On the variability of the Bering Sea Cold Pool and implications for the biophysical environment.
The Bering Sea experiences a seasonal sea ice cover, which is important to the biophysical environment found there. A pool of cold bottom water (<2°C) is formed on the shelf each winter as a result of cooling and vertical mixing due to brine rejection during the predominately local sea ice growth...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266180 |
| _version_ | 1811341787033239552 |
|---|---|
| author | Jaclyn Clement Kinney Wieslaw Maslowski Robert Osinski Younjoo J Lee Christina Goethel Karen Frey Anthony Craig |
| author_facet | Jaclyn Clement Kinney Wieslaw Maslowski Robert Osinski Younjoo J Lee Christina Goethel Karen Frey Anthony Craig |
| author_sort | Jaclyn Clement Kinney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Bering Sea experiences a seasonal sea ice cover, which is important to the biophysical environment found there. A pool of cold bottom water (<2°C) is formed on the shelf each winter as a result of cooling and vertical mixing due to brine rejection during the predominately local sea ice growth. The extent and distribution of this Cold Pool (CP) is largely controlled by the winter extent of sea ice in the Bering Sea, which can vary considerably and recently has been much lower than average. The cold bottom water of the CP is important for food security because it delineates the boundary between arctic and subarctic demersal fish species. A northward retreat of the CP will likely be associated with migration of subarctic species toward the Chukchi Sea. We use the fully-coupled Regional Arctic System Model (RASM) to examine variability of the extent and distribution of the CP and its relation to change in the sea ice cover in the Bering Sea during the period 1980-2018. RASM results confirm the direct correlation between the extent of sea ice and the CP and show a smaller CP as a consequence of realistically simulated recent declines of the sea ice cover in the Bering Sea. In fact, the area of the CP was found to be only 31% of the long-term mean in July of 2018. In addition, we also find that a low ice year is followed by a later diatom bloom, while a heavy ice year is followed by an early diatom bloom. Finally, the RASM probabilistic intra-annual forecast capability is reviewed, based on 31-member ensembles for 2019-2021, for its potential use for prediction of the winter sea ice cover and the subsequent summer CP area in the Bering Sea. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T19:00:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3e97472036814aa28b7d3f36c2788413 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T19:00:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-3e97472036814aa28b7d3f36c27884132022-12-22T02:34:07ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01174e026618010.1371/journal.pone.0266180On the variability of the Bering Sea Cold Pool and implications for the biophysical environment.Jaclyn Clement KinneyWieslaw MaslowskiRobert OsinskiYounjoo J LeeChristina GoethelKaren FreyAnthony CraigThe Bering Sea experiences a seasonal sea ice cover, which is important to the biophysical environment found there. A pool of cold bottom water (<2°C) is formed on the shelf each winter as a result of cooling and vertical mixing due to brine rejection during the predominately local sea ice growth. The extent and distribution of this Cold Pool (CP) is largely controlled by the winter extent of sea ice in the Bering Sea, which can vary considerably and recently has been much lower than average. The cold bottom water of the CP is important for food security because it delineates the boundary between arctic and subarctic demersal fish species. A northward retreat of the CP will likely be associated with migration of subarctic species toward the Chukchi Sea. We use the fully-coupled Regional Arctic System Model (RASM) to examine variability of the extent and distribution of the CP and its relation to change in the sea ice cover in the Bering Sea during the period 1980-2018. RASM results confirm the direct correlation between the extent of sea ice and the CP and show a smaller CP as a consequence of realistically simulated recent declines of the sea ice cover in the Bering Sea. In fact, the area of the CP was found to be only 31% of the long-term mean in July of 2018. In addition, we also find that a low ice year is followed by a later diatom bloom, while a heavy ice year is followed by an early diatom bloom. Finally, the RASM probabilistic intra-annual forecast capability is reviewed, based on 31-member ensembles for 2019-2021, for its potential use for prediction of the winter sea ice cover and the subsequent summer CP area in the Bering Sea.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266180 |
| spellingShingle | Jaclyn Clement Kinney Wieslaw Maslowski Robert Osinski Younjoo J Lee Christina Goethel Karen Frey Anthony Craig On the variability of the Bering Sea Cold Pool and implications for the biophysical environment. PLoS ONE |
| title | On the variability of the Bering Sea Cold Pool and implications for the biophysical environment. |
| title_full | On the variability of the Bering Sea Cold Pool and implications for the biophysical environment. |
| title_fullStr | On the variability of the Bering Sea Cold Pool and implications for the biophysical environment. |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the variability of the Bering Sea Cold Pool and implications for the biophysical environment. |
| title_short | On the variability of the Bering Sea Cold Pool and implications for the biophysical environment. |
| title_sort | on the variability of the bering sea cold pool and implications for the biophysical environment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266180 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jaclynclementkinney onthevariabilityoftheberingseacoldpoolandimplicationsforthebiophysicalenvironment AT wieslawmaslowski onthevariabilityoftheberingseacoldpoolandimplicationsforthebiophysicalenvironment AT robertosinski onthevariabilityoftheberingseacoldpoolandimplicationsforthebiophysicalenvironment AT younjoojlee onthevariabilityoftheberingseacoldpoolandimplicationsforthebiophysicalenvironment AT christinagoethel onthevariabilityoftheberingseacoldpoolandimplicationsforthebiophysicalenvironment AT karenfrey onthevariabilityoftheberingseacoldpoolandimplicationsforthebiophysicalenvironment AT anthonycraig onthevariabilityoftheberingseacoldpoolandimplicationsforthebiophysicalenvironment |