Assessing the current and future Arctic Ocean observing system with observing system simulating experiments

Arctic Ocean Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) were performed with a pan-Arctic coupled ocean-sea ice data assimilation system to assess the impacts of assimilating available observations on the Arctic ocean-sea ice state. To this end, the adjoint method with a 3-year assimilation window was used to assimilate synthetic observations sampled from a 4 km model simulation at the spatio-temporal distribution of the existing observing system. After data assimilation, the sea ice state, including sea ice concentration (SIC), sea ice thickness (SIT), and sea ice volume (SIV), were significantly improved, benefiting from the high spatio-temporal coverage of SIC observations and the wintertime SIT observations. In contrast, the ocean state is not very well constrained with the existing hydrographic observing system. An additional 1 degrees x 1 degrees ocean profiling array with a 10-day sampling frequency was seen to substantially improve the estimated ocean temperature and freshwater content. Data from additional moorings deployed in the Fram Strait and continental slope of the Laptev Sea could also improve the pathway of Atlantic inflow to the Arctic Ocean and the temperature of the Atlantic inflow but degrade the mean volume transport through the Fram Strait. Moreover, estimated exchanges between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean through the Fram Strait, Davis Strait and the St. Anna Trough were found to benefit from the high-density profiling array.

Automated summary

This study used Arctic Ocean Observing System Simulation Experiments to assess the impacts of assimilating different observations on the Arctic ocean-sea ice state. It found that the sea ice state was significantly improved, but the ocean state was not well constrained by the existing hydrographic observing system. Additional ocean profiling arrays and mooring data can help improve the estimation of ocean temperature and other parameters.