Author Archive

Alkire, M.B., J. Morison, and R. Andersen (2015). Variability in the meteoric water, sea-ice melt, and Pacific water contributions to the central Arctic Ocean, 2000-2014, Journal of Geophysical Research 120, doi:10.1002/2014JC010023.

Alkire, M. B., K. K. Falkner, I. Rigor, M. Steele, and J. H. Morison, The return of Pacific waters to the upper layers of the central Arctic Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Part I, 54, 1509–1529, 2007.

Alkire, M.B., K.K. Falkner, J. Morison, R.W. Collier, C.K.Guay, R.A. Desiderio, I.G. Rigor, M. McPhee (2010). Sensor-based profiles of the NO parameter in the central Arctic and southern Canada Basin: new insights regarding the cold halocline, Deep-Sea Research I 57: 1432-1443, 2010.

McPhee, M. G., A. Proshutinsky, J. H. Morison, M. Steele, and M. B. Alkire, Rapid change in freshwater content of the Arctic Ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L10602, doi:10.1029/2009GL037525, 2009.

There are two primary goals of this project: (1) determine whether relatively small Canadian Arctic rivers significantly contribute to the total volume of freshwater that drains through Davis Strait and (2) determine if they are chemically distinct from larger North American rivers such as the Mackenzie and Yukon Rivers.  To achieve these goals we have collected water samples from eight different rivers across Nunavut and the Northwest Territories to determine their geochemical signatures (e.g., d¹⁸O, total alkalinity, barium, Sr isotopes, major ions, and dissolved organic carbon).  The first year (2014) of field work is completed and chemical analyses of river samples are ongoing.  The second (2015) and third (2016) years of the project will involve a continuation of the river sampling efforts as well as extending sampling into the adjoining estuaries to assess changes across the salinity gradient.

Read more or go to the Project page