Arctic Ocean Water Mass Structure and Circulation
Bert Rudels, Eddy C. Carmack
Abstract
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world oceans, yet one whose currents and water masses extend globally. It is an advection-dominated ocean in that currents import distinct waters from both the North Atlantic and the North Pacific that interact and layer vertically by density. Further modified by river inputs and the freezing and melting of sea ice, the Arctic Ocean exports modified waters back into the North Atlantic, thus impacting the global thermohaline circulation. This physical system forms the backdrop for almost all chemical, biological, and geological processes within the Arctic Ocean, all of which are expected to change in a warming Earth. To anticipate the effects of such changes in external and advective forcing, it is necessary to understand how they interact and are manifested in the observed hydrographic structures. The aim of this review is thus to present and discuss the processes responsible for these structures.