Brine-Driven Eddies under Sea Ice Leads and Their Impact on the Arctic Ocean Mixed Layer

Abstract

Eddy generation induced by a line-shaped salt flux under a sea ice lead and associated salt transport are investigated using a three-dimensional numerical model. The model is designed to represent a typical condition for the wintertime Arctic Ocean mixed layer, where new ice formation within leads is known to be one of the primary sources of dense water. The result shows that along-lead baroclinic jets generate anticyclonic eddies at the base of the mixed layer, and almost all the lead-originated salt is contained inside these eddies. These eddies survive for over a month after closing of the lead and transport the lead-originated salt laterally. Consequently, the lead-origin salt settles only on the top of the halocline and is not used for increasing salinity of the mixed layer. Sensitivity experiments suggest that the horizontal scale of generated eddies depends only on the surface forcing and is proportional to the cube root of the total amount of salt input. This scaling of eddy size is consistent with a theoretical argument based on a linear instability theory. Parameterizing these processes would improve representation of the Arctic Ocean mixed layer in ocean general circulation models.