Fram Strait
The Fram Strait[1] is a passage from the Arctic Ocean to the Greenland Sea and Norwegian Sea, between Greenland and Spitsbergen. It is named after the Norwegian ship Fram. The Fram Strait is the major connection between the Arctic Ocean and the world ocean.
[edit] Role in Arctic Sea ice
The Fram strait plays a central role in whether the north ice cap will survive future summers. With global warming the Arctic ice pack has been diminishing in size and thickness.[2] Most of the ice pack appears over the winter, freezing up to 1 m deep, but then melts back to open water by August. The area covered by multi-year ice, however, is thought to have remained relatively stable, an equilibrium between creation (first-year ice that persists into its second winter, becoming multi-year ice) and destruction (flow of sea ice through the Fram Strait and southward along the eastern coast of Greenland). Approximately 90% of sea ice exported from the Arctic is transported by the Eastern Greenland Current, joining the current as it passes through the Fram Strait.[3]
The amount of sea ice passing through the Fram Strait varies from year to year, as seen in this animation.
As the icepack size diminishes, the speed at which it diminishes is thought to accelerate summer melting of multi-year ice because of a positive feedback loop: open water is less reflective than sea ice, absorbing heat that ice reflects. Transport of sea ice through the Fram Strait affects the global climate through its influence on the thermohaline circulation. This is because sea ice essentially corresponds to fresh water; its salt content is about 4 parts per thousand compared to about 35 parts per thousand for sea water.
Based upon computer modelling, it is believed that 60 to 70% of the fluctuation in the quantity of sea ice flowing through the Fram Strait is correlated with a fluctuation with period 6–7 years in which the Icelandic Low Pressure system extends eastward into the Barents Sea.[4]
In the past century, the sea surface temperature at Fram Strait has on average warmed roughly 1.9°C (3.5°F), and is 1.4°C (2.5°F) warmer than during the Medieval Warm Period. The warming in this area has likely amplified Arctic shrinkage, and serves as a positive feedback mechanism for transporting more heat to the Arctic.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Volkmann, Renate (July 2000). "Planktic foraminifers in the outer Laptev Sea and the Fram Strait—modern distribution and ecology". The Journal of Foraminiferal Research (geoscienceworld.org) 30 (3): 157. doi:10.2113/0300157.
- ^ How does Arctic sea ice form and decay - Wadhams. Arctic.noaa.gov. Retrieved on 2010-08-31.
- ^ Woodgate 1999, Rudels 1999, cited in Gyorry 1999: The East Greenland Current
- ^ Top Story - Atmospheric wave linked to sea ice flow near Greenland, study finds - August 28, 2002. Gsfc.nasa.gov (2002-08-28). Retrieved on 2010-08-31.
- ^ News, Science (January 28, 2011). "Warming North Atlantic Water Tied to Heating Arctic". ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110127141659.htm. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
[edit] External links
- Daily Satellite Picture
Coordinates: 80°0′N 2°0′W / 80°N 2°W
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