Variability of water properties, currents and fluxes in Nares Strait, connecting the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean

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Enhanced delivery of fresh cold waters from the Arctic along Labrador contributes to vertical stratification as far south as the Mid-Atlantic Bight where interannual ecosystem variability appears to correlate with upstream conditions in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). Nares Strait between Greenland and the CAA provides a seawater pathway between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. A mooring array across the strait has provided information on water properties, currents and fluxes from 2003 to 2012. These are strongly influenced by the sea ice state in the strait, which varies from mobile in summer to land-fast in winter caused by ice bridge formation to the south. The geostrophic freshwater flux shows fluctuations linked to change in weather and season (enhanced during mobile ice season). Change in the annual ice cover cycle, such as recent failures of ice bridge formation, greatly extends the mobile ice season. A future increase of failures could allow a higher freshwater flux to the south, deeper mixing of brackish surface waters, and a stronger dependence of flow on local atmospheric forcing. Our developing understanding of fluxes through Nares Strait will guide future improvement in the representation of the global hydrologic cycle in climate models.