dc.contributor.author | Årthun, Marius | eng |
dc.contributor.author | Eldevik, Tor | eng |
dc.contributor.author | Smedsrud, Lars Henrik | eng |
dc.contributor.author | Skagseth, Øystein | eng |
dc.date.accessioned | 2011-10-20T11:33:39Z | |
dc.date.available | 2011-10-20T11:33:39Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2011 | eng |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1956/5126 | |
dc.description.abstract | The recent Arctic winter sea-ice retreat is most pronounced in the Barents Sea. Using available observations of the Atlantic inflow to the Barents Sea and results from a regional ice-ocean model we assess the role of inflowing heat anomalies on sea-ice variability. Between 1979 and 2008 the reduction of annual sea-ice area was 15% decade−1, and in the eastern Barents Sea the winter ice edge retreated about 240 km. The interannual variability and decrease in sea-ice area reflects observed variability in the Atlantic inflow. The heat budget of the model is used to elucidate further how Atlantic inflow anomalies influence the sea-ice area. It is argued that ocean heat transport into the western Barents Sea sets the boundary of the ice-free Atlantic domain and, hence, the sea-ice extent. The regional heat content and heat loss to the atmosphere scales with the area of open ocean as a consequence. Recent sea-ice loss is thus largely caused by an increasing ”Atlantification” of the Barents Sea. A simple prognostic model based on this scaling – and the Atlantic heat source – explains 58% of the variance in sea-ice area. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | eng | eng |
dc.publisher | The authors | en_US |
dc.relation.ispartof | <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/1956/5127" target="blank">Water mass transformations and air-sea exchange in the Barents Sea</a> | en_US |
dc.subject | Barents Sea | eng |
dc.subject | Sea ice | eng |
dc.subject | Atlantic water | eng |
dc.subject | Heat transport | eng |
dc.title | Barents Sea ice cover reflects Atlantic inflow | en_US |
dc.type | Working paper | |
dc.rights.holder | Copyright the authors. All rights reserved | en_US |
dc.subject.nsi | VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450::Oceanography: 452 | en_US |