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Nordic Seas Heat Loss, Atlantic Inflow, and Arctic Sea Ice cover over the last century
  • +14
  • Lars H. Smedsrud,
  • Ailin Brakstad,
  • Erica Madonna,
  • Morven Muilwijk,
  • Siv K. Lauvset,
  • Clemens Spensberger,
  • Andreas Born,
  • Tor Eldevik,
  • Helge Drange,
  • Emil Jeansson,
  • Camille Li,
  • Are Olsen,
  • Øystein Skagseth,
  • Donald A Slater,
  • Fiammetta Straneo,
  • Kjetil Våge,
  • Marius Årthun
Lars H. Smedsrud
University of Bergen, University of Bergen

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Ailin Brakstad
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Erica Madonna
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Morven Muilwijk
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Siv K. Lauvset
NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre
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Clemens Spensberger
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Andreas Born
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Tor Eldevik
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Helge Drange
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Emil Jeansson
NORCE, NORCE
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Camille Li
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Are Olsen
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Øystein Skagseth
Institute for Marine Research, Bergen, Norway, Institute for Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
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Donald A Slater
St. Andrews or University of Edinburg, St. Andrews or University of Edinburg
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Fiammetta Straneo
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, USA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, USA
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Kjetil Våge
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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Marius Årthun
University of Bergen, University of Bergen
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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.
Mar 2022Published in Reviews of Geophysics volume 60 issue 1. 10.1029/2020RG000725