TY - JOUR

T1 - Increasing nutrient fluxes and mixing regime changes in the eastern Arctic Ocean

AU - Shultz, Kirsten

AU - Lincoln, Ben

AU - Povazhnyy, V

AU - Rippeth, Tom

AU - Lenn, Yueng-Djern

AU - Janout, Markus

AU - Alkire, Matthew

AU - Scannell, Brian

AU - Torres-Valdes, Sinhue

N1 - Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF). Grant Numbers: 03F0804A, 03F0776 National Science Foundation (NSF). Grant Number: PLR-1203146 AM003 DOC | NOAA | NOAA Research (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research). Grant Number: NA15OAR4310156 UKRI | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Grant Number: 03F0804A Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Федеральная целевая программа). Grant Number: RFMEFI61619X0108

PY - 2022/3/16

Y1 - 2022/3/16

N2 - AbstractPrimary productivity in the Arctic Ocean is experiencing dramatic changes linked to the receding sea ice cover. The vertical transport of nutrients from deeper water layers is the limiting factor for primary production. Here, we compare coincident profiles of turbulence and nutrients from the Siberian Seas in 2007, 2008, and 2018. In all years, the water column structure in the upstream region of the Arctic Boundary Current promotes upward nutrient transport, in contrast to the regions further downstream, and there are first indications for an eastward progression of these conditions. In summer 2018, strongly enhanced vertical nitrate flux and primary production above the continental slope were observed, likely related to a remote storm. The estimated contribution of these elevated fluxes above the slope to the Pan‐Arctic vertical nitrate supply is comparable with the basin‐wide transport, and is predicted to increase with declining sea ice cover in the future.

AB - AbstractPrimary productivity in the Arctic Ocean is experiencing dramatic changes linked to the receding sea ice cover. The vertical transport of nutrients from deeper water layers is the limiting factor for primary production. Here, we compare coincident profiles of turbulence and nutrients from the Siberian Seas in 2007, 2008, and 2018. In all years, the water column structure in the upstream region of the Arctic Boundary Current promotes upward nutrient transport, in contrast to the regions further downstream, and there are first indications for an eastward progression of these conditions. In summer 2018, strongly enhanced vertical nitrate flux and primary production above the continental slope were observed, likely related to a remote storm. The estimated contribution of these elevated fluxes above the slope to the Pan‐Arctic vertical nitrate supply is comparable with the basin‐wide transport, and is predicted to increase with declining sea ice cover in the future.

KW - Arctic Ocean

KW - Siberian Sea

KW - turbulence

KW - nutrient fluxes

KW - boundary mixing

KW - climate change

U2 - 10.1029/2021GL096152

DO - 10.1029/2021GL096152

M3 - Article

VL - 49

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

SN - 0094-8276

IS - 5

M1 - e2021GL096152

ER -