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Distribution of Atlantic and Pacific waters in the upper Arctic Ocean: Implications for circulation
Author(s) -
Jones E. Peter,
Anderson Leif G.,
Swift James H.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/98gl00464
Subject(s) - oceanography , canada basin , arctic , geology , structural basin , north atlantic deep water , arctic dipole anomaly , thermohaline circulation , climatology , arctic ice pack , drift ice , geomorphology
The Atlantic and Pacific oceans provide source waters for the Arctic Ocean that can be distinguished by their differing nitrate and phosphate concentration relationships. Using these relationships, we estimate the amount of Atlantic and Pacific waters in the surface layer (top 30 m) of the Arctic Ocean. Atlantic source water is dominant in most of the Eurasian Basin and is present in significant amounts in the Makarov Basin north of the East Siberian Sea. Pacific source water is dominant in most of the Canadian Basin and is present in significant amounts in the Amundsen Basin north of Greenland. We deduce circulation patterns from the distributions of Atlantic and Pacific source waters in the surface layer of the Arctic Ocean and conclude that the flow within the surface layer differs from ice drift along the North American and European boundaries of the Polar Basin.