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.

这项协同推进的国际研究计划旨在量化连接北极与副极地海洋的通量（fluxes）变化，阐明北极及亚北极区域在调控年代际尺度（decadal scale）气候变率中发挥的作用，并构建泛北极（pan-Arctic）综合观测网络。本研究将聚焦于解析连接北极与副极地北大西洋的关键通道——戴维斯海峡（Davis Strait，加拿大北极群岛（Canadian Arctic Archipelago））的水交换过程。经戴维斯海峡的通量代表加拿大北极群岛穿极流的净积分总量，该流系在向南流经巴芬湾（Baffin Bay）的过程中，会受到陆地输入物质与海洋过程的改造。当北极海水抵达戴维斯海峡时，其已完成了绝大多数物理改造过程，随后将对拉布拉多海（Labrador Sea）的深水形成区域产生影响。本项目将在周际至年际（inter-annual）时间尺度上，研究戴维斯海峡的水团（watermass）变化、体积、液态淡水、热量与海冰通量。上述观测数据将用于深化对该水交换过程对大西洋与北极大洋大尺度特征影响的认知。