 1900. These are consistently related
through theoretical scaling, but the AW inflow increase is also
wind-driven. The Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake has increased by
~30% over the last century - consistent with Arctic sea
ice loss allowing stronger air-sea interaction and is
~8% of the global uptake.