Science Source

Increasing solar heating of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas, 1979–2005: Attribution and role in the ice‐albedo feedback

Addresses how the amount of solar energy absorbed in areas of open water in the Arctic Basin has varied spatially and temporally over the past few decades
Combines satellite‐derived ice concentrations, incident irradiances determined from reanalysis products, and field observations of ocean albedo over the Arctic Ocean and the adjacent seas
Results indicate an increase in the solar energy deposited in the upper ocean over the past few decades in 89% of the region studied
Finds that the largest increases in total yearly solar heat input, as much as 4% per year, occurred in the Chukchi Sea and adjacent areas