Ocean and sea-ice dynamics in Nares Strait and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

加拿大北极群岛（这里定义为包括与格陵兰接壤的纳雷斯海峡）是连接北冰洋和大西洋的关键门户。通过其通道的淡水和冰流量的变化有可能对北极海冰的分布和大西洋纬向翻转环流的强度产生重大影响，从而影响区域和全球气候。然而，该地区的海洋环流模型、监测和理解都很差。该项目将使用一个区域性的高分辨率海洋-海冰耦合模型，以确定支配群岛水流的动力学。还将确定这一流动调整大气强迫变化的过程和时间尺度。会议将特别关注三大海峡之一的内尔斯海峡，该海峡是北极多年冰的主要出口地，也是最近一次密集观测活动的主题。该项目是及时的，因为它将提供基本的物理认识，以帮助解释和推断2007-2009国际极地年资助的观测项目的结果。这些结果将使我们能够更有信心地估计目前通过加拿大北极群岛出口的总淡水通量，并更好地预测未来的变化。全球气候模式无法反映高纬度海洋发生的重要动力过程，这给气候变化的预测带来了严重问题。确定基本的物理机制和敏感性是理解如何更好地代表这些流动的关键一步。

The Canadian Arctic Archipelago (defined here to include Nares Strait which borders Greenland) is a key gateway that links the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic. Changes in the flux of freshened seawater and ice through its channels have the potential to significantly affect the distribution of sea-ice in the Arctic and the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, and hence influence both regional and global climate. Yet the ocean circulation in this region is poorly modelled, monitored and understood. This project will use a regional, high-resolution coupled ocean-sea-ice model to determine the dynamics that govern the flow through the archipelago. The processes by and timescales on which this flow adjusts to change in atmospheric forcing will also be identified. There will be a particular focus on Nares Strait, one of the three major channels, a key exporter of multi-year ice from the Arctic, and the subject of a recent intensive observational campaign. This project is timely in that it will provide fundamental physical understanding to aid in the interpretation and extrapolation of results from observational projects funded under the International Polar Year of 2007-2009. The results will allow us to make more confident estimates of the total freshwater flux currently exported through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and better founded predictions of future change. The inability of global climate models to represent the important dynamical processes that occur in the high-latitude ocean poses a serious problem for predictions of climate change. Determination of the underlying physical mechanisms and sensitivities is a crucial step towards understanding how these flows might be better represented.