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Implications of climate change for freshwater inflows to the Arctic Ocean

Implications of climate change for freshwater inflows to the Arctic Ocean
Implications of climate change for freshwater inflows to the Arctic Ocean
Observational evidence suggests that river inflows to the Arctic Ocean have increased over the last 30 years. Continued increases have the potential to alter the freshwater balance in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans and hence the thermohaline circulation. Simulations with a macroscale hydrological model and climate change scenarios derived from six climate models and two emissions scenarios suggest increases of up to 31% in river inflows to the Arctic by the 2080s under high emissions and up to 24% under lower emissions, although there are large differences between climate models. Uncertainty analysis suggests low sensitivity to model form and parameterization but higher sensitivity to the input data used to drive the model. The addition of up to 0.048 sverdrup (Sv, 106 m3 s?1) is a large proportion of the 0.06–0.15 Sv of additional freshwater that may trigger thermohaline collapse. Changes in the spatial distribution of inflows to the Arctic Ocean may influence circulation patterns within the ocean.
Climate change, river runoff, Arctic Ocean
0148-0227
105-[9pp]
Arnell, N.W.
196119de-cdf5-4ba8-a5d5-5e5cf4c88085
Arnell, N.W.
196119de-cdf5-4ba8-a5d5-5e5cf4c88085

Arnell, N.W. (2005) Implications of climate change for freshwater inflows to the Arctic Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research, 110 (D07105), 105-[9pp]. (doi:10.1029/2004JD005348).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Observational evidence suggests that river inflows to the Arctic Ocean have increased over the last 30 years. Continued increases have the potential to alter the freshwater balance in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans and hence the thermohaline circulation. Simulations with a macroscale hydrological model and climate change scenarios derived from six climate models and two emissions scenarios suggest increases of up to 31% in river inflows to the Arctic by the 2080s under high emissions and up to 24% under lower emissions, although there are large differences between climate models. Uncertainty analysis suggests low sensitivity to model form and parameterization but higher sensitivity to the input data used to drive the model. The addition of up to 0.048 sverdrup (Sv, 106 m3 s?1) is a large proportion of the 0.06–0.15 Sv of additional freshwater that may trigger thermohaline collapse. Changes in the spatial distribution of inflows to the Arctic Ocean may influence circulation patterns within the ocean.

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More information

Submitted date: 13 August 2004
Published date: 8 April 2005
Keywords: Climate change, river runoff, Arctic Ocean

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 15798
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/15798
ISSN: 0148-0227
PURE UUID: b6c269c1-80fa-4f33-a243-707864196754

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Date deposited: 07 Jun 2005
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:43

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Author: N.W. Arnell

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