Causes of increased dissolved inorganic carbon in the subsurface layers in the western shelfbreak and high latitudes basin in the Arctic Pacific sector

The expansion of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC)-rich water carried by the Pacific inflow creates a DIC maximum layer and exerts important influences on ocean acidification in the subsurface Arctic Ocean. This study analyzed shifts in the DIC distribution of the subsurface Arctic Ocean during 1998-2015 through hindcast simulation using a three-dimensional ocean-sea ice-biogeochemical model. For this purpose, the study was divided into two time periods (1998-2007 and 2008-2015). The results showed that the lower boundary layer of the Pacific Winter Water, defined as an isopycnal of 27 kg m(-3), became deeper by similar to 50 m in the central Canada Basin and expanded northward during 2008-2015 relative to 1998-2007. Accordingly, the subsurface DIC maximum layer deepened and expanded northwards into the Makarov Basin at high latitudes around 85 degrees N. During 2008-2015, DIC concentrations, averaged over a 50-250 m water column, increased significantly in the Chukchi-East Siberian Shelfbreak and Makarov Basin. The DIC increase over the shelfbreak is mainly attributable to increased local biological degradation and the transportation of DIC-rich water from the Chukchi Shelf through Barrow Canyon. Estimates of the DIC budget indicated that advection controlled the increase in DIC content in the Makarov Basin during 2008-2015. This is attributed to the shift of the ocean circulation pattern, in which the ocean current along the Chukchi-East Siberian Slope to the Makarov Basin became stronger during 2008-2015, promoting the transport of DIC-rich Pacific Water into the Makarov Basin.

Automated summary

The study found that the subsurface DIC maximum layer deepened and expanded northwards into the Makarov Basin during 2008-2015. The increase in DIC concentrations in the Chukchi-East Siberian Shelfbreak and Makarov Basin is mainly attributed to increased local biological degradation and transportation of DIC-rich water from the Chukchi Shelf. Advection was found to control the increase in DIC content in the Makarov Basin, driven by a shift in ocean circulation pattern during 2008-2015.