Understanding Arctic Ocean Circulation: A Review of Ocean Dynamics in a Changing Climate
Name
Timmermans_Marshall_2020.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
2.39 MB
Format
Unknown
Checksum (MD5)
2acdaa77e106175f5df2ac8b361490a1
Author(s)
Timmermans, Mary‐Louise
Marshall, John
Date Issued
March 2020
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The Arctic Ocean is a focal point of climate change, with ocean warming, freshening, sea-ice decline, and circulation that link to the changing atmospheric and terrestrial environment. Major features of the Arctic and the interconnected nature of its wind- and buoyancy-driven circulation are reviewed here by presenting a synthesis of observational data interpreted from the perspective of geophysical fluid dynamics (GFD). The general circulation is seen to be the superposition of Atlantic Water flowing into and around the Arctic basin and the two main wind-driven circulation features of the interior stratified Arctic Ocean: the Transpolar Drift Stream and the Beaufort Gyre. The specific drivers of these systems, including wind forcing, ice-ocean interactions, and surface buoyancy fluxes, and their associated GFD are explored. The essential understanding guides an assessment of how Arctic Ocean structure and dynamics might fundamentally change as the Arctic warms, sea-ice cover declines, and the ice that remains becomes more mobile.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc014378
