| Baffin Bay is connected to the Arctic Ocean through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and to the Labrador Sea through Davis Strait. The variability of its mass and freshwater transports is closely related to oceanographic conditions in the Arctic Ocean and Labrador Sea. Freshening of the Arctic Ocean can promote ice growth in Baffin Bay, which may lead to a strong stratification and weak winter convection in the Labrador Sea and a weak thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic. To investigate the role of Baffin Bay in Arctic-Atlantic interaction, a modelling study in conjunction with data analysis is carried out to quantify the circulation and transports of Baffin Bay. The model used is a coupled ice model and Princeton Ocean Model encompassing the entire Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay with open boundaries along 42˚ W, 40˚ N and 55˚ W. Volume transports are prescribed on the open boundaries and at three northern channels according to data and largescale models. Objectively analyzed high-resolution monthly temperature and salinity fields are used to initialized the model. The model results show that the circulation of Baffin Bay is cyclonic. A branch of the Western Greenland Current flows into the bay through the eastern side of Davis Strait. This northward current spreads over the eastern shelf and converges at the shelf edge at 75˚ N. In the western part of Baffin Bay, the water flows in the southeast direction parallel to the coast except an excursion into Lancaster Sound. The strongest current occurs over the shelf edge between 70˚ N and 72˚ N. The model currents are compared to current meter measurements across Davis Strait and at several sites around the shelf edge taken by C. Ross. There is a general agreement between the model and the data. The current meter data show bottom intensification at the western shelf edge, which is reproduced in the model. The net volume transport through Davis Strait from the model is 2.2 Sv, which compares favourably with the transport calculated from the current meter data, 2.5 Sv. The estimated freshwater and ice transports through Davis Strait based on available data are 3120 km3 yr-1 and 870 km3 yr-1, respectively. Sensitivity of the model transports to boundary conditions and meteorological forcing is discussed. |
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