Seasonal and Interannual Variability of the Slope Current and its Possibe impact on the Barents Sea Opening

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

The Norwegian Atlantic Slope Current (NwASC) provides the most direct link connecting the North Atlantic to the Arctic. The focus of this study is on the large-scale variability of the slope current and its forcing mechanisms. We utilize satellite altimeter data from 1992-2011 on weekly basis to estimate the local sea level gradient from about 55to 80N in order to resolve the spatio-temporal variability along a constant f/H contour in the main core of the slope current. One principal question we will attempt to enlighten is how the mean seasonal cycle changes along-stream of the slope current. An analysis is developed that helps diagnosing where the NwASC loses/gains mass. Additionally, a particular emphasis will be on the splitting of the slope current into the Barents Sea and the Fram Strait branches. This will be related to the atmospheric forcing controlling the slope current variability using a topographic Sverdrup relation. The study also investigate how the wind forcing has changed over inter-annual and longer times scales, and further relate this to observed hydrographic variability. Finally, in relation to climate change we briefly discuss the sensitivity of these results to possible future changes in the forcing.