About this Earth and Planetary Sciences article

Using the δ18O composition in landfast ice as a record of arctic estuarine processes by R.W. Macdonald; E.C. Carmack; D.W. Paton is a Earth and Planetary Sciences article available to read on EtoBox.

Estuaries that produce substantial amounts of ice differ from those that do not. First, ice formation and melting make important contributions to salt and freshwater budgets and thereby influence water circulation. Second, ice cover provides a physical barrier which severely restricts the air-sea exchange of properties and energy. Unfortunately, the logistical problems of oceanographic sampling in the Arctic during winter have resulted in sparse data sets. Here, we show how the Ž 18 . oxygen isotope composition d O in landfast ice at the end of winter provides a record of surface water properties throughout winter. Two arctic estuaries are contrasted: the Mackenzie estuary which faces directly onto a broad, open shelf and the Husky Lakes estuary which comprises a series of basins that exchange with one another and the shelf through narrow channels. The method of converting records of d 18 O in ice cores to surface water salinity as a function of time throughout winter is outlined. The Mackenzie estuary has a large winter inflow which spreads beneath the ice as a plume overwhelming brine production by sea-ice formation and thereby shutting down convection. Using only ice records, co

Author

R.W. Macdonald; E.C. Carmack; D.W. Paton

Publisher

Elsevier Science; Elsevier ; Elsevier BV (ISSN 0304-4203)

Published

1999

Language

EN

Field

Earth and Planetary Sciences (Physical Sciences)