Thermal Overturning Circulation in an Arctic Pond
Abstract In a 1.2‐m‐deep arctic permafrost pond, early‐summer bottom‐water renewal was dominated by thermal overturning circulation, rather than wind‐driven overturning or vertical turbulent mixing. Three high‐resolution current profilers measured turbulent dissipation rates. Three dense temperature...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114541 |
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| author | Stephen M. Henderson Sally MacIntyre |
| author_facet | Stephen M. Henderson Sally MacIntyre |
| author_sort | Stephen M. Henderson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In a 1.2‐m‐deep arctic permafrost pond, early‐summer bottom‐water renewal was dominated by thermal overturning circulation, rather than wind‐driven overturning or vertical turbulent mixing. Three high‐resolution current profilers measured turbulent dissipation rates. Three dense temperature logger arrays measured stratification. A turbulent surface mixed layer grew thicker with nightly cooling and thinner with daily warming. However, both day and night, turbulence was inhibited in a stratified layer that separated the surface mixed layer from the deeper pond. Nightly cooling, likely intensified in shallow regions of the pond, generated 10‐cm‐thick cold layers, which flowed down the sloping bed to renew bottom waters. A heat balance suggests sufficient flow to replace most bottom water each night. Groundwater flows were too slow to influence this circulation, but likely advected significant heat into sediments near the pond's western end. Bottom water renewal may influence greenhouse gas emissions and heat transport in the evolving permafrost landscape. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-47dba38b112f4864b975ccd6c76f2a2f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-47dba38b112f4864b975ccd6c76f2a2f2025-08-20T02:56:34ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-04-01528n/an/a10.1029/2024GL114541Thermal Overturning Circulation in an Arctic PondStephen M. Henderson0Sally MacIntyre1School of the Environment Washington State University Vancouver WA USADepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology University of California, Santa Barabara Santa Barabara CA USAAbstract In a 1.2‐m‐deep arctic permafrost pond, early‐summer bottom‐water renewal was dominated by thermal overturning circulation, rather than wind‐driven overturning or vertical turbulent mixing. Three high‐resolution current profilers measured turbulent dissipation rates. Three dense temperature logger arrays measured stratification. A turbulent surface mixed layer grew thicker with nightly cooling and thinner with daily warming. However, both day and night, turbulence was inhibited in a stratified layer that separated the surface mixed layer from the deeper pond. Nightly cooling, likely intensified in shallow regions of the pond, generated 10‐cm‐thick cold layers, which flowed down the sloping bed to renew bottom waters. A heat balance suggests sufficient flow to replace most bottom water each night. Groundwater flows were too slow to influence this circulation, but likely advected significant heat into sediments near the pond's western end. Bottom water renewal may influence greenhouse gas emissions and heat transport in the evolving permafrost landscape.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114541turbulencemixingstratification |
| spellingShingle | Stephen M. Henderson Sally MacIntyre Thermal Overturning Circulation in an Arctic Pond Geophysical Research Letters turbulence mixing stratification |
| title | Thermal Overturning Circulation in an Arctic Pond |
| title_full | Thermal Overturning Circulation in an Arctic Pond |
| title_fullStr | Thermal Overturning Circulation in an Arctic Pond |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermal Overturning Circulation in an Arctic Pond |
| title_short | Thermal Overturning Circulation in an Arctic Pond |
| title_sort | thermal overturning circulation in an arctic pond |
| topic | turbulence mixing stratification |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114541 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stephenmhenderson thermaloverturningcirculationinanarcticpond AT sallymacintyre thermaloverturningcirculationinanarcticpond |