The impact of climatic and atmospheric teleconnections on the brine inventory over the Laptev Sea shelf between 2007 and 2011

Abstract

Export of brine-enriched water from Siberian shelves is thought to be a key parameter in maintaining the Arctic Halocline, which isolates the fresh and cold surface water from the warm Atlantic water and thus prevent dramatic change in the Arctic sea-ice thermodynamic. In this study, we used 5 years of oxygen isotope and hydrological summer surveys to better understand the factors controlling the brine inventory and distribution over the Laptev Sea shelf. The inventory was maximal in 2011 and 2007 and minimal in 2010. The brine inventory interannual variations are coherent with the winter Arctic Oscillation index that was maximal in 2011 and 2007 and minimal in 2010, which is known to modulate Arctic winds and sea-ice export pattern. While we should remain cautious since our record is limited to 5 years, our results suggest that the combined effect of the Arctic Oscillation and of the Arctic Dipole is the main factor controlling the annual variations in the inventory of brine-enriched waters from the Laptev Sea shelf between 2007 and 2011, especially during extreme negative Arctic Oscillation and Arctic Dipole conditions as in 2010.