The impact of freshwater and brines from Arctic shelf regions on the transformation of water masses along the Arctic Ocean continental margin

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The overall purpose of the project is to provide a quantitative observationally based assessment of circulation and water mass transformation processes along the continental margin of the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Based on hydrological data and stable oxygen isotope analysis (¿18O) the influence of shelf-derived freshwaters and brine-enriched waters can be identified, and the impact of these waters on the halocline, the Atlantic layer and deep waters of the Arctic Ocean will be quantified. Within the frame of the expeditions of the Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System (NABOS) project we will obtain several quasi-synoptic datasets from the continental slope of the Eurasian Basin. This will enable us to identify processes of water exchange between the shelves and the Arctic Ocean interior and to evaluate these processes also on an inter-annual basis. A quantitative evaluation of this exchange will help to further understand the impact of the Arctic Ocean shelf areas on Arctic and global climate change.