Effects of Seasonal Ice Coverage on the Physical Oceanographic Conditions of the Kitikmeot Sea in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Xu, Chengzhu; Mikhael, Wahad; Myers, Paul G.; Else, Brent; Sims, Richard P.; Zhou, Qi

Effects of Seasonal Ice Coverage on the Physical Oceanographic Conditions of the Kitikmeot Sea in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

dc.contributor.author	Xu, Chengzhu
dc.contributor.author	Mikhael, Wahad
dc.contributor.author	Myers, Paul G.
dc.contributor.author	Else, Brent
dc.contributor.author	Sims, Richard P.
dc.contributor.author	Zhou, Qi
dc.date.accessioned	2021-08-31T20:57:26Z
dc.date.available	2021-08-31T20:57:26Z
dc.date.issued	2021-08-31
dc.description.abstract	The Kitikmeot Sea is a semi-enclosed, east–west waterway in the southern Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). In the present work, the ice conditions, stratification, and circulation of the Kitikmeot Sea are diagnosed using numerical simulations with a 1/12° resolution. The physical oceanographic conditions of the Kitikmeot Sea are different from channels in the northern CAA due to the existence of a substantial ice-free period each year. The consequences of such ice conditions are twofold. First, through fluctuations of external forcings, such as solar radiation and wind stress, acting directly or indirectly on the sea surface, the seasonal ice coverage leads to significant seasonal variations in both stratification and circulation. Our simulation results suggest that such variations include freshening and deepening of the surface layer, in which salinity can reach as low as 15 during the peak runoff season, and significantly stronger along-shore currents driven directly by the wind stress during the ice-free season. The second consequence is that the sea ice is not landfast but can move freely during the melting season. By analyzing the relative importance of thermodynamic (freezing and/or melting) and dynamic (ice movement) processes to the ice dynamics, our simulation results suggest that there is a net inflow of sea ice into the Kitikmeot Sea, which melts locally each summer. The movement of sea ice thus provides a significant freshwater pathway, which contributes approximately 14 km3 yr−1 of fresh water to the Kitikmeot Sea, on average, equivalent to a third of freshwater input from runoff from the land.	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Chengzhu Xu, Wahad Mikhael, Paul G. Myers, Brent Else, Richard P. Sims & Qi Zhou (2021) Effects of Seasonal Ice Coverage on the Physical Oceanographic Conditions of the Kitikmeot Sea in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Atmosphere-Ocean, DOI: 10.1080/07055900.2021.1965531	en_US
dc.identifier.doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07055900.2021.1965531	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1880/113796
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.publisher	Taylor and Francis	en_US
dc.publisher.department	Civil Engineering	en_US
dc.publisher.faculty	Schulich School of Engineering	en_US
dc.publisher.hasversion	acceptedVersion	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	University of Alberta	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	Department of Fisheries and Oceans	en_US
dc.publisher.policy	https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/research-impact/sharing-versions-of-journal-articles/	en_US
dc.rights	Unless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.	en_US
dc.subject	numerical modelling	en_US
dc.subject	Canadian Arctic Archipelago	en_US
dc.subject	Kitikmeot Sea	en_US
dc.subject	seasonal oceanographic conditions	en_US
dc.title	Effects of Seasonal Ice Coverage on the Physical Oceanographic Conditions of the Kitikmeot Sea in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago	en_US
dc.type	journal article	en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopy	true	en_US
ucalgary.scholar.level	Faculty	en_US