Relative Roles of Plume and Coastal Forcing on Exchange Flow Variability of a Glacial Fjord

Author:

Sanchez Robert1ORCID,Straneo Fiammetta1ORCID,Hughes Kenneth2ORCID,Barbour Philip2,Shroyer Emily23ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography UC San Diego San Diego CA USA

2. College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA

3. Office of Naval Research Arlington VA USA

Abstract

AbstractGlacial fjord circulation determines the import of oceanic heat to the Greenland Ice Sheet and the export of ice sheet meltwater to the ocean. However, limited observations and the presence of both glacial and coastal forcing—such as coastal‐trapped waves—make uncovering the physical mechanisms controlling fjord‐shelf exchange difficult. Here we use multi‐year, high‐resolution, realistically forced numerical simulations of Sermilik Fjord in southeast Greenland to evaluate the exchange flow. We compare models, with and without a plume, to differentiate between the exchange flow driven by shelf variability and that driven by subglacial discharge. We use the Total Exchange Flow framework to quantify the exchange volume transports. We find that a decline in offshore wind stress from January through July drives a seasonal reversal in the exchange flow increasing the presence of warm Atlantic Water at depth. We also find that including glacial plumes doubles the exchange flow in the summer. Our results show that the plume‐driven circulation is more effective at renewal with a flushing time 1/3 that of the shelf‐driven circulation near the fjord head.

Funder

Heising-Simons Foundation

Publisher

American Geophysical Union (AGU)

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