EGU24-10445, updated on 08 Mar 2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-10445
EGU General Assembly 2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Temporal and spatial variability of the oceanic front between the Atlantic Water and adjacent water masses north of Svalbard

Stian Vikanes1,2, Frank Nilsen1,2, and Ragnheid Skogseth1
Stian Vikanes et al.
  • 1The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway
  • 2Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

The inflow of warm Atlantic Water (AW) into the Arctic Ocean is controlled by
oceanic fronts and air-ocean interactions north of Svalbard. The warm AW has
a significant impact on the sea ice extent and marine ecosystems in the region.
Therefore, it is crucial to understand the variability of the oceanic fronts offshore and
onshore of the AW, including their temporal and spatial characteristics, as well as
the mechanisms that govern them, such as atmospheric forcing, frontal instabilities,
and advection. However, our current understanding of the variability of these fronts
and AW north of Svalbard is limited due to lack of observational data. In this study,
we will use historical and more recent hydrographic data to analyze and describe
surface and subsurface fronts, both offshore and onshore of the AW core, in terms of
their dominant water masses along the continental slope north of Svalbard. We will
also determine the strength and position of these fronts by examining the horizontal
gradients in temperature, salinity, and density, and connect it to known changes in
the wind forcing.

How to cite: Vikanes, S., Nilsen, F., and Skogseth, R.: Temporal and spatial variability of the oceanic front between the Atlantic Water and adjacent water masses north of Svalbard, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-10445, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-10445, 2024.

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