Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3080
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3080
10 Jan 2024
 | 10 Jan 2024

An emerging pathway of Atlantic Water to the Barents Sea through the Svalbard Archipelago: drivers and variability

Kjersti Kalhagen, Ragnheid Skogseth, Till M. Baumann, Eva Falck, and Ilker Fer

Abstract. The Barents Sea, an important component of the Arctic Ocean, is experiencing shifts in ocean currents, stratification, sea-ice variability, and marine ecosystems. Inflowing Atlantic Water (AW) is known to be a key driver of change. Although AW predominantly enters the Barents Sea via the Barents Sea Opening, other pathways exist but remain relatively unexplored. Summer climatology fields of temperature in the last century compared to 2000–2019 indicate warming in the trench Storfjordrenna and the shallow banks Hopenbanken and Storfjordbanken in the Svalbard Archipelago, and shoaling of AW, extending further into the "channel" between Edgeøya and Hopen islands. This region emerges as a pathway of AW into the northwestern Barents Sea. One year-long records from a mooring deployed between September 2018 and November 2019 at a saddle in this channel, show the flow of Atlantic-origin waters into the Arctic domain of the northwestern Barents Sea. The average current is directed eastward, into the Barents Sea, but is dominated by large variability throughout the year. Here, we investigate this variability on time scales from hours to months. Wind forcing mediates the currents and the water and heat exchange through the channel through geostrophic adjustment to Ekman transport. The main drivers for the AW inflow and the cross-saddle transport of positive temperature anomalies are persistent strong semidiurnal tidal currents, intermittent wind-forced events, and wintertime warm water intrusions forced by upstream conditions. We propose that similar topographic constraints where the Polar Front acts like a barrier may become more important for AW inflow and heat exchange in the future. The ongoing warming and possible shoaling of AW together with changes in the large-scale weather patterns would likely increase inflow and heat transport through the processes identified in this study.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

13 Aug 2024
An emerging pathway of Atlantic Water to the Barents Sea through the Svalbard Archipelago: drivers and variability
Kjersti Kalhagen, Ragnheid Skogseth, Till M. Baumann, Eva Falck, and Ilker Fer
Ocean Sci., 20, 981–1001, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-981-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-981-2024, 2024
Short summary
Kjersti Kalhagen, Ragnheid Skogseth, Till M. Baumann, Eva Falck, and Ilker Fer

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Review on the manuscript egusphere-2023-3080', Anonymous Referee #1, 21 Feb 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Kjersti Kalhagen, 10 May 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-3080', Anonymous Referee #2, 26 Apr 2024
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Kjersti Kalhagen, 23 May 2024

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Review on the manuscript egusphere-2023-3080', Anonymous Referee #1, 21 Feb 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Kjersti Kalhagen, 10 May 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-3080', Anonymous Referee #2, 26 Apr 2024
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Kjersti Kalhagen, 23 May 2024

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Kjersti Kalhagen on behalf of the Authors (05 Jun 2024)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (09 Jun 2024) by Rob Hall
AR by Kjersti Kalhagen on behalf of the Authors (14 Jun 2024)  Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

13 Aug 2024
An emerging pathway of Atlantic Water to the Barents Sea through the Svalbard Archipelago: drivers and variability
Kjersti Kalhagen, Ragnheid Skogseth, Till M. Baumann, Eva Falck, and Ilker Fer
Ocean Sci., 20, 981–1001, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-981-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-981-2024, 2024
Short summary
Kjersti Kalhagen, Ragnheid Skogseth, Till M. Baumann, Eva Falck, and Ilker Fer
Kjersti Kalhagen, Ragnheid Skogseth, Till M. Baumann, Eva Falck, and Ilker Fer

Viewed

Total article views: 517 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total BibTeX EndNote
391 94 32 517 17 18
  • HTML: 391
  • PDF: 94
  • XML: 32
  • Total: 517
  • BibTeX: 17
  • EndNote: 18
Views and downloads (calculated since 10 Jan 2024)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 10 Jan 2024)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 518 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 518 with geography defined and 0 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 12 Sep 2024
Download

The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
Atlantic Water (AW) is a key driver of change in the Barents Sea. We have studied an emerging pathway of AW into the Barents Sea through the Svalbard Archipelago. We found that the Atlantic sector near the study site has warmed in the recent two decades, that Atlantic-origin waters intermittently enter the Barents Sea through this pathway, and that the heat transport is driven by tides, wind events, and variations in the current system upstream.