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Scientists from the University of Washington, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have found that fresh water in the Arctic Ocean has increased by 40% in the past two decades.
And Nature Communications notes that, according to the researchers, the increase in fresh water is due to the melting of Arctic ice. Currently, fresh water is present over salt water, and thanks to the winds, it remains in the Beaufort Sea, The problem of what looks like a “water dome”. And if the winds decrease, this fresh water will penetrate into the North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea, affecting the large ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the warm and cold water cycle.
The researchers’ conclusion is based on simulations of ocean circulation, which allowed them to track how freshwater spread in the Portfort Sea during the years 1983-1995. And it was clear to them that most of this water reached the Labrador Sea through the Canadian archipelago in the Arctic, causing a decrease in the salinity of the Labrador Sea by 0.2-0.4 parts per thousand.
The researchers note that the volume of fresh water in the Beaufort Sea has doubled and is equivalent to 23,000 cubic kilometers. Although it is not possible to estimate the impact of a freshwater “pump” in the Atlantic Ocean, scientists believe it will have a serious impact on the climate of the Northern Hemisphere.
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