The third Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition （3rd CHINARE-Arctic in 2008） was carried out from July to September 2008. During the survey, numerous sea water samples were taken for CO2 parameter measurement （including total alkalinity TA and total dissolved inorganic carbon DIC）.The distribution of COs parameters in the Western Arctic Ocean was determined, and the controlling factors are addressed. The ranges of summertime TA, normalized TA （nTA）, DIC and normalized DIC （nDIC） in the surface seawater were 1 757 2 229 umol.kg 1 2 383-2 722 umol.kg-1, 1 681 2 034 pmol.kg 1, 2 119--2 600 umol.kg-1, respectively. Because of dilution from ice meltwater, the surface TA and DIC concentrations were relatively low. TA in the upper 100 m to the south of 78°N had good correlation with salinity, showing a conservative behavior. The distribution followed the seawater-river mixing line at salinity 〉30, then followed the seawater mixing line （diluted by river water to salinity = 30） with the ice meltwater. The DIC distribution in the Chukchi Sea was dominated by biological production or respiration of organic matter, whereas conservative mixing dominated the mixed layer TA distribution in the ice-free Canada Basin.
As a quasi-conservative tracer, measures of total alkalinity （TA） can be utilized to trace the relative fractions of freshwater and seawater. In this study, based on the TA and related data collected during the third Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition （JulySeptember 2008, 3rd CHINARE-Arctic） and the fourth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition （JulySeptember 2010, 4th CH1NARE-Arctic）, fractions of sea-ice meltwater, river runoff, and seawater within the surface water of the western Arctic Ocean were determined using salinil~~ and TA relationships. The largest fraction of seeL-ice meltwater was found around 75~N within the Canada Basin during both surveys, which is located at the ice edge. Generally, it was found that the frac- tion of river runoff was less than that of sea-ice meltwater. The river runoff, composed mainly of contributions from the Yukon River carried by Bering inflow water and the Mackenzie River, was influenced by the currents, leading to two peak areas of its fraction. Our results show that the dilution effect of freshwater carried by Bering inflow water during the 3rd CH1NARE-Arctic in 2008 expedition period may be stronger than that during the 4th CH1NARE-Arctic in 2010 expedition period. The peak area of sea-ice meltwater fraction during the 4th CH1NARE-Arctic was different from that of the 3rd CHINAR-E-Arctic, corresponding to their sea-ice condition.
Polar oceans play an important role in the global carbon cycle.Measurements of atmospheric and surface sea wat...
Zhongyong Gao1,2,Liqi Chen1,2,3,Heng Sun1,2,Wei-jun Cai4,Baoshan Chen4 1 Key Laboratory of Global Change and Marine-Atmospheric Chemistry,State Oceanic Administration(SOA),Xiamen,361005,China 2 Third Institute of Oceanography,SOA,Xiamen 361005,China 3 Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration,Beijing 100860,China 4 University of Georgia,Athens,GA 30622,USA
