The Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre

The Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre is a dominant feature of the Arctic system, a prominent indicator of climate change, and possibly a control factor for high-latitude climate. The state of knowledge of the wind-driven Beaufort Gyre is reviewed here, including its forcing, relationship to sea-ice cover, source waters, circulation, and energetics. Recent decades have seen pronounced change in all elements of the Beaufort Gyre system. Sea-ice losses have accompanied an intensification of the gyre circulation and increasing heat and freshwater content. Present understanding of these changes is evaluated, and time series of heat and freshwater content are updated to include the most recent observations.

Automated summary

The Beaufort Gyre, a wind-driven circulation in the Arctic Ocean, is a key indicator of climate change and may play a role in high-latitude climate control. This review examines the state of knowledge on the Beaufort Gyre, including its driving forces, relationship with sea-ice cover, source waters, circulation, and energetics. Recent years have witnessed significant changes in the Beaufort Gyre system, with increased circulation, heat, and freshwater content accompanying sea-ice losses. The understanding of these changes is evaluated, and updated time series data on heat and freshwater content are provided.