Articles | Volume 22, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-1835-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-1835-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Radionuclides as tracers of Arctic outflows: pathways, water mass mixing, and freshwater input to Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea
Lisa G. T. Leist
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Maxi Castrillejo
Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Kumiko Azetsu-Scott
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Craig Lee
Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Jed Lenetsky
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado – Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Marc Ringuette
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Christof Vockenhuber
Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Habacuc Pérez-Tribouillier
Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Catherine Jeandel
LEGOS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, CNES, UPS, Toulouse, France
Jean-Éric Tremblay
Département de biologie, Québec Océan and Takuvik Joint International Laboratory (UMI 3376), Université Laval (Canada)-CNRS (France), Université Laval, Québec, Canada
Núria Casacuberta
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Matthew P. Humphreys, Siv K. Lauvset, Nico Lange, Henry C. Bittig, Brendan R. Carter, Mario Hoppema, Akihiko Murata, Are Olsen, Toste Tanhua, Adam Ulfsbo, Antón Velo, Ryan J. Woosley, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, Jens D. Müller, and Fiz F. Pérez
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3063, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3063, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Ocean Science (OS).
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The Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP) collects oceanographic datasets from research cruises that are needed to study the marine carbon cycle. The datasets are quality controlled and adjusted where necessary to ensure consistency between cruises, and published as a global data product. Here, we present a new method for calculating the consistency adjustments called ‘furthest-first inversion’ which has been developed for the newest version of the data product.
William A. Nesbitt, Alfonso O. Mucci, Toste Tanhua, Yves Gélinas, Jean-Éric Tremblay, Gwénaëlle Chaillou, Ludovic Pascal, Caroline Fradette, Lennart Gerke, Samuel W. Stevens, Mathilde Jutras, Marjolaine Blais, Martine Lizotte, Michel Starr, and Douglas W. R. Wallace
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 3609–3634, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-3609-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-3609-2026, 2026
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Over the past few decades, the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf have shown clear trends in oxygen depletion and acidification. This data description paper brings together twenty years of measurements from the St. Lawrence Estuary, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Saguenay Fjord, carefully performing quality control procedures on data, and makes them publicly available. The resulting dataset supports future research, monitoring, and environmental management in this sensitive marine system.
Marcel Scheiwiller, Anne-Marie Wefing, Habacuc Pérez-Tribouillier, Christof Vockenhuber, Paul A. Dodd, Justin P. Gwynn, and Núria Casacuberta
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2020, 2026
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We used man-made chemical markers to investigate how waters of Atlantic origin circulated through the Arctic Ocean. Comparing Fram Strait observations from 2016 to 2021, we found enhanced mixing in 2020 and longer transit times in 2021. Understanding these shifts is vital because these water transport heat into the Arctic and thus intensify ocean warming. Our findings help improving predictions of Arctic climate response and potential impacts on the global circulation.
Niklas Kappelt, Piers Larkman, Pascal Bohleber, Florian Adolphi, Marcus Christl, Christof Vockenhuber, Philip Gautschi, Eric Wolff, and Raimund Muscheler
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-790, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-790, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
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10Be is a radionuclide often measured in ice cores to reconstruct the solar magnetic field and geomagnetic field, as well as to date ice based on its half-life of 1.387 million years. Previous measurements in deep ice from Antarctica showed a decrease in concentrations with age. We analysed the influence of the sample preparation procedure and were able to show that the use of ion exchange columns can lead to decreasing concentrations, an effect which is amplified at greater depths and ages.
Li-Qing Jiang, Amanda Fay, Jens Daniel Müller, Luke Gregor, Alizée Roobaert, Lydia Keppler, Dustin Carroll, Siv K. Lauvset, Tim DeVries, Judith Hauck, Christian Rödenbeck, Nicolas Metzl, Andrea J. Fassbender, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Peter Landschützer, Rik Wanninkhof, Christopher Sabine, Simone R. Alin, Mario Hoppema, Are Olsen, Matthew P. Humphreys, Kunal Chakraborty, Ana C. Franco, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Leticia Barbero, Nicholas R. Bates, Nicole Besemer, Henry C. Bittig, Albert E. Boyd, Daniel Broullón, Wei-Jun Cai, Brendan R. Carter, Thi-Tuyet-Trang Chau, Chen-Tung Arthur Chen, Frédéric Cyr, John E. Dore, Ian Enochs, Richard A. Feely, Hernan E. Garcia, Marion Gehlen, Prasanna Kanti Ghoshal, Lucas Gloege, Melchor González-Dávila, Nicolas Gruber, Debby Ianson, Yosuke Iida, Masao Ishii, Apurva Padamnabh Joshi, Esther Kennedy, Alex Kozyr, Nico Lange, Claire Lo Monaco, Derek P. Manzello, Galen A. McKinley, Natalie M. Monacci, Xose A. Padin, Ana M. Palacio-Castro, Fiz F. Pérez, J. Magdalena Santana-Casiano, Jonathan Sharp, Adrienne Sutton, Jim Swift, Toste Tanhua, Maciej Telszewski, Jens Terhaar, Ruben van Hooidonk, Anton Velo, Andrew J. Watson, Angelicque E. White, Zelun Wu, Liang Xue, Hyelim Yoo, Jiye Zeng, and Guorong Zhong
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 1405–1462, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1405-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1405-2026, 2026
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This review article provides an overview of 68 existing ocean carbonate chemistry data products and data product sets, encompassing a broad range of types, including compilations of cruise datasets, gap-filled observational products, model simulations, and more. It is designed to help researchers identify and access the data products that best support their scientific objectives, thereby facilitating progress in understanding the ocean's changing carbonate chemistry.
Chantal Schmidt, David Mair, Naki Akçar, Marcus Christl, Negar Haghipour, Christof Vockenhuber, Philip Gautschi, Brian McArdell, and Fritz Schlunegger
Earth Surf. Dynam., 14, 33–53, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-33-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-33-2026, 2026
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Our study examines erosion in a small, pre-Alpine basin by using cosmogenic nuclides in river sediments. Based on a dense measuring network we were able to distinguish two main zones: an upper zone with slow erosion of surface material, and a steeper, lower zone where faster erosion is driven by landslides. The data suggests that sediment has been constantly produced over thousands of years, indicating a stable, long-term balance between contrasting erosion processes.
Arnaud Laurent, Bin Wang, Dariia Atamanchuk, Subhadeep Rakshit, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, Chris Algar, and Katja Fennel
Biogeosciences, 23, 115–135, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-115-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-115-2026, 2026
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Surface ocean alkalinity enhancement, through the release of alkaline materials, is a technology that could increase the storage of anthropogenic carbon in the ocean. Halifax Harbour (Canada) is a current test site for operational alkalinity addition. Here, we present a model of Halifax Harbour that simulates alkalinity addition at various locations of the harbour and quantifies the resulting net CO2 uptake. The model can be relocated to study alkalinity addition in other coastal systems.
Anne-Marie Wefing, Annabel Payne, Marcel Scheiwiller, Christof Vockenhuber, Marcus Christl, Toste Tanhua, and Núria Casacuberta
Ocean Sci., 21, 3311–3340, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3311-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3311-2025, 2025
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Here we used the anthropogenic radionuclides I-129 and U-236 as tracers for Atlantic Water circulation in the Arctic Ocean. New data collected in 2021 allowed to assess the distribution of Atlantic Water and mixing with Pacific-origin water in the surface layer in that year. By using historical tracer data from 2011 to 2021, we looked into temporal changes of the circulation and found slightly older waters in the central Arctic Ocean in 2021 compared to 2015.
Niklas Kappelt, Eric Wolff, Marcus Christl, Christof Vockenhuber, Philip Gautschi, and Raimund Muscheler
Clim. Past, 21, 1585–1594, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1585-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1585-2025, 2025
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By measuring the radioactive decay of atmospherically produced 36Cl and 10Be in an ice core drilled in West Antarctica, we were able to determine the age of the deepest sample close to bedrock to be about 550 thousand years old. This means that the ice in this location, known as Skytrain Ice Rise, has survived several warm periods in the past, at least since marine isotope stage 11.
Siv K. Lauvset, Nico Lange, Toste Tanhua, Henry C. Bittig, Are Olsen, Alex Kozyr, Marta Álvarez, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, Peter J. Brown, Brendan R. Carter, Leticia Cotrim da Cunha, Mario Hoppema, Matthew P. Humphreys, Masao Ishii, Emil Jeansson, Akihiko Murata, Jens Daniel Müller, Fiz F. Pérez, Carsten Schirnick, Reiner Steinfeldt, Toru Suzuki, Adam Ulfsbo, Anton Velo, Ryan J. Woosley, and Robert M. Key
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 2047–2072, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2047-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2047-2024, 2024
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GLODAP is a data product for ocean inorganic carbon and related biogeochemical variables measured by the chemical analysis of water bottle samples from scientific cruises. GLODAPv2.2023 is the fifth update of GLODAPv2 from 2016. The data that are included have been subjected to extensive quality controlling, including systematic evaluation of measurement biases. This version contains data from 1108 hydrographic cruises covering the world's oceans from 1972 to 2021.
Olivia Gibb, Frédéric Cyr, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, Joël Chassé, Darlene Childs, Carrie-Ellen Gabriel, Peter S. Galbraith, Gary Maillet, Pierre Pepin, Stephen Punshon, and Michel Starr
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4127–4162, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4127-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4127-2023, 2023
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The ocean absorbs large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere as a result of the burning of fossil fuels. This, in turn, causes ocean acidification, which poses a major threat to global ocean ecosystems. In this study, we compiled 9 years (2014–2022) of ocean carbonate data (i.e., ocean acidification parameters) collected in Atlantic Canada as part of the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program.
Zhibo Shao, Yangchun Xu, Hua Wang, Weicheng Luo, Lice Wang, Yuhong Huang, Nona Sheila R. Agawin, Ayaz Ahmed, Mar Benavides, Mikkel Bentzon-Tilia, Ilana Berman-Frank, Hugo Berthelot, Isabelle C. Biegala, Mariana B. Bif, Antonio Bode, Sophie Bonnet, Deborah A. Bronk, Mark V. Brown, Lisa Campbell, Douglas G. Capone, Edward J. Carpenter, Nicolas Cassar, Bonnie X. Chang, Dreux Chappell, Yuh-ling Lee Chen, Matthew J. Church, Francisco M. Cornejo-Castillo, Amália Maria Sacilotto Detoni, Scott C. Doney, Cecile Dupouy, Marta Estrada, Camila Fernandez, Bieito Fernández-Castro, Debany Fonseca-Batista, Rachel A. Foster, Ken Furuya, Nicole Garcia, Kanji Goto, Jesús Gago, Mary R. Gradoville, M. Robert Hamersley, Britt A. Henke, Cora Hörstmann, Amal Jayakumar, Zhibing Jiang, Shuh-Ji Kao, David M. Karl, Leila R. Kittu, Angela N. Knapp, Sanjeev Kumar, Julie LaRoche, Hongbin Liu, Jiaxing Liu, Caroline Lory, Carolin R. Löscher, Emilio Marañón, Lauren F. Messer, Matthew M. Mills, Wiebke Mohr, Pia H. Moisander, Claire Mahaffey, Robert Moore, Beatriz Mouriño-Carballido, Margaret R. Mulholland, Shin-ichiro Nakaoka, Joseph A. Needoba, Eric J. Raes, Eyal Rahav, Teodoro Ramírez-Cárdenas, Christian Furbo Reeder, Lasse Riemann, Virginie Riou, Julie C. Robidart, Vedula V. S. S. Sarma, Takuya Sato, Himanshu Saxena, Corday Selden, Justin R. Seymour, Dalin Shi, Takuhei Shiozaki, Arvind Singh, Rachel E. Sipler, Jun Sun, Koji Suzuki, Kazutaka Takahashi, Yehui Tan, Weiyi Tang, Jean-Éric Tremblay, Kendra Turk-Kubo, Zuozhu Wen, Angelicque E. White, Samuel T. Wilson, Takashi Yoshida, Jonathan P. Zehr, Run Zhang, Yao Zhang, and Ya-Wei Luo
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3673–3709, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3673-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3673-2023, 2023
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N2 fixation by marine diazotrophs is an important bioavailable N source to the global ocean. This updated global oceanic diazotroph database increases the number of in situ measurements of N2 fixation rates, diazotrophic cell abundances, and nifH gene copy abundances by 184 %, 86 %, and 809 %, respectively. Using the updated database, the global marine N2 fixation rate is estimated at 223 ± 30 Tg N yr−1, which triplicates that using the original database.
Judith Vogt, David Risk, Evelise Bourlon, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, Evan N. Edinger, and Owen A. Sherwood
Biogeosciences, 20, 1773–1787, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1773-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1773-2023, 2023
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The release of the greenhouse gas methane from Arctic submarine sources could exacerbate climate change in a positive feedback. Continuous monitoring of atmospheric methane levels over a 5100 km voyage in the western margin of the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay revealed above-global averages likely affected by both onshore and offshore methane sources. Instantaneous sea–air methane fluxes were near zero at all measured stations, including a persistent cold-seep location.
Martine Lizotte, Bennet Juhls, Atsushi Matsuoka, Philippe Massicotte, Gaëlle Mével, David Obie James Anikina, Sofia Antonova, Guislain Bécu, Marine Béguin, Simon Bélanger, Thomas Bossé-Demers, Lisa Bröder, Flavienne Bruyant, Gwénaëlle Chaillou, Jérôme Comte, Raoul-Marie Couture, Emmanuel Devred, Gabrièle Deslongchamps, Thibaud Dezutter, Miles Dillon, David Doxaran, Aude Flamand, Frank Fell, Joannie Ferland, Marie-Hélène Forget, Michael Fritz, Thomas J. Gordon, Caroline Guilmette, Andrea Hilborn, Rachel Hussherr, Charlotte Irish, Fabien Joux, Lauren Kipp, Audrey Laberge-Carignan, Hugues Lantuit, Edouard Leymarie, Antonio Mannino, Juliette Maury, Paul Overduin, Laurent Oziel, Colin Stedmon, Crystal Thomas, Lucas Tisserand, Jean-Éric Tremblay, Jorien Vonk, Dustin Whalen, and Marcel Babin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1617–1653, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1617-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1617-2023, 2023
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Permafrost thaw in the Mackenzie Delta region results in the release of organic matter into the coastal marine environment. What happens to this carbon-rich organic matter as it transits along the fresh to salty aquatic environments is still underdocumented. Four expeditions were conducted from April to September 2019 in the coastal area of the Beaufort Sea to study the fate of organic matter. This paper describes a rich set of data characterizing the composition and sources of organic matter.
Mohamed Ayache, Jean-Claude Dutay, Kazuyo Tachikawa, Thomas Arsouze, and Catherine Jeandel
Biogeosciences, 20, 205–227, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-205-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-205-2023, 2023
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The neodymium (Nd) is one of the most useful tracers to fingerprint water mass provenance. However, the use of Nd is hampered by the lack of adequate quantification of the external sources. Here, we present the first simulation of dissolved Nd concentration and Nd isotopic composition in the Mediterranean Sea using a high-resolution model. We aim to better understand how the various external sources affect the Nd cycle and particularly assess how it is impacted by atmospheric inputs.
Siv K. Lauvset, Nico Lange, Toste Tanhua, Henry C. Bittig, Are Olsen, Alex Kozyr, Simone Alin, Marta Álvarez, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, Leticia Barbero, Susan Becker, Peter J. Brown, Brendan R. Carter, Leticia Cotrim da Cunha, Richard A. Feely, Mario Hoppema, Matthew P. Humphreys, Masao Ishii, Emil Jeansson, Li-Qing Jiang, Steve D. Jones, Claire Lo Monaco, Akihiko Murata, Jens Daniel Müller, Fiz F. Pérez, Benjamin Pfeil, Carsten Schirnick, Reiner Steinfeldt, Toru Suzuki, Bronte Tilbrook, Adam Ulfsbo, Anton Velo, Ryan J. Woosley, and Robert M. Key
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 5543–5572, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5543-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5543-2022, 2022
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GLODAP is a data product for ocean inorganic carbon and related biogeochemical variables measured by the chemical analysis of water bottle samples from scientific cruises. GLODAPv2.2022 is the fourth update of GLODAPv2 from 2016. The data that are included have been subjected to extensive quality controlling, including systematic evaluation of measurement biases. This version contains data from 1085 hydrographic cruises covering the world's oceans from 1972 to 2021.
Flavienne Bruyant, Rémi Amiraux, Marie-Pier Amyot, Philippe Archambault, Lise Artigue, Lucas Barbedo de Freitas, Guislain Bécu, Simon Bélanger, Pascaline Bourgain, Annick Bricaud, Etienne Brouard, Camille Brunet, Tonya Burgers, Danielle Caleb, Katrine Chalut, Hervé Claustre, Véronique Cornet-Barthaux, Pierre Coupel, Marine Cusa, Fanny Cusset, Laeticia Dadaglio, Marty Davelaar, Gabrièle Deslongchamps, Céline Dimier, Julie Dinasquet, Dany Dumont, Brent Else, Igor Eulaers, Joannie Ferland, Gabrielle Filteau, Marie-Hélène Forget, Jérome Fort, Louis Fortier, Martí Galí, Morgane Gallinari, Svend-Erik Garbus, Nicole Garcia, Catherine Gérikas Ribeiro, Colline Gombault, Priscilla Gourvil, Clémence Goyens, Cindy Grant, Pierre-Luc Grondin, Pascal Guillot, Sandrine Hillion, Rachel Hussherr, Fabien Joux, Hannah Joy-Warren, Gabriel Joyal, David Kieber, Augustin Lafond, José Lagunas, Patrick Lajeunesse, Catherine Lalande, Jade Larivière, Florence Le Gall, Karine Leblanc, Mathieu Leblanc, Justine Legras, Keith Lévesque, Kate-M. Lewis, Edouard Leymarie, Aude Leynaert, Thomas Linkowski, Martine Lizotte, Adriana Lopes dos Santos, Claudie Marec, Dominique Marie, Guillaume Massé, Philippe Massicotte, Atsushi Matsuoka, Lisa A. Miller, Sharif Mirshak, Nathalie Morata, Brivaela Moriceau, Philippe-Israël Morin, Simon Morisset, Anders Mosbech, Alfonso Mucci, Gabrielle Nadaï, Christian Nozais, Ingrid Obernosterer, Thimoté Paire, Christos Panagiotopoulos, Marie Parenteau, Noémie Pelletier, Marc Picheral, Bernard Quéguiner, Patrick Raimbault, Joséphine Ras, Eric Rehm, Llúcia Ribot Lacosta, Jean-François Rontani, Blanche Saint-Béat, Julie Sansoulet, Noé Sardet, Catherine Schmechtig, Antoine Sciandra, Richard Sempéré, Caroline Sévigny, Jordan Toullec, Margot Tragin, Jean-Éric Tremblay, Annie-Pier Trottier, Daniel Vaulot, Anda Vladoiu, Lei Xue, Gustavo Yunda-Guarin, and Marcel Babin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4607–4642, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4607-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4607-2022, 2022
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This paper presents a dataset acquired during a research cruise held in Baffin Bay in 2016. We observed that the disappearance of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean increases both the length and spatial extent of the phytoplankton growth season. In the future, this will impact the food webs on which the local populations depend for their food supply and fisheries. This dataset will provide insight into quantifying these impacts and help the decision-making process for policymakers.
Cynthia Evelyn Bluteau, Peter S. Galbraith, Daniel Bourgault, Vincent Villeneuve, and Jean-Éric Tremblay
Ocean Sci., 17, 1509–1525, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-1509-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-1509-2021, 2021
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In 2018, the Canadian Coast Guard approved a science team to sample in tandem with its ice-breaking and ship escorting operations. This collaboration provided the first mixing observations during winter that covered the largest spatial extent of the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence ever measured in any season. Contrary to previous assumptions, we demonstrate that fluvial nitrate inputs from upstream (i.e., Great Lakes) are the most significant source of nitrate in the estuary.
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Short summary
The Arctic and Atlantic Oceans are connected by narrow passages, and the exchange of waters affect global climate. Using artificial radionuclides from nuclear reprocessing discharges, we traced the origin of water masses from the Arctic to the Labrador Sea. Results show that waters from Canadian Arctic origin entering via Lancaster Sound are a key freshwater source to the Labrador Sea. These flows strongly influence the formation of deep waters in the Atlantic, vital for the global circulation.
The Arctic and Atlantic Oceans are connected by narrow passages, and the exchange of waters...