Sea-ice production over the Laptev Sea shelf inferred from historical summer-to-winter hydrographie observations of 1960s-1990s

Abstract

The winter net sea-ice production (NSIP) over the Laptev Sea shelf is inferred from continuous summer-towinter historical salinity records of 1960s-1990s. While the NSIP strongly depends on the assumed salinity of newly formed ice, the NSIP quasi-decadal variability can be linked to the wind-driven circulation anomalies in the Laptev Sea region. The increased wind-driven advection of ice away from the Laptev Sea coast when the Arctic Oscillation (AO) is positive implies enhanced coastal polynya sea-ice production and brine release in the shelf water. When the AO is negative, the NSIP and seasonal salinity amplitude tends to weaken. These results are in reasonable agreement with sea-ice observations and modeling. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.