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The article presents titles and abstracts of various research articles, related to geography. "A Canoe Journey in Southeastern Labrador," by Henry G. Bryant is about Labrador, which with its large unexplored areas and comparative accessibility, presents an attractive field for the pioneer explorer. The Atlantic seaboard is desolate owing to climatic conditions produced by the Labrador current. In addition to that, the article presents information on various other abstracts related to geography.

In this paper we introduce a parameter for the retrieval of the thickness of undeformed first-year sea ice that is specifically adapted to compact polarimetric (CP) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The parameter is denoted as the "CP ratio". In model simulations we investigated the sensitivity of the CP ratio to the dielectric constant, ice thickness, ice surface roughness, and radar incidence angle. From the results of the simulations we deduced optimal sea ice conditions and radar incidence angles for the ice thickness retrieval. C-band SAR data acquired over the Labrador Sea in circular transmit and linear receive (CTLR) mode were generated from RADARSAT-2 quad-polarization images. In comparison with results from helicopter-borne measurements, we tested different empirical equations for the retrieval of ice thickness. An exponential fit between the CP ratio and ice thickness provides the most reliable results. Based on a validation using other compact polarimetric SAR images from the same region, we found a root mean square (rms) error of 8 cm and a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.94 for the retrieval procedure when applying it to level ice between 0.1 and 0.8m thick. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends A. Bracco and J. Pedlosky’s investigation of the eddy-formation mechanism in the eastern Labrador Sea by including a more realistic depiction of the boundary current. The quasigeostrophic model consists of a meridional, coastally trapped current with three vertical layers. The current configuration and topographic domain are chosen to match, as closely as possible, the observations of the boundary current and the varying topographic slope along the West Greenland coast. The role played by the bottom-intensified component of the boundary current on the formation of the Labrador Sea Irminger Rings is explored. Consistent with the earlier study, a short, localized bottom-trapped wave is responsible for most of the perturbation energy growth. However, for the instability to occur in the three-layer model, the deepest component of the boundary current must be sufficiently strong, highlighting the importance of the near-bottom flow. The model is able to reproduce important features of the observed vortices in the eastern Labrador Sea, including the polarity, radius, rate of formation, and vertical structure. At the time of formation, the eddies have a surface signature as well as a strong circulation at depth, possibly allowing for the transport of both surface and near-bottom water from the boundary current into the interior basin. This work also supports the idea that changes in the current structure could be responsible for the observed interannual variability in the number of Irminger Rings formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, it is shown that coherent large-scale low-frequency variabilities in the North Atlantic Ocean—that is, the variations of thermohaline circulation, deep western boundary current, northern recirculation gyre, and Gulf Stream path—are associated with high-latitude oceanic Great Salinity Anomaly events. In particular, a dipolar sea surface temperature anomaly (warming off the U.S. east coast and cooling south of Greenland) can be triggered by the Great Salinity Anomaly events several years in advance, thus providing a degree of long-term predictability to the system. Diagnosed phase relationships among an observed proxy for Great Salinity Anomaly events, the Labrador Sea sea surface temperature anomaly, and the North Atlantic Oscillation are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of the Gulf Stream (GS) system to atmospheric forcing is generally linked either to the basin-scale winds on the subtropical gyre or to the buoyancy forcing from the Labrador Sea. This study presents a multiscale synergistic perspective to describe the low-frequency response of the GS system. The authors identify dominant temporal variability in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), in known indices of the GS path, and in the observed GS latitudes along its path derived from sea surface height (SSH) contours over the period 1993-2013. The analysis suggests that the signature of interannual variability changes along the stream's path from 75° to 55°W. From its separation at Cape Hatteras to the west of 65°W, the variability of the GS is mainly in the near-decadal (7-10 years) band, which is missing to the east of 60°W, where a new interannual (4-5 years) band peaks. The latter peak (4-5 years) was missing to the west of 65°W. The region between 65° and 60°W seems to be a transition region. A 2-3-yr secondary peak was pervasive in all time series, including that for the NAO. This multiscale response of the GS system is supported by results from a basin-scale North Atlantic model. The near-decadal response can be attributed to similar forcing periods in the NAO signal; however, the interannual variability of 4-5 years in the eastern segment of the GS path is as yet unexplained. More numerical and observational studies are warranted to understand such causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate response to idealized changes in the atmospheric CO2 concentration by the new GFDL climate model (CM2) is documented. This new model is very different from earlier GFDL models in its parameterizations of subgrid-scale physical processes, numerical algorithms, and resolution. The model was constructed to be useful for both seasonal-to-interannual predictions and climate change research. Unlike previous versions of the global coupled GFDL climate models, CM2 does not use flux adjustments to maintain a stable control climate. Results from two model versions, Climate Model versions 2.0 (CM2.0) and 2.1 (CM2.1), are presented. Two atmosphere–mixed layer ocean or slab models, Slab Model versions 2.0 (SM2.0) and 2.1 (SM2.1), are constructed corresponding to CM2.0 and CM2.1. Using the SM2 models to estimate the climate sensitivity, it is found that the equilibrium globally averaged surface air temperature increases 2.9 (SM2.0) and 3.4 K (SM2.1) for a doubling of the atmospheric CO2 concentration. When forced by a 1% per year CO2 increase, the surface air temperature difference around the time of CO2 doubling [transient climate response (TCR)] is about 1.6 K for both coupled model versions (CM2.0 and CM2.1). The simulated warming is near the median of the responses documented for the climate models used in the 2001 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I Third Assessment Report (TAR). The thermohaline circulation (THC) weakened in response to increasing atmospheric CO2. By the time of CO2 doubling, the weakening in CM2.1 is larger than that found in CM2.0: 7 and 4 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s-1), respectively. However, the THC in the control integration of CM2.1 is stronger than in CM2.0, so that the percentage change in the THC between the two versions is more similar. The average THC change for the models presented in the TAR is about 3 or 4 Sv; however, the range across the model results is very large, varying from a slight increase (+2 Sv) to a large decrease (-10 Sv). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) is a region with prominent decadal variability that has experienced remarkable warming and cooling trends in the last few decades. These observed trends have been preceded by slow-paced increases and decreases in the Labrador Sea density (LSD), which are thought to be a precursor of large-scale ocean circulation changes. This article analyses the interrelationships between the LSD and the wider North Atlantic across an ensemble of coupled climate model simulations. In particular, it analyses the link between subsurface density and the deep boundary density, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the subpolar gyre (SPG) circulation, and the upper-ocean temperature in the eastern SPNA. All simulations exhibit considerable multidecadal variability in the LSD and the ocean circulation indices, which are found to be interrelated. LSD is strongly linked to the strength of the subpolar AMOC and gyre circulation, and it is also linked to the subtropical AMOC, although the strength of this relationship is model-dependent and affected by the inclusion of the Ekman component. The connectivity of LSD with the subtropics is found to be sensitive to different model features, including the mean density stratification in the Labrador Sea, the strength and depth of the AMOC, and the depth at which the LSD propagates southward along the western boundary. Several of these quantities can also be computed from observations, and comparison with these observation-based quantities suggests that models representing a weaker link to the subtropical AMOC might be more realistic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial and temporal trends of remotely sensed sea-ice cover, sea surface temperatures, chlorophyll-a concentration and primary production in the Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and Labrador Sea were analyzed for the 1998–2017 period. We found spatial variability in the trends of these cryospheric, biologic and oceanographic phenomena. For example, in the northern Baffin Bay, we observed decreases in annual sea-ice persistence, yet increases along the Labrador Sea-ice edge during winter, with the latter having significant correlations with broader atmospheric patterns. In general, we observed increases in summer sea surface temperatures across the study region, except a small area of cooling along the southern Greenlandic coast. We also found significant negative trends in April chlorophyll-a and primary production followed by significant positive trends for both biological phenomena in May, owing to anomalously high values in 2014 and 2015. Notably, we found a significant positive correlation between days of monthly sea ice presence in April with May primary production quantities. Finally, we found a significant positive trend in total annual primary production over the study period. This novel finding suggests an important relationship between the timing of breakup along the sea-ice edge and peaks in biological production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have analyzed marine palynomorphs (mainly dinocysts and acritarchs) from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1307 in the Labrador Sea in order to establish a detailed biostratigraphy for the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene. We have defined three magnetostratigraphically calibrated dinocyst and acritarch biozones in the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene. Zone LS1 is defined based on the highest occurrence of Barssidinium graminosum and covers the later Pliocene from 3.21 to 2.75 Ma. Zone LS2 is marked by the acme of Pyxidinopsis braboi which occurs between 2.75 and 2.57 Ma, thus encompassing the Plio–Pleistocene transition. Finally, zone LS3 extends from 2.57 to 2.23 Ma in the Early Pleistocene. The palynostratigraphic record of IODP Site U1307 is difficult to correlate to other North Atlantic and Nordic Seas sites mainly because of a different temporal resolution and a lack of well-defined biostratigraphic marker species at the basin scale. The low abundance, discontinuous occurrence and asynchronous events of warm-water Pliocene taxa such as Invertocysta lacrymosa, Impagidinium solidum, Ataxiodinium confusum, Melitasphaeridium choanophorum and Operculodinium ? eirikianum suggest cooler conditions in the Labrador Sea than elsewhere in the North Atlantic, reflecting a strong regionalism. Nevertheless, as recorded at other locations in the North Atlantic, the disappearance of many dinocyst and acritarch taxa around 2.75 Ma at Site U1307 reflects a strong ecological response accompanying the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides background and analysis for a paper that reports on unexpected developments from the convective center of the Labrador Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. The overall freshening of the Labrador Sea Water (LSW) from 1966 to 1992; The abrupt increase of the density of the LSW between 1990 and 1995; The recurrent atmospheric circulation mode known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO); The paper by Sy and others in the April 17, 1997 issue of `Nature.'

The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) decreases rapidly in subpolar and Nordic regions where the warm upper layer loses its buoyancy due to intense heat loss, sinks, and flows south. The major volume loss of the upper limb of the MOC, ~9.6 Sv out of 18.4 ± 3.4 Sv, occurs as subduction across the Iceland Basin and Irminger Sea while the major heat loss, 273 TW out of 395 ± 74 TW is associated with the MOC branch that continues into the Nordic Seas where North Atlantic deep overflow water is produced. The 122 ± 79 TW heat flux convergence in the subpolar gyre appears to be significantly larger than various estimates of heat loss to the atmosphere. Much of the 0.09 ± 0.02 Sv freshwater divergence is presumably balanced by runoff from the Greenland shelf. These estimates suggest that the Nordic Seas, not the Labrador Sea, are key to the state of the MOC. Plain language summary: The meridional overturning circulation is a two‐dimensional view of the flow north of upper‐ocean warm water and its return south as cold deep and intermediate water. But the actual pathways of warm‐to‐cold conversion are several and remarkably diverse: One branch continues into the Nordic Seas where very dense water is produced and eventually spills back into the deep North Atlantic, another branch weaves its way around the entire subpolar basin and the southern tip of Greenland to the Labrador Sea where intermediate water is formed, and the third branch is an overturning that takes place within the subpolar waters between Greenland and Scotland. Volumetrically, this is the largest branch, but in terms of heat loss the Nordic Seas, branch surrenders far more heat to the atmosphere than the other two combined. It thus plays the key role in maintaining a strong meridional overturning circulation. Key Points: Great heat loss and production of dense water overflow water in Nordic Seas key to the state of the MOC not the Labrador SeaHeat flux convergence greater than climatological estimates of subpolar gyre heat lossSubpolar fresh water divergence balanced by freshwater loss from Greenland shelf [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-category numerical sea ice model CICE was used along with data assimilation to derive sea ice parameters in the region of Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea. The assimilation of ice concentration was performed using the data derived from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E and AMSR2). The model uses a mixed-layer slab ocean parameterization to compute the sea surface temperature (SST) and thereby to compute the freezing and melting potential of ice. The data from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR-only optimum interpolation analysis) were used to assimilate SST. The modelled ice parameters including concentration, ice thickness, freeboard and keel depth were compared with parameters estimated from remote-sensing data. The ice thickness estimated from the model was compared with the measurements derived from Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity – Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis (SMOS–MIRAS). The model freeboard estimates were compared with the freeboard measurements derived from CryoSat2. The ice concentration, thickness and freeboard estimates from the model assimilated with both ice concentration and SST were found to be within the uncertainty in the observation except during March. The model-estimated draft was compared with the measurements from an upward-looking sonar (ULS) deployed in the Labrador Sea (near Makkovik Bank). The difference between modelled draft and ULS measurements estimated from the model was found to be within 10 cm. The keel depth measurements from the ULS instruments were compared to the estimates from the model to retrieve a relationship between the ridge height and keel depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric reanalyses are commonly used to force numerical ocean models, but despite large discrepancies reported between different products, the impact of reanalysis uncertainty on the simulated ocean state is rarely assessed. In this study, the impact of uncertainty in surface fluxes of buoyancy and momentum on the modeled Atlantic meridional overturning at 25°N is quantified for the period January 1994–December 2011. By using an ocean-only climate model and its adjoint, the space and time origins of overturning uncertainty resulting from air–sea flux uncertainty are fully explored. Uncertainty in overturning induced by prior air–sea flux uncertainty can exceed 4 Sv (where 1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) within 15 yr, at times exceeding the amplitude of the ensemble-mean overturning anomaly. A key result is that, on average, uncertainty in the overturning at 25°N is dominated by uncertainty in the zonal wind at lags of up to 6.5 yr and by uncertainty in surface heat fluxes thereafter, with winter heat flux uncertainty over the Labrador Sea appearing to play a critically important role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stable isotope composition of dissolved silicon in seawater (δ30SiDSi) was examined at 10 stations along the GEOVIDE section (GEOTRACES GA-01), spanning the North Atlantic Ocean (40-60° N) and Labrador Sea. Variations in δ30SiDSi below 500m were closely tied to the distribution of water masses. Higher δ30SiDSi values are associated with intermediate and deep water masses of northern Atlantic or Arctic Ocean origin, whilst lower δ30SiDSi values are associated with DSi-rich waters sourced ultimately from the Southern Ocean. Correspondingly, the lowest δ30SiDSi values were observed in the deep and abyssal eastern North Atlantic, where dense southern-sourced waters dominate. The extent to which the spreading of water masses influences the δ30SiDSi distribution is marked clearly by Labrador Sea Water (LSW), whose high δ30SiDSi signature is visible not only within its region of formation within the Labrador and Irminger seas, but also throughout the mid-depth western and eastern North Atlantic Ocean. Both δ30SiDSi and hydrographic parameters document the circulation of LSW into the eastern North Atlantic, where it overlies southern-sourced Lower DeepWater. The GEOVIDE δ30SiDSi distribution thus provides a clear view of the direct interaction between subpolar/ polar water masses of northern and southern origin, and allow examination of the extent to which these far-field signals influence the local δ30SiDSi distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although proxies have generally been used to study deep ocean convection and overturning circulation in the Labrador Sea, their efficacy has not been explicitly evaluated because observations that directly measure those variables are scarce. In this study, the volume of newly formed Labrador Sea Water (LSW) and the overturning circulation in the Labrador Sea are estimated using observational data and output from a high-resolution ocean model and then compared to proxies used to represent those variables. The comparisons reveal the limitations of proxies, highlighting the desirability of robust estimates derived from direct monitoring in the region [i.e., from Argo and Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP)]. A linkage among LSW formation, overturning circulation in the Labrador Sea, and the export of LSW from the basin on interannual time scales is found in the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relative roles of the Arctic freshwater exported via different pathways on deep convection in the North Atlantic and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Deep water feeding the lower branch of the AMOC is formed in several North Atlantic marginal seas, including the Labrador Sea, Irminger Sea, and the Nordic seas, where deep convection can potentially be inhibited by surface freshwater exported from the Arctic. The sensitivity of the AMOC and North Atlantic to two major freshwater pathways on either side of Greenland is studied using numerical experiments. Freshwater export is rerouted in global coupled climate models by blocking and expanding the channels along the two routes. The sensitivity experiments are performed in two sets of models (CM2G and CM2M) with different control simulation climatology for comparison. Freshwater via the route east of Greenland is found to have a larger direct impact on Labrador Sea convection. In response to the changes of freshwater route, North Atlantic convection outside of the Labrador Sea changes in the opposite sense to the Labrador Sea. The response of the AMOC is found to be sensitive to both the model formulation and mean-state climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wintertime convective mixing plays a pivotal role in the sub-polar North Atlantic spring phytoplankton blooms by favoring phytoplankton survival in the competition between light-dependent production and losses due to grazing and gravitational settling. We use satellite and ocean reanalyses to show that the area-averaged maximum winter mixed layer depth is positively correlated with April chlorophyll concentration in the northern Labrador Sea. A simple theoretical framework is developed to understand the relative roles of winter/spring convection and gravitational sedimentation in spring blooms in this region. Combining climate model simulations that project a weakening of wintertime Labrador Sea convection from Arctic sea ice melt with our framework suggests a potentially significant reduction in the initial fall phytoplankton population that survive the winter to seed the region’s spring bloom by the end of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Argo floats are used to investigate Labrador Sea overturning and its variability on seasonal time scales. This is the first application of Argo floats to estimate overturning in a deep-water formation region in the North Atlantic. Unlike hydrographic measurements, which are typically confined to the summer season, floats offer the advantage of collecting data in all seasons. Seasonal composite potential density and absolute geostrophic velocity sections across the mouth of the Labrador Sea assembled from float profiles and trajectories at 1000 m are used to calculate the horizontal and overturning circulations. The overturning exhibits a pronounced seasonal cycle; in depth space the overturning doubles throughout the course of the year, and in density space it triples. The largest overturning [1.2 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) in depth space and 3.9 Sv in density space] occurs in spring and corresponds to the outflow of recently formed Labrador Sea Water. The overturning decreases through summer and reaches a minimum in winter (0.6 Sv in depth space and 1.2 Sv in density space). The robustness of the Argo seasonal overturning is supported by a comparison to an overturning estimate based on hydrographic data from the AR7W line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors identify an interdecadal oscillatory mode of the North Atlantic atmosphere-ocean system in a general circulation model (GFDL CM2.1) via a linear inverse model (LIM). The oscillation mechanism is mostly embedded in the subpolar gyre: anomalous advection generates density anomalies in the eastern subpolar gyre, which propagate along the mean gyre circulation and reach the subpolar gyre center around 10 years later, when associated anomalous advection of the opposite sign starts the other half cycle. As density anomalies reach the Labrador Sea deep convection region, Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) anomalies are also induced. Both the gyre and AMOC anomalies then propagate equatorward slowly, following the advection of density anomalies. The oscillation is further demonstrated to be more likely an ocean-only mode while excited by the atmospheric forcing; in particular, it can be approximated as a linearly driven damped oscillator that is partly excited by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The slowly evolving interdecadal oscillation significantly improves and prolongs the LIM's prediction skill of sea surface temperature (SST) evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the dynamics and temporal evolution of the Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) in a coupled climate model. The model contains a correction to the North Atlantic flow field to improve the path of the North Atlantic Current, thereby alleviating the surface cold bias, a common problem with climate models, and offering a unique opportunity to study the AMV in a model. Changes in greenhouse gas forcing or aerosol loading are not considered. A striking feature of the results is the contrast between the western and eastern sides of the subpolar gyre in the model. On the western side, anomalous heat supply by the ocean plays a major role, with most of this heat being given up to the atmosphere in the warm phase, largely symmetrically about the time of the AMV maximum. By contrast, on the eastern side, the ocean anomalously gains heat from the atmosphere, with relatively little role for ocean heat supply in the years before the AMV maximum. Thereafter, the balance changes with heat now being anomalously removed from the eastern side by the ocean, leading to a reduced ocean heat content, behavior associated with the establishment of an intergyre gyre at the time of the AMV maximum. In the warm phase, melting sea ice leads to a freshening of surface waters northeast of Greenland that travel southward into the Irminger and Labrador Seas, shutting down convection and terminating the AMV warm phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Egg production rates (EPRs) for freshly caught female Calanus finmarchicus increase with increasing in situ chlorophyll concentration to upper limits, but with considerable scatter for individual points around fitted curves. Here, using time course experiments, we investigated whether females exhibit synchronous diel egg-laying behaviour, leading to variations in measured EPRs for different experimental start times. Also, we compared 24 h EPRs from these experiments with results obtained using two other standard 24 h incubation methods. We found (i) female C. finmarchicus from the Labrador Sea did not exhibit diel egg-laying behaviour in spring, (ii) egg-laying was sometimes more frequent during the first 6h of incubation than thereafter and (iii) standard 24h incubations underestimated EPRs in 20-36% of experiments due to egg loss. Using results from this and a previous study Head et al. [(2013a) Characteristics of egg production of the planktonic copepod, Calanus finmarchicus, in the Labrador Sea: 1997-2010. J. Plankton Res. 35, 281-298] we developed a new expression relating in situ EPRs to chlorophyll concentration, temperature, female size and season. Season is represented by empirically derived coefficients, which vary regionally reflecting differences in spring bloom dynamics. For 100 experimental stations predicted and measured EPRs were highly correlated (r² = 0.56, P < 0.001). Additional sources of variability are discussed and recommendations are made regarding EPR measurement methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand coastal sea level variability and changes, a theory that predicts sea levels along a curved western boundary using interior ocean sea level information is proposed. The western boundary sea level at a particular latitude is expressed by the sum of contributions from interior sea levels propagating onto the western boundary by long Rossby waves between that latitude and a higher latitude, and from the western boundary sea level at the higher latitude. This theory is examined by using a linear, reduced gravity model. A comparison between the theory and the model shows good agreement. A simple scaling law (or rule of thumb) derived from the theory provides a measure of the higher-latitude sea level and ocean interior sea level contributions. The theory is then tested using data from 34 climate models in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) for dynamic sea level changes between the end of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The theory captures the nearly uniform sea level rise from the Labrador Sea to New York City (NYC), with a reduction in the increase of sea level farther south toward the equator, qualitatively consistent with the CMIP5 multimodel ensemble, even though the theory underestimates the equatorward reduction rate. Along the South American east coast, the theory successfully reproduced the spatial pattern of the sea level change. The theory suggests a strong link between a sea level rise hot spot along the northeastern coast of North America and the sea level increase in the Labrador Sea, consistent with the result that rates of NYC sea level rise are highly correlated to those in the Labrador Sea in CMIP5 models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic freshwater discharges to the Labrador Sea from melting glaciers and sea ice can have a large impact on ocean circulation dynamics in the North Atlantic, modifying climate and deep water formation in this region. In this study, we present for the first time a high resolution record of ice rafting in the Labrador Sea over the last millennium to assess the effects of freshwater discharges in this region on ocean circulation and climate. The occurrence of ice-rafted debris (IRD) in the Labrador Sea was studied using sediments from Site GS06-144-03 (57.29° N, 48.37°W; 3432m water depth). IRD from the fraction 63-150 µm shows particularly high concentrations during the intervals AD1000-1100, ~1150-1250, ~1400-1450, ~1650-1700 and ~1750-1800. The first two intervals occurred during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), whereas the others took place within the Little Ice Age (LIA). Mineralogical identification indicates that the main IRD source during the MCA was SE Greenland. In contrast, the concentration and relative abundance of hematite-stained grains reflects an increase in the contribution of Arctic ice during the LIA. The comparison of our Labrador Sea IRD records with other climate proxies from the subpolar North Atlantic allowed us to propose a sequence of processes that led to the cooling that occurred during the LIA, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. This study reveals that the warm climate of the MCA may have enhanced iceberg calving along the SE Greenland coast and, as a result, freshened the subpolar gyre (SPG). Consequently, SPG circulation switched to a weaker mode and reduced convection in the Labrador Sea, decreasing its contribution to the North Atlantic deep water formation and, thus, reducing the amount of heat transported to high latitudes. This situation of weak SPG circulation may have made the North Atlantic climate more unstable, inducing a state in which external forcings (e.g. reduced solar irradiance and volcanic eruptions) could easily drive periods of severe cold conditions in Europe and the North Atlantic like the LIA. This analysis indicates that a freshening of the SPG may play a crucial role in the development of cold events during the Holocene, which may be of key importance for predictions about future climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevailing view of western Atlantic hydrography during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) calls for transport and intermixing of deep southern and intermediate northern end members. However, δ13C and Δ14C results on foraminifera from a sediment core at 5.0 km in the northern subtropics show that there may have also been a northern source of relatively young, very dense, nutrient-depleted water during the LGM (18 ky to 21 ky ago). These results, when integrated with data from other western North Atlantic locations, indicate that the ocean was poorly ventilated at 4.2 km, with better ventilation above and below that depth. If this is a signal of water mass source and not nutrient storage, it would indicate that a previously unrecognized deep water end member originated along the western margin of the Labrador Sea, analogous to dense water formation today around Antarctica and in the Okhotsk Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Labrador Sea is an ideal region to study the biogeographical, physiological, and biogeochemical implications of phytoplankton community composition due to sharp transitions between distinct water masses across its shelves and central basin. We have investigated the multiyear (2005-2014) distributions of late spring and early summer (May to June) phytoplankton communities in the various hydrographic settings of the Labrador Sea. Our analysis is based on pigment markers (using CHEMTAX analysis), and photophysiological and biogeochemical characteristics associated with each phytoplankton community. Diatoms were the most abundant group, blooming first in shallow mixed layers of haline-stratified Arctic shelf waters. Along with diatoms, chlorophytes co-dominated at the western end of the section (particularly in the polar waters of the Labrador Current (LC)), whilst Phaeocystis co-dominated in the east (modified polar waters of the West Greenland Current (WGC)). Pre-bloom conditions occurred in deeper mixed layers of the central Labrador Sea in May, where a mixed assemblage of flagellates (dinoflagellates, prasinophytes, prymnesiophytes, particularly coccolithophores, and chrysophytes/pelagophytes) occurred in low-chlorophyll areas, succeeding to blooms of diatoms and dinoflagellates in thermally stratified Atlantic waters in June. Light-saturated photosynthetic rates and saturation irradiance levels were highest at stations where diatoms were the dominant phytoplankton group (>70% of total chlorophyll a/, as opposed to stations where flagellates were more abundant (from 40 up to 70% of total chlorophyll a/. Phytoplankton communities from the WGC (Phaeocystis and diatoms) had lower lightlimited photosynthetic rates, with little evidence of photoinhibition, indicating greater tolerance to a high light environment. By contrast, communities from the central Labrador Sea (dinoflagellates and diatoms), which bloomed later in the season (June), appeared to be more sensitive to high light levels. Ratios of accessory pigments (AP) to total chlorophyll a (TChl a/ varied according to phytoplankton community composition, with polar phytoplankton (cold-water related) having lower AP V TChl a. Polar waters (LC and WGC) also had higher and more variable particulate organic carbon (POC) to particulate organic nitrogen (PON) ratios, suggesting the influence of detritus from freshwater input, derived from riverine, glacial, and/or sea ice meltwater. Long-term observational shifts in phytoplankton communities were not assessed in this study due to the short temporal frame (May to June) of the data. Nevertheless, these results add to our current understanding of phytoplankton group distribution, as well as an evaluation of the biogeochemical role (in terms of CVN ratios) of spring phytoplankton communities in the Labrador Sea, which will assist our understanding of potential long-term responses of phytoplankton communities in high-latitude oceans to a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the biostratigraphic correlation of the palynological assemblages in the offshore wells of the western and eastern margins of Labrador-Baffin Seaway region. Topic discussed include the tectonic setting in the Labrador Sea, the general stratigraphy of West Greenland and North-eastern Canada, and palaeoenvironmental interpretations from the seaway.

Deep convection in the Labrador Sea (LS) resumed in the winter of 2007/08 under a moderately positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) state. This is in sharp contrast with the previous winter with weak convection, despite a similar positive NAO state. This disparity is explored here by analyzing reanalysis data and forced-ocean simulations. It is found that the difference in deep convection is primarily due to differences in large-scale atmospheric conditions that are not accounted for by the conventional NAO definition. Specifically, the 2007/08 winter was characterized by an atmospheric circulation anomaly centered in the western North Atlantic, rather than the eastern North Atlantic that the conventional NAO emphasizes. This anomalous circulation was also accompanied by anomalously cold conditions over northern North America. The controlling influence of these atmospheric conditions on LS deep convection in the 2008 winter is confirmed by sensitivity experiments where surface forcing and/or initial conditions are modified. An extended analysis for the 1949-2009 period shows that about half of the winters with strong heat losses in the LS are associated with such a west-centered circulation anomaly and cold conditions over northern North America. These are found to be accompanied by La Niña-like conditions in the tropical Pacific, suggesting that the atmospheric response to La Niña may have a strong influence on LS deep convection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Mortality rates of eggs and nauplii are essential for understanding and modelling dynamics of copepod populations. Abundances of Calanus finmarchicus females, eggs and nauplii were determined at 88 stations in the Labrador Sea. Egg production rates (EPRs) and egg and naupliar stage durations were calculated using published relationships with in situ chlorophyll concentration and temperature. The data were used to estimate mortality rates for eggs (ME), eggs and early naupliar stages (ME-NIII) and naupliar stages (MNI-NVI). Estimated mortality rates in the central basin were higher than those on the shelves and within regions generally ME > ME-NIII > MNI-NVI. The "Basic Method" for eggs, arguably the most reliable method, gave a high proportion of seemingly erroneous (negative) values. These became positive when a modified estimation formula was used, which assumes that some eggs being laid could not hatch. Egg hatching success is often <100%, but this is rarely considered when calculating mortality rates, although it affects all estimates that include egg abundances and/or EPRs as variables, mostly at low mortality rates. Egg and early life stage mortality rates were correlated with female abundance, but cannibalism may not be the appropriate interpretation. The issues of egg viability and cannibalism require more careful consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unforced simulation of the Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4), is found to have Greenland warming and cooling events that resemble Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles in pattern and magnitude. With the caveat that only three transitions were available to be analyzed, it is found that the transitions are triggered by stochastic atmospheric forcing. The atmospheric anomalies change the strength of the subpolar gyre, leading to a change in Labrador Sea sea ice concentration and meridional heat transport. The changed climate state is maintained over centuries through the feedback between sea ice and sea level pressure in the North Atlantic. Indications that the initial atmospheric pressure anomalies are preceded by precipitation anomalies in the western Pacific warm pool are discussed. The full evolution of the anomalous climate state depends crucially on the climatic background state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of high-frequency atmospheric forcing on the circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean with emphasis on the deep convection of the Labrador Sea was investigated by comparing simulations of a coupled ocean-ice model with hourly atmospheric data to simulations in which the high-frequency phenomena were filtered from the air temperature and wind fields. In the absence of high-frequency atmospheric forcing, the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and subpolar gyres was found to decrease by 25%. In the Labrador Sea, the eddy kinetic energy decreased by 75% and the average maximum mixed layer depth decreased by between 20% and 110% depending on the climatology. In particular, high-frequency forcing was found to have a greater impact on mixed layer deepening in moderate to warm years whereas in relatively cold years the temperatures alone were enough to facilitate deep convection. Additional simulations in which either the wind or temperature was filtered revealed that the wind, through its impact on the bulk formulas for latent and sensible heat, had a greater impact on deep convection than the temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms through which convected water restratifies in the Labrador Sea are still under debate. The Labrador Sea restratification after deep convection in the 2007/08 winter is studied with an eddy-resolving numerical model. The modeled mixed layer depth during wintertime resembles the Argo observed mixed layer very well, and the lateral heat flux during the subsequent restratification is in line with observations. The Irminger rings (IRs) are reproduced with fresher caps above the 300-m depths, and they are identified and tracked automatically. The model underestimates both the number of IRs in the convection area and the heat they carry. The underestimation is most likely caused by the errors in the direction of the west Greenland currents in the model, which causes more IRs propagating westward, and only the IRs originating south of 61.5°N are able to propagate southward, yet with speed much slower than observed speed. The model still observed three eddies propagating into the convection area during the restratification phase in 2008, and their thermal contribution ranges from 1% to 4% if the estimation is made at the time when they enter the convection area. If all newly generated eddies are considered, then the ensemble-mean contributions by the IRs become 5.3%. The more detailed and direct heat flux by IRs is difficult to derive because of the strong fluctuation of the identified eddy radius. Nevertheless, the modeled lateral heat flux is largely composed of the boundary current eddies and convective eddies, thus it is possible for the model to maintain an acceptable thermal balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep convection in the Labrador Sea is an important component of the global ocean ventilation. The associated loss of heat to the atmosphere from the interior of the sea is thought to be mostly supplied by mesoscale eddies, generated either remotely or as a result of convection itself-processes that are not resolved by low-resolution ocean climate models. The authors first employ a high-resolution (°) ocean model forced with high-resolution (33 km, 3 h) atmospheric fields to further elaborate on the role of mesoscale eddies in maintaining the balance of heat and buoyancy in the Labrador Sea. In general agreement with previous studies, it is found that eddies remove heat along the coast and supply it to the interior. Some of the eddies that are generated because of the barotropic instability off the west coast of Greenland are recaptured by the boundary current. In the region of deep convection, the convergence of heat and buoyancy by eddies significantly increases with the deepening of the winter mixed layer. In addition, the vertical eddy flux plays an important part in the heat budget of the upper Labrador Sea, accounting for up to half of the heat loss to the atmosphere north of 60°N. A low-resolution (1°) model with parameterized eddies is then applied to show that it does capture, qualitatively, the general structure of eddy buoyancy advection along the Labrador Current. However, the 1° model is deficient in this regard in the most eddy active region off the west coast of Greenland, although some improvements can be made by forcing it with the high-resolution atmospheric fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling deep convection is a key challenge for climate science. Here two simulations of the Labrador Sea circulation obtained with the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) run at a horizontal resolution of 7.5 km are used to characterize the response of convection to atmospheric forcing and its seasonal variability over the period 1980-2009. The integrations compare well with the sparse observations available. The modeled convection varies in three key aspects over the 30 years considered. First, its magnitude changes greatly at decadal scales. This aspect is supported by the in situ observations. Second, the initiation and peak of convection (i.e., initiation and maximum) shift by 2-3 weeks between strong and weak convective years. Third, the duration of convection varies by approximately one month between strong and weak years. The last two changes are associated with the variability of the time-integrated surface heat fluxes over the Labrador Sea during winter and spring, while the first results from changes in both atmospheric heat fluxes and oceanic conditions through the lateral inflow of warm Irminger Water from the boundary current system to the basin interior. Changes in surface heat fluxes over the convective region are linked to large-scale modes of variability, the North Atlantic Oscillation and Arctic Oscillation. Implications for modeling the climate variability of the Labrador basin are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep convection in the Labrador Sea is confined within a small region in the southwest part of the basin. The strength of deep convection in this region is related to the local atmospheric and ocean characteristics, which favor processes of deep convection preconditioning and intense air-sea exchange during the winter season. In this study, we explored the effect of eddy-induced flux transport on the stratification of the Labrador Sea and the properties of deep convection. Simulations from an eddy-resolving ocean model are presented for the Labrador Sea. The general circulation was well simulated by the model, including the seasonal cycle of the deep Labrador Current. The simulated distribution of the surface eddy kinetic energy was also close to that derived from Topex-Poseidon satellite altimeter data, but with smaller magnitude. The energy transfer diagnostics indicated that Irminger rings are generated by both baroclinic and barotropic processes; however, when they propagate into the interior basin, the barotropic process also disperses them by converting the eddy energy to the mean flow. In contrast to eddy-permitting simulations, deep convection in the Labrador Sea was better represented in the eddy-resolving model regarding their lateral position. Further analysis indicated that the improvement might be due to the lateral eddy flux associated with the resolved Irminger rings in the eddy-resolving model, which contributes to a realistic position of the isopycnal dome in the Labrador Sea and correspondingly a realistic site of deep convection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of parameterized upper-ocean wave mixing on global climate simulations are assessed through modification to Large et al.'s K-profile ocean boundary layer parameterization (KPP) in a coupled atmosphere-ocean-wave global climate model. The authors consider three parameterizations and focus on impacts to high-latitude ocean mixed layer depths and related ocean diagnostics. The McWilliams and Sullivan parameterization (MS2000) adds a Langmuir turbulence enhancement to the nonlocal component of KPP. It is found that the Langmuir turbulence-induced mixing provided by this parameterization is too strong in winter, producing overly deep mixed layers, and of minimal impact in summer. The later Smyth et al. parameterization modifies MS2000 by adding a stratification effect to restrain the turbulence enhancement under weak stratification conditions (e.g., winter) and to magnify the enhancement under strong stratification conditions. The Smyth et al. scheme improves the simulated winter mixed layer depth in the simulations herein, with mixed layer deepening in the Labrador Sea and shoaling in the Weddell and Ross Seas. Enhanced vertical mixing through parameterized Langmuir turbulence, coupled with enhanced lateral transport associated with parameterized mesoscale and submesoscale eddies, is found to be a key element for improving mixed layer simulations. Secondary impacts include strengthening the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and reducing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The Qiao et al. nonbreaking wave parameterization is the third scheme assessed here. It adds a wave orbital velocity to the Reynolds stress calculation and provides the strongest summer mixed layer deepening in the Southern Ocean among the three experiments, but with weak impacts during winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface forcing perturbation experiments are examined to identify the key forcing elements associated with late-twentieth-century interannual-to-decadal Atlantic circulation variability as simulated in an ocean-sea ice hindcast configuration of the Community Earth System Model, version 1 (CESM1). Buoyancy forcing accounts for most of the decadal variability in both the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and the subpolar gyre circulation, and the key drivers of these basin-scale circulation changes are found to be the turbulent buoyancy fluxes: evaporation as well as the latent and sensible heat fluxes. These three fluxes account for almost all of the decadal AMOC variability in the North Atlantic, even when applied only over the Labrador Sea region. Year-to-year changes in surface momentum forcing explain most of the interannual AMOC variability at all latitudes as well as most of the decadal variability south of the equator. The observed strengthening of Southern Ocean westerly winds accounts for much of the simulated AMOC variability between 30°S and the equator but very little of the recent AMOC change in the North Atlantic. Ultimately, the strengthening of the North Atlantic overturning circulation between the 1970s and 1990s, which contributed to a pronounced SST increase at subpolar latitudes, is explained almost entirely by trends in the atmospheric surface state over the Labrador Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 25 September 2007 and 28 September 2009, a heavily instrumented mooring was deployed in the Labrador Sea, offshore of the location where warm-core, anticyclonic Irminger rings are formed. The 2-year time series offers insight into the vertical and horizontal structure of newly formed Irminger rings and their heat and salt transport into the interior basin. In 2 years, 12 Irminger rings passed by the mooring. Of these, 11 had distinct properties, while 1 anticyclone likely passed the mooring twice. Eddy radii (11-35 km) were estimated using the dynamic height signal of the anticyclones (8-18 cm) together with the observed velocities. The anticyclones show a seasonal cycle in core properties when observed (1.9°C in temperature and 0.07 in salinity at middepth) that has not been described before. The temperature and salinity are highest in fall and lowest in spring. Cold, fresh caps, suggested to be an important source of freshwater, were seen in spring but were almost nonexistent in fall. The heat and freshwater contributions by the Irminger rings show a large spread (from 12 to 108 MJ m−2 and from −0.5 to −4.7 cm, respectively) for two reasons. First, the large range of radii leads to large differences in transported volume. Second, the seasonal cycle leads to changes in heat and salt content per unit volume. This implies that estimates of heat and freshwater transport by eddies should take the distribution of eddy properties into account in order to accurately assess their contribution to the restratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mooring observations and model simulations point to an instability of the Labrador Current (LC) during winter, with enhanced eddy kinetic energy (EKE) at periods between 2 and 5 days and much less EKE during other seasons. Linear stability analysis using vertical shear and stratification from the model reveals three dominant modes of instability in the LC: 1) a balanced interior mode with along-flow wavelengths of about 30-45 km, phase velocities of 0.3 m s−1, maximal growth rates of 1 day−1, and surface-intensified but deep-reaching amplitudes; 2) a balanced shallow mode with along-flow wavelengths of about 0.3-1.5 km, phase velocities of 0.55 m s−1, about 3 times larger growth rates, but amplitudes confined to the mixed layer (ML); and 3) an unbalanced symmetric mode with the largest growth rates, vanishing phase speeds, and along-flow structure, and very small cross-flow wavelengths, also confined to the ML. Both balanced modes are akin to baroclinic instability but operate at moderate-to-small Richardson numbers Ri with much larger growth rates as for the quasigeostrophic limit of Ri ≫ 1. The interior mode is found to be responsible for the instability of the LC during winter. Weak stratification and enhanced vertical shear due to local buoyancy loss and the advection of convective water masses from the interior result in small Ri within the LC and up to 3 times larger growth rates of the interior mode in March compared to summer and fall conditions. Both the shallow and the symmetric modes are not resolved by the model, but it is suggested that they might also play an important role for the instability in the LC and for lateral mixing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new framework is proposed for investigating the atmospheric forcing of North Atlantic Ocean circulation. Instead of using classical modes of variability, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) or the east Atlantic pattern, the weather regimes paradigm was used. Using this framework helped avoid problems associated with the assumptions of orthogonality and symmetry that are particular to modal analysis and known to be unsuitable for the NAO. Using ocean-only historical and sensitivity experiments, the impacts of the four winter weather regimes on horizontal and overturning circulations were investigated. The results suggest that the Atlantic Ridge (AR), negative NAO (NAO−), and positive NAO (NAO+) regimes induce a fast (monthly-to-interannual time scales) adjustment of the gyres via topographic Sverdrup dynamics and of the meridional overturning circulation via anomalous Ekman transport. The wind anomalies associated with the Scandinavian blocking regime (SBL) are ineffective in driving a fast wind-driven oceanic adjustment. The response of both gyre and overturning circulations to persistent regime conditions was also estimated. AR causes a strong, wind-driven reduction in the strengths of the subtropical and subpolar gyres, while NAO+ causes a strengthening of the subtropical gyre via wind stress curl anomalies and of the subpolar gyre via heat flux anomalies. NAO− induces a southward shift of the gyres through the southward displacement of the wind stress curl. The SBL is found to impact the subpolar gyre only via anomalous heat fluxes. The overturning circulation is shown to spin up following persistent SBL and NAO+ and to spin down following persistent AR and NAO− conditions. These responses are driven by changes in deep water formation in the Labrador Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two submerged autonomous launch platforms (SALPs) were deployed at 500-m depth on a deep-water mooring in the northeastern Labrador Sea from 2007 to 2009 to automatically release profiling floats into passing warm-core anticyclonic Irminger Rings (IRs). The objective was to investigate the rings' vertical structure and evolution as they drifted from their formation site near the western coast of Greenland to the area of deep convection in the south-central part of the basin. Mechanically and electronically, the SALP worked well: 10 out of 11 floats were successfully released from the mooring over 2 years. However, getting floats trapped in eddy cores using a preprogrammed release algorithm based on temperature and pressure (a proxy for current speed) measured by the SALPs met with limited success mainly because 1) the floats settled at a park pressure that was initially too deep, below the volume of water trapped in the eddy core; 2) the eddies translated past the mooring much more quickly than anticipated; and 3) there is a seasonal cycle in both background and eddy core temperature that was not known a priori and therefore not accounted for in the release algorithm. The other mooring instruments (100-3000 m) revealed that 12 anticyclones passed by the mooring in the 2-yr monitoring period. Using this independent information, the authors assessed and improved the release algorithm, still based on ocean conditions measured at one depth, and found that much better performance could have been achieved with an algorithm that allowed for faster eddy translation rates and the seasonal temperature cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) vary considerably among different climate models; for example, some models show clear peaks in their power spectra while others do not. To elucidate these model differences, transfer functions are used to estimate the frequency domain relationship between surface forcing fields, including sea surface temperature, salinity, and wind stress, and the resulting AMOC response. These are estimated from the outputs of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) and phase 3 (CMIP3) control runs for eight different models, with a specific focus on Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model, version 2.1 (GFDL CM2.1), and the Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4), which exhibit rather different spectral behavior. The transfer functions show very little agreement among models for any of the pairs of variables considered, suggesting the existence of systematic model errors and that considerable uncertainty in the simulation of AMOC in current climate models remains. However, a robust feature of the frequency domain analysis is that models with spectral peaks in their AMOC correspond to those in which AMOC variability is more strongly excited by high-latitude surface perturbations that have periods corresponding to the frequency of the spectral peaks. This explains why different models exhibit such different AMOC variability. These differences would not be evident without using a method that explicitly computes the frequency dependence rather than a priori assuming a particular functional form. Finally, transfer functions are used to evaluate two proposed physical mechanisms for model differences in AMOC variability: differences in Labrador Sea stratification and excitation by westward-propagating subsurface Rossby waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the influence of environmental parameters and spatial distance on bacterial, archaeal and viral community composition from 13 sites along a 3200-km long voyage from Halifax to Kugluktuk (Canada) through the Labrador Sea, Baffin Bay and the Arctic Archipelago. Variation partitioning was used to disentangle the effects of environmental parameters, spatial distance and spatially correlated environmental parameters on prokaryotic and viral communities. Viral and prokaryotic community composition were related in the Labrador Sea, but were independent of each other in Baffin Bay and the Arctic Archipelago. In oceans, the dominant dispersal mechanism for prokaryotes and viruses is the movement of water masses, thus, dispersal for both groups is passive and similar. Nevertheless, spatial distance explained 7-19% of the variation in viral community composition in the Arctic Archipelago, but was not a significant predictor of bacterial or archaeal community composition in either sampling area, suggesting a decoupling of the processes regulating community composition within these taxonomic groups. According to the metacommunity theory, patterns in bacterial and archaeal community composition suggest a role for species sorting, while patterns of virus community composition are consistent with species sorting in the Labrador Sea and suggest a potential role of mass effects in the Arctic Archipelago. Given that, a specific prokaryotic taxon may be infected by multiple viruses with high reproductive potential, our results suggest that viral community composition was subject to a high turnover relative to prokaryotic community composition in the Arctic Archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstructing the opening of the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay between Greenland and North America remains controversial. Recent seismic data suggest that magnetic lineations along the margins of the Labrador Sea, originally interpreted as seafloor spreading anomalies, may lie within the crust of the continent-ocean transition. These data also suggest a more seaward extent of continental crust within the Greenland margin near Davis Strait than assumed in previous full-fit reconstructions. Our study focuses on reconstructing the full-fit configuration of Greenland and North America using an approach that considers continental deformation in a quantitative manner. We use gravity inversion to map crustal thickness across the conjugate margins, and assimilate observations from available seismic profiles and potential field data to constrain the likely extent of different crustal types. We derive end-member continental margin restorations following alternative interpretations of published seismic profiles. The boundaries between continental and oceanic crust (COB) are restored to their pre-stretching locations along small circle motion paths across the region of Cretaceous extension. Restored COBs are fitted quantitatively to compute alternative total-fit reconstructions. A preferred full-fit model is chosen based on the strongest compatibility with geological and geophysical data. Our preferred model suggests that (i) the COB lies oceanward of magnetic lineations interpreted as magnetic anomaly 31 (70 Ma) in the Labrador Sea, (ii) all previously identified magnetic lineations landward of anomaly 27 reflect intrusions into continental crust and (iii) the Ungava fault zone in Davis Strait acted as a leaky transform fault during rifting. This robust plate reconstruction reduces gaps and overlaps in Davis Strait and suggests that there is no need for alternative models proposed for reconstructions of this area including additional plate boundaries in North America or Greenland. Our favoured model implies that break-up and formation of continent-ocean transition (COT) first started in the southern Labrador Sea and Davis Strait around 88Ma and then propagated north and southwards up to the onset of real seafloor spreading at 63 Ma in the Labrador Sea. In Baffin Bay, continental stretching lasted longer and actual break-up and seafloor spreading started around 61 Ma (chron 26). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea ice variability in the Labrador Sea is of climatic interest because of its relationship to deep convection, mode-water formation, and the North Atlantic atmospheric circulation. Historically, quantifying the relationship between sea ice and ocean variability has been difficult because of in situ observation paucity and technical challenges associated with synthesizing observations with numerical models. Here the relationship between ice and ocean variability is explored by analyzing new estimates of the ocean-ice state in the northwest North Atlantic. The estimates are syntheses of in situ and satellite hydrographic and ice data with a regional ⅓° coupled ocean-sea ice model. The synthesis of sea ice data is achieved with an improved adjoint of a thermodynamic ice model. Model and data are made consistent, in a least squares sense, by iteratively adjusting control variables, including ocean initial and lateral boundary conditions and the atmospheric state, to minimize an uncertainty-weighted model-data misfit cost function. The utility of the state estimate is demonstrated in an analysis of energy and buoyancy budgets in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). In mid-March the system achieves a state of quasi-equilibrium during which net ice growth and melt approaches zero; newly formed ice diverges from coastal areas and converges via wind and ocean forcing in the MIZ. The convergence of ice mass in the MIZ is ablated primarily by turbulent ocean-ice enthalpy fluxes. The primary source of the enthalpy required for sustained MIZ ice ablation is the sensible heat reservoir of the subtropical-origin subsurface waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the hydrographic processes involved in setting the maximum wintertime sea ice (SI) extent in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay. The analysis is based on an ocean and sea ice state estimate covering the summer-to-summer 1996/97 annual cycle. The estimate is a synthesis of in situ and satellite hydrographic and ice data with a regional coupled ⅓° ocean-sea ice model. SI advective processes are first demonstrated to be required to reproduce the observed ice extent. With advection, the marginal ice zone (MIZ) location stabilizes where ice melt balances ice mass convergence, a quasi-equilibrium condition achieved via the convergence of warm subtropical-origin subsurface waters into the mixed layer seaward of the MIZ. An analysis of ocean surface buoyancy fluxes reveals a critical role of low-salinity upper ocean (100 m) anomalies for the advancement of SI seaward of the Arctic Water-Irminger Water Thermohaline Front. Anomalous low-salinity waters slow the rate of buoyancy loss-driven mixed layer deepening, shielding an advancing SI pack from the warm subsurface waters, and are conducive to a positive surface meltwater stabilization enhancement (MESEM) feedback driven by SI meltwater release. The low-salinity upper-ocean hydrographic conditions in which the MESEM efficiently operates are termed sea ice-preconditioned waters (SIPW). The SI extent seaward of the Thermohaline Front is shown to closely correspond to the distribution of SIPW. The analysis of two additional state estimates (1992/93, 2003/04) suggests that interannual hydrographic variability provides a first-order explanation for SI maximum extent anomalies in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared four simulations of the 8.2 ka event to assess climate model sensitivity and skill in responding to North Atlantic freshwater perturbations. All of the simulations used the same freshwater forcing, 2.5 Sv for one year, applied to either the Hudson Bay (northeastern Canada) or Labrador Sea (between Canada's Labrador coast and Greenland). This freshwater pulse induced a decadal-mean slowdown of 10-25%in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) of the models and caused a large-scale pattern of climate anomalies that matched proxy evidence for cooling in the Northern Hemisphere and a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The multi-model ensemble generated temperature anomalies that were just half as large as those from quantitative proxy reconstructions, however. Also, the duration of AMOC and climate anomalies in three of the simulations was only several decades, significantly shorter than the duration of 150 yr in the paleoclimate record. Possible reasons for these discrepancies include incorrect representation of the early Holocene climate and ocean state in the North Atlantic and uncertainties in the freshwater forcing estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1969 to 1971 convection in the Labrador Sea shut down, thus interrupting the formation of the intermediate/dense water masses. The shutdown has been attributed to the surface freshening induced by the Great Salinity Anomaly (GSA), a freshwater anomaly in the subpolar North Atlantic. The abrupt resumption of convection in 1972, in contrast, is attributed to the extreme atmospheric forcing of that winter. Here oceanic and atmospheric data collected in the Labrador Sea at Ocean Weather Station Bravo and a one-dimensional mixed layer model are used to examine the causes of the shutdown and resumption of convection in detail. These results highlight the tight coupling of the ocean and atmosphere in convection regions and the need to resolve both components to correctly represent convective processes in the ocean. They are also relevant to present-day conditions given the increased ice melt in the Arctic Ocean and from the Greenland Ice Sheet. The analysis herein shows that the shutdown was initiated by the GSA-induced freshening as well as the mild 1968/69 winter. After the shutdown had begun, however, the continuing lateral freshwater flux as well as two positive feedbacks [both associated with the sea surface temperature (SST) decrease due to lack of convective mixing with warmer subsurface water] further inhibited convection. First, the SST decrease reduced the heat flux to the atmosphere by reducing the air-sea temperature gradient. Second, it further reduced the surface buoyancy loss by reducing the thermal expansion coefficient of the surface water. In 1972 convection resumed because of both the extreme atmospheric forcing and advection of saltier waters into the convection region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]