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Sea ice thermohaline dynamics and biogeochemistry in the Arctic Ocean: Empirical and model results

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003660· OSTI ID:1372795
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  1. Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromso (Norway)
  2. Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromso (Norway); Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway)
  3. Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsa (Norway); UiT the Artic Univ. of Norway, Tromso (Norway)
  4. Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsa (Norway)
  5. Univ. in Bergen, Bergen (Norway)
  6. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Here, large changes in the sea ice regime of the Arctic Ocean have occurred over the last decades justifying the development of models to forecast sea ice physics and biogeochemistry. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the performance of the Los Alamos Sea Ice Model (CICE) to simulate physical and biogeochemical properties at time scales of a few weeks and to use the model to analyze ice algal bloom dynamics in different types of ice. Ocean and atmospheric forcing data and observations of the evolution of the sea ice properties collected from 18 April to 4 June 2015, during the Norwegian young sea ICE expedition, were used to test the CICE model. Our results show the following: (i) model performance is reasonable for sea ice thickness and bulk salinity; good for vertically resolved temperature, vertically averaged Chl a concentrations, and standing stocks; and poor for vertically resolved Chl a concentrations. (ii) Improving current knowledge about nutrient exchanges, ice algal recruitment, and motion is critical to improve sea ice biogeochemical modeling. (iii) Ice algae may bloom despite some degree of basal melting. (iv) Ice algal motility driven by gradients in limiting factors is a plausible mechanism to explain their vertical distribution. (v) Different ice algal bloom and net primary production (NPP) patterns were identified in the ice types studied, suggesting that ice algal maximal growth rates will increase, while sea ice vertically integrated NPP and biomass will decrease as a result of the predictable increase in the area covered by refrozen leads in the Arctic Ocean.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1372795
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--16-27818
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 122; ISSN 2169-8953
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (7)

Windows in Arctic sea ice: Light transmission and ice algae in a refrozen lead: Light and Algae in a Refrozen Lead journal June 2017
Sustainable management of economically valuable seaweed stocks at the limits of their range of distribution: Ascophyllum nodosum (Phaeophyceae) and its southernmost population in Europe journal December 2019
Drivers of Ice Algal Bloom Variability Between 1980 and 2015 in the Chukchi Sea journal October 2018
Field Observations and Physical‐Biogeochemical Modeling Suggest Low Silicon Affinity for Antarctic Fast Ice Diatoms journal November 2019
E3SMv0‐HiLAT: A Modified Climate System Model Targeted for the Study of High‐Latitude Processes journal August 2019
A red tide in the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean journal July 2019
Essential gaps and uncertainties in the understanding of the roles and functions of Arctic sea ice journal April 2019

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
Earth Sciences
sea ice
biogeochemistry
Arctic Ocean