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Transpolar Drift

Transpolar Drift. By: Danielle Holden. Background . Moves from Siberian Coast of Russia through Fram Strait and joins the Eastern Greenland Current Moves at 1-3 cm/s Depth: 2000 m.

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Transpolar Drift

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  1. Transpolar Drift By: Danielle Holden

  2. Background • Moves from Siberian Coast of Russia through Fram Strait and joins the Eastern Greenland Current • Moves at 1-3 cm/s • Depth: 2000 m Arctic Ocean circulation. Image courtesy of Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Figure 3.29, AMAP (1998).

  3. Ice/Fresh Water Circulation • Beaufort Gyre and Transpolar Drift “exchange” ice between each other • The amount of fresh water transported depends on how much ice was melted in the Arctic • 50-70% albedo in Arctic • Sensible heat loss into air and ocean • Transpolar Drift collides ice into Greenland coast: ridge formation and thick ice The amount of ice export Source: Torben Königk et al: Fram Strait Ice Export: Variability and its Impact on Climate

  4. Circulation and NAO • Positive and Negative Phases affect the Transpolar Drift differently: • Positive phase: creates westerlies in Arctic, colder air more sea ice, less ice and water transport • Negative phase: weak winds in Arctic, warmer air, less sea ice, more ice and water transport

  5. Circulation and Vorticity • Decadal Oscillations between (+) and (-) vorticities • Positive and Negative vorticities affect where the current travels. There are 2 paths. • Positive Vorticity Phase: Weak High Pressure in Arctic allows fresh water/sea ice to drift counterclockwise. (RED) • Negative Vorticity Phase: Strong High Pressure forces fresh water clockwise (BLUE) Transpolar Drift Paths: Source: Mysak: Patterns of Arctic Circulation

  6. References • http://www.giub.unibe.ch/klimet/wanner/nao.html • http://nsidc.org/seaice/processes/circulation.html • Knauss, John A. Introduction to Physical Oceanography. Long Grove: Waveland Pr Inc, 2005. • Koenigk, T., J. Jungclaus, and U. Mikolajewicz. "Fram Strait Ice Export: Variability and its Impact on Climate." American Geohysical Union (2004). • Mysak, Lawrence A. "Patterns of Arctic Circulation." Science 293 (2001): 1269-270.

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