ИСТИНА

Freshwater plays an important role in climate impacting on the ocean's vertical stability and ice-formation. Recent models showed that relatively small variations in freshwater amount flowing into the North Atlantic could cause large climate changes. An ice-tethered mooring consisting of 9 conductivity and temperature (CT) sensors and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) was deployed during January-March 2014 in a narrow channel between Broomfield and O’Leary islands located in the southeast tip of Belcher islands group in HB as a part of an oceanographic monitoring program in that region. CTD profiles at various locations from north to south around Belcher islands show an increase of warmer and saltier water in the bottom layer. Such a layer was preserved in the south due to the presence of salinity/density stratification that prevented vertical mixing. The presence of a fresher surface layer is caused by the cyclonic circulation of river runoff water in Hudson Bay. The mooring recorded episode of surface under-ice warm water which might affect the thickness and formation of the land-fast ice. Our analysis has a goal to estimate freshwater fluxes and compare them with modelled ones.