ARCTIC-FLOW: A new project for better understanding water mass formation processes in the Nordic Seas

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a central role in climate by transporting and redistributing recently observed temperature increases to depth, thereby regulating the effective heat capacity of the ocean under global warming. The AMOC is projected to decline in response to climate change and there is broad agreement that the climate consequences of a potential shutdown of this vital ocean circulation are enormous. The Nordic Seas are a dominant contributor to the overturning circulation due to the production of dense waters north of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge which feed into the lower limb of the AMOC.

 

The objectives of ARCTIC-FLOW, an ESA Polar Cluster project, are: 1) to identify the main locations of surface water mass transformation into denser waters; 2) to provide new estimates of water mass transformation and overturning in order to understand the mechanisms driving  surface density changes and their impact on the ocean circulation; 3) to investigate the temporal and spatial scales at which the main processes of water mass formations occur; and 4) to assess the impact of extreme freshening events, with the main focus on different regions of the Nordic Seas.

 

To achieve these objectives, we will construct a new 16-year time series of satellite-derived freshwater and density fluxes for the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions,  obtained by combining SSS, SST and velocity fields from EO observation, along with information of the Mixed Layer Depth. We will then  perform an in-depth analysis of a comprehensive set of in situ measurements in combination with results of model experiments and the new EO-derived time series. 

In this talk we will present the project and the progress made in generating  the new satellite product.