Pacific Waters in the East Siberian Sea: Identification from δ¹³С(DIC) and [DIC] Characteristics

Abstract

Based on the high-precision isotopic composition and concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the Bering Sea waters, their scopes and pathways are estimated in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean. Although δ¹³С(DIC) and [DIC] are not classical conservative tracers, these parameters show the presence of both Atlantic and Pacific marine waters similar to the Bering Sea waters in the basin of the East Siberian Sea, which is a zone of active interaction of river and marine waters. The spatial distribution of Pacific and Atlantic and river waters is estimated using a three-component mixing model along two sections of the East Siberian Sea. The Pacific component propagates from east to west approximately to 160° E (probably, more westward) skirting Wrangel Island not only from the north but also probably from the south. The East Siberian Sea contains waters similar to the Bering Sea summer surface waters of the open sea, which are removed to the northern shelf by the circular Bering Sea Current, and to the upper intermediate waters, which can be involved in the zone of the northern sea shelf due to upwelling or active mixing.