Subsurface warming associated with Pacific Summer Water transport toward the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean

Abstract Recent rapid sea ice reduction in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean is potentially associated with inflow of Pacific-origin water via the Bering Strait. For the first time, we detected remarkable subsurface warming around the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean over the recent two d...

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Main Authors: Miaki Muramatsu, Eiji Watanabe, Motoyo Itoh, Jonaotaro Onodera, Kohei Mizobata, Hiromichi Ueno
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81994-8
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author Miaki Muramatsu
Eiji Watanabe
Motoyo Itoh
Jonaotaro Onodera
Kohei Mizobata
Hiromichi Ueno
author_facet Miaki Muramatsu
Eiji Watanabe
Motoyo Itoh
Jonaotaro Onodera
Kohei Mizobata
Hiromichi Ueno
author_sort Miaki Muramatsu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Recent rapid sea ice reduction in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean is potentially associated with inflow of Pacific-origin water via the Bering Strait. For the first time, we detected remarkable subsurface warming around the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean over the recent two decades (i.e., the early 21st century). A statistically significant decadal trend of 16.6 ± 10.6 MJ m− 2 year− 1 in the subsurface ocean heat content during 1999–2020 was captured by shipboard hydrographic data, and associated with the transport of Pacific Summer Water from Barrow Canyon northwest of the Alaskan coast, where similar warming appeared. Satellite-derived geostrophic ocean velocity indicated that the northwestward ocean current flowing from Barrow Canyon to the Chukchi Borderland became faster in the late 2010s, in association with southeastward shift of the Beaufort Gyre, circulating clockwise around the Canada Basin. Therefore, we suggest that warming of the Pacific Summer Water passing over the Chukchi shelf and intensification of the northwestward ocean current along the shelf–basin boundary both acted to enhance the heat transport and contributed to the positive trend in downstream subsurface ocean heat content. Our findings fill important gaps in the understanding of ocean heat distribution/transport, which is a key factor for sea ice freezing/melting, in the central Arctic.
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spelling doaj-art-ebaa9bb5bee047f49d3a99af393c34a52025-01-12T12:20:43ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111010.1038/s41598-024-81994-8Subsurface warming associated with Pacific Summer Water transport toward the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic OceanMiaki Muramatsu0Eiji Watanabe1Motoyo Itoh2Jonaotaro Onodera3Kohei Mizobata4Hiromichi Ueno5Institute of Arctic Climate and Environment Research, Japan Agency for Marine‒Earth Science and TechnologyInstitute of Arctic Climate and Environment Research, Japan Agency for Marine‒Earth Science and TechnologyInstitute of Arctic Climate and Environment Research, Japan Agency for Marine‒Earth Science and TechnologyInstitute of Arctic Climate and Environment Research, Japan Agency for Marine‒Earth Science and TechnologyDepartment of Ocean Sciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and TechnologyGraduate School/Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido UniversityAbstract Recent rapid sea ice reduction in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean is potentially associated with inflow of Pacific-origin water via the Bering Strait. For the first time, we detected remarkable subsurface warming around the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean over the recent two decades (i.e., the early 21st century). A statistically significant decadal trend of 16.6 ± 10.6 MJ m− 2 year− 1 in the subsurface ocean heat content during 1999–2020 was captured by shipboard hydrographic data, and associated with the transport of Pacific Summer Water from Barrow Canyon northwest of the Alaskan coast, where similar warming appeared. Satellite-derived geostrophic ocean velocity indicated that the northwestward ocean current flowing from Barrow Canyon to the Chukchi Borderland became faster in the late 2010s, in association with southeastward shift of the Beaufort Gyre, circulating clockwise around the Canada Basin. Therefore, we suggest that warming of the Pacific Summer Water passing over the Chukchi shelf and intensification of the northwestward ocean current along the shelf–basin boundary both acted to enhance the heat transport and contributed to the positive trend in downstream subsurface ocean heat content. Our findings fill important gaps in the understanding of ocean heat distribution/transport, which is a key factor for sea ice freezing/melting, in the central Arctic.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81994-8
spellingShingle Miaki Muramatsu
Eiji Watanabe
Motoyo Itoh
Jonaotaro Onodera
Kohei Mizobata
Hiromichi Ueno
Subsurface warming associated with Pacific Summer Water transport toward the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean
Scientific Reports
title Subsurface warming associated with Pacific Summer Water transport toward the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean
title_full Subsurface warming associated with Pacific Summer Water transport toward the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean
title_fullStr Subsurface warming associated with Pacific Summer Water transport toward the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean
title_full_unstemmed Subsurface warming associated with Pacific Summer Water transport toward the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean
title_short Subsurface warming associated with Pacific Summer Water transport toward the Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean
title_sort subsurface warming associated with pacific summer water transport toward the chukchi borderland in the arctic ocean
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81994-8
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