Ocean freshwater fluxes through the Canadian archipelago (CAT)

Global change reaches the Arctic via the exchange of heat and moisture by winds and currents between the equator and the poles. Winds are relatively unobstructed by land and move air and moisture north or south at locations all around the Arctic. Currents are confined by continents to a few pathways. There are only two routes for currents leaving the Arctic, via the Canadian Archipelago or via Fram Strait (east of Greenland). The former is the focus of the Canadian Arctic Through-flow (CAT) study during the IPY. Scientists lack knowledge critical to predicting Arctic change because the quantities of fresh water, heat and ice moving through the Archipelago are not known and the forces driving these movements are not understood.