scholarly journals Sediment-laden sea ice in southern Hudson Bay: Entrainment, transport, and biogeochemical implications

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Barber ◽  
M. L. Harasyn ◽  
D. G. Babb ◽  
D. Capelle ◽  
G. McCullough ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Light Transmission ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Sediment Resuspension ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Isotopic Analysis ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Areal Extent

During a research expedition in Hudson Bay in June 2018, vast areas of thick (>10 m), deformed sediment-laden sea ice were encountered unexpectedly in southern Hudson Bay and presented difficult navigation conditions for the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen. An aerial survey of one of these floes revealed a maximum ridge height of 4.6 m and an average freeboard of 2.2 m, which corresponds to an estimated total thickness of 18 m, far greater than expected within a seasonal ice cover. Samples of the upper portion of the ice floe revealed that it was isothermal and fresh in areas with sediment present on the surface. Fine-grained sediment and larger rocks were visible on the ice surface, while a pronounced sediment band was observed in an ice core. Initial speculation was that this ice had formed in the highly dynamic Nelson River estuary from freshwater, but δ18O isotopic analysis revealed a marine origin. In southern Hudson Bay, significant tidal forcing promotes both sediment resuspension and new ice formation within a flaw lead, which we speculate promotes the formation of this sediment-laden sea ice. Historic satellite imagery shows that sediment-laden sea ice is typical of southern Hudson Bay, varying in areal extent from 47 to 118 km2 during June. Based on an average sediment particle concentration of 0.1 mg mL–1 in sea ice, an areal extent of 51,924 km2 in June 2018, and an estimated regional end-of-winter ice thickness of 1.5 m, we conservatively estimated that a total sediment load of 7.8 × 106 t, or 150 t km–2, was entrained within sea ice in southern Hudson Bay during winter 2018. As sediments can alter carbon concentrations and light transmission within sea ice, these first observations of this ice type in Hudson Bay imply biogeochemical impacts for the marine system.

Sea ice, hydrological, and biological processes in the Churchill River estuary region, Hudson Bay

2008 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z.A. Kuzyk ◽  
R.W. Macdonald ◽  
M.A. Granskog ◽  
R.K. Scharien ◽  
R.J. Galley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Biological Processes

scholarly journals Re-assessing abundance of Southern Hudson Bay polar bears by aerial survey: effects of climate change at the southern edge of the range

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martyn E. Obbard ◽  
Seth Stapleton ◽  
Guillaume Szor ◽  
Kevin R. Middel ◽  
Charles Jutras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Distance Sampling ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Conservative Approach ◽  
Harvest Management ◽  
Conflicting Information ◽  
Conflicting Evidence ◽  
Capture Recapture

The Southern Hudson Bay polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) subpopulation is considered stable, but conflicting evidence lends uncertainty to that designation. Capture–recapture studies conducted in 1984–1986 and 2003–2005 and an aerial survey conducted in 2011/2012 suggested that abundance was likely unchanged since the mid-1980s. However, body condition and body size declined since then, and duration of sea ice decreased by about 30 days. Due to the conflicting information on subpopulation status and ongoing changes in sea ice, we conducted another aerial survey in 2016 to determine whether abundance had changed. We collected data via mark–recapture distance sampling and double-observer protocols. Results suggest that abundance declined 17% from 943 bears (95% CI: 658–1350) in 2011/2012 to 780 (95% CI: 590–1029) in 2016. The proportion of yearlings declined from 12% of the population in 2011 to 5% in 2016, whereas the proportion of cubs remained similar (16% in 2011 vs. 19% in 2016) suggesting low survival of the 2015 cohort. In a warming Arctic, duration of sea ice is predicted to continue to decline in Hudson Bay affecting all ice-dependent wildlife; therefore, further monitoring of this subpopulation is warranted. We recommend a conservative approach to harvest management and repeating the aerial survey in 2021.

Potential and limitations of marine and ice core sea ice proxies: an example from the Indian Ocean sector

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 296-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regine Röthlisberger ◽  
Xavier Crosta ◽  
Nerilie J. Abram ◽  
Leanne Armand ◽  
Eric W. Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Indian Ocean Sector ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Ocean Sector

scholarly journals Impact of abrupt sea ice loss on Greenland water isotopes during the last glacial period

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (10) ◽  
pp. 4099-4104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise C. Sime ◽  
Peter O. Hopcroft ◽  
Rachael H. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Temperature Increase ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Last Glacial Period ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality

Greenland ice cores provide excellent evidence of past abrupt climate changes. However, there is no universally accepted theory of how and why these Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events occur. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain DO events, including sea ice, ice shelf buildup, ice sheets, atmospheric circulation, and meltwater changes. DO event temperature reconstructions depend on the stable water isotope (δ18O) and nitrogen isotope measurements from Greenland ice cores: interpretation of these measurements holds the key to understanding the nature of DO events. Here, we demonstrate the primary importance of sea ice as a control on Greenland ice coreδ18O: 95% of the variability inδ18O in southern Greenland is explained by DO event sea ice changes. Our suite of DO events, simulated using a general circulation model, accurately captures the amplitude ofδ18O enrichment during the abrupt DO event onsets. Simulated geographical variability is broadly consistent with available ice core evidence. We find an hitherto unknown sensitivity of theδ18O paleothermometer to the magnitude of DO event temperature increase: the change inδ18O per Kelvin temperature increase reduces with DO event amplitude. We show that this effect is controlled by precipitation seasonality.

scholarly journals Methanesulphonic acid movement in solid ice cores

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 540-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara T. Smith ◽  
Tas D. Van Ommen ◽  
Mark A. J. Curran
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Coefficient ◽  
Biological Activity ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Diffusion Mechanism ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
The Core ◽  
Central Value

AbstractMethanesulphonic acid (MSA) is an important trace-ion constituent in ice cores, with connections to biological activity and sea-ice distribution. Post-depositional movement of MSA has been documented in firn, and this study investigates movement in solid ice by measuring variations in MSA distribution across several horizontal sections from an ice core after 14.5 years storage. The core used is from below the bubble close-off depth at Dome Summit South, Law Dome, East Antarctica. MSA concentration was studied at 3 and 0.5 cm resolution across the core widths. Its distribution was uniform through the core centres, but the outer 3 cm showed gradients in concentrations down to less than half of the central value at the core edge. This effect is consistent with diffusion to the surrounding air during its 14.5 year storage. The diffusion coefficient is calculated to be 2 ×10–13 m2 s–1, and the implications for the diffusion mechanism are discussed.

scholarly journals Windows in Arctic sea ice: Light transmission and ice algae in a refrozen lead

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 1486-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna M. Kauko ◽  
Torbjørn Taskjelle ◽  
Philipp Assmy ◽  
Alexey K. Pavlov ◽  
C. J. Mundy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Light Transmission ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Algae ◽  
Arctic Sea

scholarly journals The Amundsen Sea Low: Variability, Change, and Impact on Antarctic Climate

2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. N. Raphael ◽  
G. J. Marshall ◽  
J. Turner ◽  
R. L. Fogt ◽  
D. Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Ross Sea ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Meridional Wind ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Climate Model Simulations

Abstract The Amundsen Sea low (ASL) is a climatological low pressure center that exerts considerable influence on the climate of West Antarctica. Its potential to explain important recent changes in Antarctic climate, for example, in temperature and sea ice extent, means that it has become the focus of an increasing number of studies. Here, the authors summarize the current understanding of the ASL, using reanalysis datasets to analyze recent variability and trends, as well as ice-core chemistry and climate model projections, to examine past and future changes in the ASL, respectively. The ASL has deepened in recent decades, affecting the climate through its influence on the regional meridional wind field, which controls the advection of moisture and heat into the continent. Deepening of the ASL in spring is consistent with observed West Antarctic warming and greater sea ice extent in the Ross Sea. Climate model simulations for recent decades indicate that this deepening is mediated by tropical variability while climate model projections through the twenty-first century suggest that the ASL will deepen in some seasons in response to greenhouse gas concentration increases.

scholarly journals Origins and Levels of Seasonal Forecast Skill for Sea Ice in Hudson Bay Using Canonical Correlation Analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1378-1395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne Tivy ◽  
Stephen E. L. Howell ◽  
Bea Alt ◽  
John J. Yackel ◽  
Thomas Carrieres
Keyword(s):  
Correlation Analysis ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Canonical Correlation Analysis ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Canonical Correlation ◽  
Seasonal Forecast ◽  
Forecast Skill ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Ice Concentration

Abstract Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is used to estimate the levels and sources of seasonal forecast skill for July ice concentration in Hudson Bay over the 1971–2005 period. July is an important transition month in the seasonal cycle of sea ice in Hudson Bay because it is the month when the sea ice clears enough to allow the first passage of ships to the Port of Churchill. Sea surface temperature (quasi global, North Atlantic, and North Pacific), Northern Hemisphere 500-mb geopotential height (z500), sea level pressure (SLP), and regional surface air temperature (SAT) are tested as predictors at 3-, 6-, and 9-month lead times. The model with the highest skill has three predictors—fall North Atlantic SST, fall z500, and fall SAT—and significant tercile forecast skill covering 61% of the Hudson Bay region. The highest skill for a single-predictor model is from fall North Atlantic SST (6-month lead). Fall SST explains 69% of the variance in July ice concentration in Hudson Bay and a possible atmospheric link that accounts for the lagged relationship is presented. CCA diagnostics suggest that changes in the subpolar North Atlantic gyre and the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO), reflected in sea surface temperature, precedes a deepening/weakening of the winter upper-air ridge northwest of Hudson Bay. Changes in the height of the ridge are reflected in the strength of the winter northwesterly winds over Hudson Bay that have a direct impact on the winter ice thickness distribution; anomalies in winter ice severity are later reflected in the pattern and timing of spring breakup. July ice concentration in Hudson Bay has declined by approximately 20% per decade between 1979 and 2007, and the hypothesized link to the AMO may help explain this significant loss of ice.

Eddy covariance flux measurements of momentum, heat and carbon dioxide in Hudson Bay at the onset of sea ice melt 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Sims ◽  
Brian Butterworth ◽  
Tim Papakyriakou ◽  
Mohamed Ahmed ◽  
Brent Else
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Open Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Gas Transfer ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Flux Measurements ◽  
Ice Fraction

<p>Remoteness and tough conditions have made the Arctic Ocean historically difficult to access; until recently this has resulted in an undersampling of trace gas and gas exchange measurements. The seasonal cycle of sea ice completely transforms the air sea interface and the dynamics of gas exchange. To make estimates of gas exchange in the presence of sea ice, sea ice fraction is frequently used to scale open water gas transfer parametrisations. It remains unclear whether this scaling is appropriate for all sea ice regions. Ship based eddy covariance measurements were made in Hudson Bay during the summer of 2018 from the icebreaker CCGS Amundsen. We will present fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), heat and momentum and will show how they change around the Hudson Bay polynya under varying sea ice conditions. We will explore how these fluxes change with wind speed and sea ice fraction. As freshwater stratification was encountered during the cruise, we will compare our measurements with other recent eddy covariance flux measurements made from icebreakers and also will compare our turbulent CO<sub>2 </sub>fluxes with bulk fluxes calculated using underway and surface bottle pCO<sub>2</sub> data. </p><p> </p>

scholarly journals A 60-year ice-core record of regional climate from Adélie Land, coastal Antarctica

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 343-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sentia Goursaud ◽  
Valérie Masson-Delmotte ◽  
Vincent Favier ◽  
Susanne Preunkert ◽  
Michel Fily ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Core Record ◽  
Decadal Variations ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. A 22.4 m-long shallow firn core was extracted during the 2006/2007 field season from coastal Adélie Land. Annual layer counting based on subannual analyses of δ18O and major chemical components was combined with 5 reference years associated with nuclear tests and non-retreat of summer sea ice to build the initial ice-core chronology (1946–2006), stressing uncertain counting for 8 years. We focus here on the resulting δ18O and accumulation records. With an average value of 21.8 ± 6.9 cm w.e. yr−1, local accumulation shows multi-decadal variations peaking in the 1980s, but no long-term trend. Similar results are obtained for δ18O, also characterised by a remarkably low and variable amplitude of the seasonal cycle. The ice-core records are compared with regional records of temperature, stake area accumulation measurements and variations in sea-ice extent, and outputs from two models nudged to ERA (European Reanalysis) atmospheric reanalyses: the high-resolution atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), including stable water isotopes ECHAM5-wiso (European Centre Hamburg model), and the regional atmospheric model Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (AR). A significant linear correlation is identified between decadal variations in δ18O and regional temperature. No significant relationship appears with regional sea-ice extent. A weak and significant correlation appears with Dumont d'Urville wind speed, increasing after 1979. The model-data comparison highlights the inadequacy of ECHAM5-wiso simulations prior to 1979, possibly due to the lack of data assimilation to constrain atmospheric reanalyses. Systematic biases are identified in the ECHAM5-wiso simulation, such as an overestimation of the mean accumulation rate and its interannual variability, a strong cold bias and an underestimation of the mean δ18O value and its interannual variability. As a result, relationships between simulated δ18O and temperature are weaker than observed. Such systematic precipitation and temperature biases are not displayed by MAR, suggesting that the model resolution plays a key role along the Antarctic ice sheet coastal topography. Interannual variations in ECHAM5-wiso temperature and precipitation accurately capture signals from meteorological data and stake observations and are used to refine the initial ice-core chronology within 2 years. After this adjustment, remarkable positive (negative) δ18O anomalies are identified in the ice-core record and the ECHAM5-wiso simulation in 1986 and 2002 (1998–1999), respectively. Despite uncertainties associated with post-deposition processes and signal-to-noise issues, in one single coastal ice-core record, we conclude that the S1C1 core can correctly capture major annual anomalies in δ18O as well as multi-decadal variations. These findings highlight the importance of improving the network of coastal high-resolution ice-core records, and stress the skills and limitations of atmospheric models for accumulation and δ18O in coastal Antarctic areas. This is particularly important for the overall East Antarctic ice sheet mass balance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document