Published

Researcher James McClelland sampling water during ice break-up in Kaktovik Lagoon, Alaska.
Credit: Ken Dunton

Beaufort Sea lagoons experience large seasonal variations in temperature and salinity related to the Arctic freeze-thaw cycle. In the most extreme cases, lagoons swing from completely freshwater conditions during the spring to hypersaline conditions during the winter. Variations in salinity regimes among lagoons are modulated by ocean exchange characteristics and proximity to river mouths. Water transparency is highest during ice break-up, but following ice retreat, wind driven sediment resuspension increases light attenuation.

 

Learn more

  1. Bonsell, CE and KH Dunton. 2018. Long-term patterns of benthic irradiance and kelp production in the central Beaufort Sea reveal implications of warming for Arctic inner shelves. Progress in Oceanography. doi: 10.1016/j.pocean.2018.02.016
  2. Harris, CM et al. 2017. Hydrology and geomorphology modulate salinity and temperature regimes in eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea lagoons. Estuaries and Coasts. doi: 10.1007/s12237-016-0123-z

Contact

Kenneth Dunton
ken.dunton@utexas.edu

Posted:  July 6, 2020