Freshwater Export in the East Greenland Current Freshens the North Atlantic

Abstract

Abstract Arctic Ocean freshwater content increased in the 2000s. Since variations in freshwater input into the North Atlantic Ocean can modify its properties, monitoring the freshwater export from the Arctic Ocean to southern latitudes is critical. The Arctic Outflow Observatory in Fram Strait has collected continuous ocean measurements from moored platforms since 1997. Here new and improved records of freshwater transport from the mooring array are presented until 2015, showing that, since the last documented record in 2009, the freshwater export was substantially larger from 2010 to 2013. The increase was mostly due to increased southward flow, and secondly due to low salinities. While sea level pressure gradient across the strait explains seasonal variability, it does not explain the observed freshwater anomaly. The cumulative freshwater anomaly between 2010 and 2015 amounted to 3,106 km 3 , representing a significant external source of freshwater to the North Atlantic.