2012, Oceanography 25(3):208–213, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2012.64
Recent Arctic Climate Change and Its Remote Forcing of Northwest Atlantic Shelf Ecosystems
Published first online on July 7, 2012
Authors | Abstract | Full Article | Technical Notes | Citation | References
Authors
Marine Ecosystem Responses to Climate In the North Atlantic (MERCINA) Working Group
Charles H. Greene | Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Bruce C. Monger | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Louise P. McGarry | Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Matthew D. Connelly | Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Neesha R. Schnepf | Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Andrew J. Pershing | Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Portland, ME, USA, and School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
Igor M. Belkin | Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI, USA
Paula S. Fratantoni | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, USA
David G. Mountain | Tucson, AZ, USA
Robert S. Pickart | Department of Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
Rubao Ji | Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
James J. Bisagni | School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, New Bedford, MA, USA
Changsheng Chen | School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, New Bedford, MA, USA
Sirpa M.A. Hakkinen | National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Dale B. Haidvogel | Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Jia Wang | Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, NOAA, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Erica Head | Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
Peter Smith | Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
Alessandra Conversi | Marine Sciences Institute, Italian National Research Council, La Spezia, Italy; Marine Institute, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK; and Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, Plymouth, UK
Abstract
During recent decades, historically unprecedented changes have been observed in the Arctic as climate warming has increased precipitation, river discharge, and glacial as well as sea-ice melting. Additionally, shifts in the Arctic's atmospheric pressure field have altered surface winds, ocean circulation, and freshwater storage in the Beaufort Gyre. These processes have resulted in variable patterns of freshwater export from the Arctic Ocean, including the emergence of great salinity anomalies propagating throughout the North Atlantic. Here, we link these variable patterns of freshwater export from the Arctic Ocean to the regime shifts observed in Northwest Atlantic shelf ecosystems. Specifically, we hypothesize that the corresponding salinity anomalies, both negative and positive, alter the timing and extent of water-column stratification, thereby impacting the production and seasonal cycles of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and higher-trophic-level consumers. Should this hypothesis hold up to critical evaluation, it has the potential to fundamentally alter our current understanding of the processes forcing the dynamics of Northwest Atlantic shelf ecosystems.
Full Article
1.21 MB pdf (revised 11.2.12)
Technical Notes
Citation
MERCINA Working Group. 2012. Recent Arctic climate change and its remote forcing of Northwest Atlantic shelf ecosystems. Oceanography 25(3):208–213, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2012.64.
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