A double-halocline structure in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean

A year-round halocline is a particular hydrographic structure in the upperArctic Ocean. On the basis of an analysis of the hydrographic data collected in the Arctic Ocean, itis found that a double-halocline structure exists in the upper layer of the southern Canada Basin,which is absolutely different from the Cold Halocline Layer (CHL) in the Eurasian Basin. ThePacific-origin water is the primary factor in the formation of the double-halocline structure. Theupper halocline lies between the summer modification and the winter modification of thePacific-origin water while the lower halocline results from the Pacific-origin water overlying uponthe Atlantic-origin water. Both haloclines are all the year-round although seasonal and interannualvariations have been detected in the historical data.

Weak Vertical Diffusion Allows Maintenance of Cold Halocline in the Central Arctic

In spring preceding the record minimum summer ice cover detailed microstructure measurements were made from drifting pack ice in the Arctic Ocean, 110 km from the North Pole. Profiles of hydrography, shear, and temperature microstructure collected in the upper water column covering the core of the Atlantic Water are analyzed to determine the diapycnal eddy diffusivity, the eddy diffusivity for heat, and the turbulent flux of heat. Turbulence in the bulk of the cold halocline layer was not strong enough to generate significant buoyancy flux and mixing. Resulting turbulent heat flux across the upper cold halocline was not significantly different than zero. The results show that the low levels of eddy diffusivity in the upper cold halocline lead to small vertical turbulent transport of heat, thereby allowing the maintenance of the cold halocline in the central Arctic.

Regime shift of the dominant factor for halocline depth in the Canada Basin during 1990–2008

The World Ocean Database（WOD） is used to evaluate the halocline depth simulated by an ice-ocean coupled model in the Canada Basin during 1990–2008. Statistical results show that the simulated halocline is reliable.Comparing of the September sea ice extent between simulation and SSM/I dataset, a consistent interannual variability is found between them. Moreover, both the simulated and observed September sea ice extent show staircase declines in 2000–2008 compared to 1990–1999. That supports that the abrupt variations of the ocean surface stress curl anomaly in 2000–2008 are caused by rapid sea ice melting and also in favor of the realistic existence of the simulated variations. Responses to these changes can be found in the upper ocean circulation and the intermediate current variations in these two phases as well. The analysis shows that seasonal variations of the halocline are regulated by the seasonal variations of the Ekman pumping. On interannual time scale, the variations of the halocline have an inverse relationship with the ocean surface stress curl anomaly after 2000,while this relationship no longer applies in the 1990 s. It is pointed out that the regime shift in the Canada Basin can be derived to illustrate this phenomenon. Specifically, the halocline variations are dominated by advection in the 1990 s and Ekman pumping in the 2000 s respectively. Furthermore, the regime shift is caused by changing Transpolar Drift pathway and Ekman pumping area due to spatial deformation of the center Beaufort high（BH）relative to climatology.

Oceanic vertical mixing of the lower halocline water in the Chukchi Borderland and Mendeleyev Ridge

Oceanic vertical mixing of the lower halocline water(LHW)in the Chukchi Borderland and Mendeleyev Ridge was studied based on in situ hydrographic and turbulent observations.The depth-averaged turbulent dissipation rate of LHW demonstrates a clear topographic dependence,with a mean value of 1.2×10^(-9) W/kg in the southwest of Canada Basin,1.5×10^(-9) W/kg in the Mendeleyev Abyssal Plain,2.4×10^(-9) W/kg on the Mendeleyev Ridge,and2.7×10^(-9) W/kg on the Chukchi Cap.Correspondingly,the mean depth-averaged vertical heat flux of the LHW is0.21 W/m^(2) in the southwest Canada Basin,0.30 W/m^(2) in the Mendeleyev Abyssal Plain,0.39 W/m^(2) on the Mendeleyev Ridge,and 0.46 W/m^(2) on the Chukchi Cap.However,in the presence of Pacific Winter Water,the upward heat released from Atlantic Water through the lower halocline can hardly contribute to the surface ocean.Further,the underlying mechanisms of diapycnal mixing in LHW—double diffusion and shear instability—was investigated.The mixing in LHW where double diffusion were observed is always relatively weaker,with corresponding dissipation rate ranging from 1.01×10^(-9) W/kg to 1.57×10^(-9) W/kg.The results also show a strong correlation between the depth-average dissipation rate and strain variance in the LHW,which indicates a close physical linkage between the turbulent mixing and internal wave activities.In addition,both surface wind forcing and semidiurnal tides significantly contribute to the turbulent mixing in the LHW.

The sources of the upper and lower halocline water in the Canada Basin derived from isotopic tracers

Seawater samples were collected in the water column from the Canada Basin aboard RV Xuelong in August 1999. Concentrations of δ; D, δ;18 O, nutrients (NO3 -, PO4 3-, SiO3 2-) and dissolved oxygen were measured, along with hydrographic parameters (salinity and temperature). Our results showed that the upper layer of the water column was characterized by the occurrence of the upper halocline water (UHW) and the lower halocline water (LHW). The UHW was associated with a salinity of 33.1 (～150m depth) and maximums of nutrients, NO and PO*, whereas minimums of NO and PO* (PO* = PO4 3?+ O2/175?1.95 μmol/dm3) occurred at the depth of LHW (~300m depth). Two tracer systems, S-δ;18O-PO* and S-δ D-SiO3 3-, were used to estimate the fractions of the Atlantic water, Pacific water, river runoff and sea ice meltwater in water samples. Combined with the nutrient ratio NO/PO, it was suggested that the UHW was derived from the in-flow of the Pacific water through the Bering Strait. These waters were modified to obtain the high salinity and nutrients in the Chukchi shelf or/and the east Siberian shelf. The LHW was maintained by inflow of the Atlantic water through Barents Sea and subsequent mixing with freshwater in the shelf region to produce the signals of NO and PO* minimums. In study basin, the river runoff signals were confined to water depths less than 300 m and the fractions of river runoff decreased with the increasing depth. Water column inventories of river runoff and sea ice meltwater were calculated between the surface and 300m. The river runoff inventories in the Canada Basin were higher than those in other sea areas, suggesting that the Canada basin is a major storage region for Arctic river water. The sea ice meltwater signals suggested that the Canada Basin is a region of net sea ice formation and the inventories of net sea ice in the upper water column increasing from the south to the north.

Summer water temperature structures and their interannual variation in the upper Canada Basin

Conductivity, temperature and depth （CTD） data from 1993 2010 are used to study water tempera- ture in the upper Canada Basin. There are four kinds of water temperature structures： The remains of the winter convective mixed layer, the near-surface temperature maximum （NSTM）, the wind-driven mixed layer, and the advected water under sea ice. The NSTM mainly appears within the conductive mixed layer that forms in winter. Solar heating and surface cooling are two basic factors in the formation of the NSTM. The NSTM can also appear in undisturbed open water, as long as there is surface cooling. Water in open water areas may advect beneath the sea ice. The overlying sea ice cools the surface of the advected water, and a temperature maximum could appear similar to the NSTM. The NSTM mostly occurred at depths 10-30 m because of its deepening and strengthening during smnmer, with highest frequency at 20 m. Two clear stages of interannual variation are identified. Before 2003, most NSTMs were observed in marginal ice zones and open waters, so temperature maxima were usually warmer than 0~C. After 2004, most NSTMs occurred in ice-covered areas, with nmch colder temperature maxima. Average depths of the temperature maxima in most years were about 20 m, except for about 16 m in 2007, which was related to the extreme minimum of ice cover. Average temperatures were around 0.8~C to 1.1~C, but increased to around 0.5~C in 2004, 2007 and 2009, corresponding to reduced sea ice. As a no-ice summer in the Arctic is expected, the NSTM will be warmer with sea ice decline. Most energy absorbed by seawater has been transported to sea ice and the atmosphere. The heat near the NSTM is only the remains of total absorption, and the energy stored in the NSTM is not considerable. However, the NSTM is an important sign of the increasing absorption of solar energy in seawater.

Characteristics of the Transition Layer in the South China Sea in 1998

CTD data on standard levels collected during July and December in 1998 and the cubic spline interpolating method were used to study the characteristics of the transition layer temperature and salinity. The thermocline undergoes remarkable seasonal variation in the South China Sea (SCS), and especially in the region of the north shelf where the thermocline disappears in December. The thermocline is stronger and thicker in July than in December. There is no obvious seasonal variation in the halocline. Due to the upper Ekman transport caused by monsoon over the SCS, the thermocline slopes upward in July and downward in December from east to west in the northern SCS. The characteristics of the thermocline and halocline are influenced by local eddies in the SCS. The Zhujiang diluted flow influences significantly the SCS shelf’s halocline.

Low ^(210)Pb in the upper thermocline in the Canadian Basin: scavenge process over the Chukchi Sea

210pb was measured during the 3rd Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition cruise to investigate its spa- tial pattern in the western Arctic Ocean, as well as its relation with the thermocline in the Canadian Basin. The specific activities varied from 0.04 to 2.72, 〈0.013 to 4.37, and 0.1 to 4.85 Bq/m3 for dissolved, particu- late, and bulk 210pb, respectively, corresponding to respective averages of 0.65, 0.43, and 1.08 Bq/m3. In the Canadian Basin, the minimum 210pb activities occurred in the thermocline, which was characterized by low temperature of-1.52℃ and salinity of 33.1. Combining the spatial distribution of 210pb and hydrographical characteristics in the western Arctic Ocean, this scenario was ascribed to the effective scavenging of 210pb when the Pacific water flowed across the Chukchi Shelf. Quantitatively, this interpretation was supported by both the shorter residence times and higher scavenging efficiencies （SE） of dissolved 210pb over the Chukchi Shelf. The highest SE values were observed in the Herald Shoal and bottom waters over the slope.