Seasonal modification of the Arctic Ocean intermediate water layer off the eastern Laptev Sea continental shelf break

Through the analysis of observational mooring data collected at the northeastern Laptev Sea continental slope in 2004-2007, we document a hydrographic seasonal signal in the intermediate Atlantic Water (AW) layer, with generally higher temperature and salinity from December-January to May-July and lower values from May-July to December-January. At the mooring position, this seasonal signal dominates, contributing up to 75% of the total variance. Our data suggest that the entire AW layer down to at least 840 m is affected by seasonal cycling, although the strength of the seasonal signal in temperature and salinity reduces from 260 m (+/-0.25 degrees C and +/-0.025 psu) to 840 m (+/-0.05 degrees C and +/-0.005 psu). The seasonal velocity signal is substantially weaker, strongly masked by high-frequency variability, and lags the thermohaline cycle by 45-75 days. We hypothesize that our mooring record shows a time history of the along-margin propagation of the AW seasonal signal carried downstream by the AW boundary current. Our analysis suggests that the seasonal signal in the Fram Strait Branch of AW (FSBW) at 260 m is predominantly translated from Fram Strait, while the seasonality in the Barents Sea branch of AW (BSBW) domain (at 840 m) is attributed instead to the seasonal signal input from the Barents Sea. However, the characteristic signature of the BSBW seasonal dynamics observed through the entire AW layer leads us to speculate that BSBW also plays a role in seasonally modifying the properties of the FSBW.