WHOI PO

Title: Fateof freshwater and heat in Baffin Bay: Basin-scale circulation and shelf-fjord exchange

Abstract: Baffin Bay, located between Greenland and Baffin Island Canada, is an Arctic marginal sea where cold, fresh Polar water interacts with warm, salty Atlantic Water. Due to the warming climate, fresh water in the Arctic Ocean has been increasing, and meltwater discharge from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, though detailed measurements are lacking in the region. Based on two high-resolution shipboard surveys in 2021, we provide a description of the large-scale water mass distribution and interior circulation in Baffin Bay. The impact of both local and remote wind forcing on basin-scale circulation is investigated. We then focus on the deep trough system that connects the continental slope with glacier fjords, where warm water was observed at depth flowing toward the fjords. Further analysis, integrating observations, reanalysis fields, and a 1/60° high-resolution model output, reveals a new regime for how Greenland’s freshwater discharge interacts with the boundary current in these deep troughs, which has the potential to regulate the Greenland ice sheet melt. Our findings offer valuable insights into basin-scale circulation and shelf-fjord exchange in Baffin Bay, with significant implications for both regional and global climate processes.