Sea-ice retreat suggests re-organization of water mass transformation in the Nordic and Barents Seas

Water mass transformation in the Nordic and Barents Seas, triggered by air-sea heat fluxes, is an integral component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). These regions are undergoing rapid warming, associated with a retreat in ice cover. Here we present an analysis covering 195...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2022-01, Vol.13 (1), p.67-67, Article 67
Main Authors: Moore, G. W. K., Våge, K., Renfrew, I. A., Pickart, R. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
704/106/125
704/106/35/823
704/106/829/2737
Climate change
Genetic transformation
Heat
Heat flux
Heat transfer
Humanities and Social Sciences
Ice cover
multidisciplinary
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Sea currents
Sea ice
Transformations
Water currents
Water masses
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Summary:Water mass transformation in the Nordic and Barents Seas, triggered by air-sea heat fluxes, is an integral component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). These regions are undergoing rapid warming, associated with a retreat in ice cover. Here we present an analysis covering 1950−2020 of the spatiotemporal variability of the air-sea heat fluxes along the region’s boundary currents, where water mass transformation impacts are large. We find there is an increase in the air-sea heat fluxes along these currents that is a function of the currents’ orientation relative to the axis of sea-ice change suggesting enhanced water mass transformation is occurring. Previous work has shown a reduction in heat fluxes in the interior of the Nordic Seas. As a result, a reorganization seems to be underway in where water mass transformation occurs, that needs to be considered when ascertaining how the AMOC will respond to a warming climate. Water mass transformation in the Nordic and Barents Seas is important for the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Here, the authors show increases in air-sea heat fluxes linked to sea ice retreat along the boundary currents of the Nordic and Barents Seas that could influence how the AMOC reacts to climate change.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-27641-6