An Innovative Observational Network for Critical Arctic Gateways--Understanding Exchanges through Davis and Fram Straits

This coordinated international effort plans to quantify the variability of fluxes connecting the Arctic and subpolar oceans, understand the role played by the Arctic and sub-Arctic in steering decadal scale climate variability and establish a pan-Arctic integrated observing network. Researcher's investigation will focus on understanding exchanges across a major gateway linking the Arctic with the subpolar North Atlantic Davis Strait (Canadian Arctic Archipelago). Fluxes through Davis Strait represent the net integrated Canadian Archipelago throughflow, modified by terrestrial inputs and oceanic processes during its southward transit through Baffin Bay. By the time they reach Davis Strait, Arctic waters already embody most of the transformations they undergo prior to exerting their influence on the deepwater formation sites in the Labrador Sea. This project will study the Davis Strait watermass variability, volume, liquid freshwater, heat and ice fluxes at weekly to inter-annual timescales. These measurements will be used to advance understanding of the impacts of these exchanges on large scale characteristics of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

本协同国际研究计划旨在量化连接北极与副极地海洋的通量变化特征，阐明北极与亚北极系统在调控年代际尺度气候变率中发挥的核心作用，并构建泛北极综合观测网络。本项目的研究将聚焦于解析连接北极与北大西洋副极地海域的关键通道——戴维斯海峡（Davis Strait，加拿大北极群岛（Canadian Arctic Archipelago）区域）的水交换过程。流经戴维斯海峡的通量代表了加拿大北极群岛整体经向输运的净通量，该输运过程在南向穿越巴芬湾（Baffin Bay）时，会受到陆地输入物与海洋动力过程的改造。当北极水体抵达戴维斯海峡时，其已完成了在影响拉布拉多海（Labrador Sea）深水形成区之前的绝大多数转变过程。本项目将在周尺度至年际尺度的时间范围内，研究戴维斯海峡的水团（watermass）变化、水体体积、液态淡水通量、热通量与海冰通量。上述观测数据将用于深化对这些水交换过程如何影响大西洋与北极洋大尺度环境特征的科学认知。