How does increased freshwater runoff influence sea ice and salinity at the mouth of the Mackenzie River?

Objectives

• Investigate how sea ice responds to increased freshwater input near the mouth of the Mackenzie River.
• Assess the sensitivity and drivers of surface salinity anomalies near the Mackenzie River.

Approach

• Run ECCOv4r5 in 4 configurations (daily, 2014-2019): Control run; Increased runoff globally by 10%; Increase only Mackenzie River runoff by 10%; and Time-varying runoff (JRA-55)
• Investigate adjoint sensitivities to salinity at the mouth of the Mackenzie River.
• Use EMU convolution tool to understand controls on salinity near Mackenzie.

Results

• Runoff modulates seasonal variability in salinity anomalies and wind stress controls interannual variability.
• A 10% increase in runoff leads to slightly increased sea ice area (<1%).