Observational program tracks Arctic Ocean transition to a warmer state
Résumé
Over the past several decades, the Arctic Ocean has undergone substantial change. Enhanced transport of warmer air from lower latitudes has led to increased Arctic surface air temperature. Concurrent reductions in Arctic ice extent and thickness have been documented. The first evidence of warming in the intermediate Atlantic Water (AW, water depth between 150 and 900 meters) of the Arctic Ocean was found in 1990. Another anomaly, found in 2004, suggests that the Arctic Ocean is in transition toward a new, warmer state.Detection of this anomalous state became possible due to the concerted efforts of the international team of scientists who jointly established and maintain the large-scale Mooring-Based Arctic Ocean ObservationalSystem (MAOOS). The program provides a quantitative assessment of circulation, water mass transformations, biogeochemical fluxes, key mechanisms of variability in the Arctic Ocean, and links to lower-latitudeprocesses. MAOOS also provides a unique opportunity for coordinated long-term measurements over a vast polar/subpolar region, and the program promises to become a key contributor to the International Polar Year(IPY). MAOOS is linked with North Atlantic and Arctic observations provided by the international Arctic/Subarctic Ocean Fluxes (ASOF), Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH), Developing Arctic Modeling andObserving Capabilities for Long-Term Environmental Studies (DAMOCLES), and Integrated Arctic Ocean Observing System (iAOOS-Norway) programs. The program's primary monitoring tool is a series of moorings placed around the Arctic Ocean. The mooring locations are chosen to capture major near-slope transports, measure shelf-basin interaction processes, and document interactions between different water masses. Mooring-based observations are complemented by repeat quasi-synoptic oceanographic surveys, which provide the spatial coverage to enhance data interpretation.
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EoS Transactions - 2007 - Polyakov - Observational program tracks Arctic Ocean transition to a warmer state.pdf (4.1 Mo)
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