Quantifying Inflows and Outflows to/from Barrow Canyon using Shipboard and Glider Data

The transport of Pacific water through Barrow Canyon has a significant impact on the heat and freshwater budget of the western Arctic basin. As such it is important to quantify the different pathways into and out of the canyon and the dynamics of the circulation. Using a combination of shipboard and glider hydrographic data, we calculate the mass, heat, and freshwater transports for flows into and out of the mouth of Barrow Canyon during October 2012. We find that in order to sensibly interpret the volume transport into the basin at the mouth of the canyon, the eastward flowing shelfbreak current to the west of canyon must significantly contribute to the along-canyon flow. We also find that the hydrographic structure of the shelfbreak front is much more variable to the west of Barrow Canyon than it is to the east. This suggests that there is a strong asymmetry in the stability characteristics of the frontal jet on the two sides of Barrow Canyon. Wind and satellite sea surface altimetry data are used to explore the forcing and dynamics of the flow, including the presence of eddy-like circulations to the west and east of the canyon.