The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Resolved boundary currents of Atlantic Water intensify the Beaufort Gyre in a warming Arctic Ocean
ID:415 Oral Presentation

2027-01-14 14:30 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 5 - Arctic Ocean: Physical Processes and their Effects on Climate and the Ecosystem

Abstract
The Beaufort Gyre (BG) is a key freshwater reservoir in the Arctic Ocean, and its variability could have vast impacts on global climate. Current-generation climate models (e.g., CMIP6) typically operate at coarse resolutions (~20 km) that cannot resolve boundary currents transporting Atlantic Water (AW) in the Arctic Ocean. This leads to large uncertainties in the pathways of AW and its impact on BG dynamics. Here, using an ultra-high-resolution (2 km in the Arctic Ocean) simulation of the AWI-CM3 model with substantial improvements in simulating AW inflow and boundary current structure, we demonstrate a fundamentally different BG response under warming. After excluding the influence of surface processes, we found that the resolved, intensified AW boundary currents transport more AW into the Amerasian Basin, which results in a contraction and strengthening of the BG. Our results highlight that inadequate representation of boundary currents in coarse resolution models may lead to a systematic underestimation of future BG strengthening and its climatic implications.
 
Speaker
Jiahao Li Ocean University of China

Author
Jiahao Li State Key Laboratory of Ocean Dynamics-Physical Environment and Intelligent Sensing / Frontier Science Centre for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) / Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

      Session / Event proposals close
      (Extended to April 7)

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Session acceptance notifications

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions & registration open

    • Jun 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions close
      (Extended to July 21)

    • Aug 31

      2026

      Abstract acceptance notifications

    • Sep 15

      2026

      Scientific program released

    • Oct 15

      2026

      Early bird registration closes

    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027