TY - JOUR TI - Composition of freshwater in the spring of 2014 on the southern Labrador shelf and slope AU - Benetti, M. AU - Reverdin, G. AU - Lique, C. AU - Yashayaev, I. AU - Holliday, N. P. AU - Tynan, E. AU - Torres-Valdes, S. AU - Lherminier, P. AU - Tréguer, P. AU - Sarthou, G. T2 - Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans AB - The Labrador Current is an important conduit of freshwater from the Arctic to the interior North Atlantic subpolar gyre. Here we investigate the spatial variability of the freshwater sources over the southern Labrador shelf and slope during May–June 2014. Using measurements of seawater properties such as temperature, salinity, nutrients, and oxygen isotopic composition, we estimate the respective contributions of saline water of Atlantic and Pacific origins, of brines released during sea ice formation, and of freshwater from sea ice melt and meteoric water origins. On the southern Labrador shelf, we find a large brine signal and Pacific water influence indicating a large contribution of water from the Canadian Arctic. The brine signal implies that more than 4 m of sea ice formed upstream, either in the Arctic or in Baffin Bay and the northern Labrador Sea. Over the midshelf and slope at 52°N, we find a stronger influence of slope water from the West Greenland Current with a smaller contribution of Pacific water and no brine signal. Thus, there is advection of water from the slope region to the midshelf between 55°N and 52°N. Very freshwater with high meteoric content is found close to the coast in June 2014. Observations from 1995 and 2008 suggest a higher fraction of brine and Pacific water on the shelf compared to that observed in 2014. DA - 2017/// PY - 2017 DO - 10.1002/2016JC012244 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 122 IS - 2 SP - 1102 EP - 1121 J2 - J. Geophys. Res. Oceans LA - en SN - 2169-9291 UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JC012244/abstract DB - https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00365/47667/ Y2 - 2017/02/18/20:20:36 KW - 1616 Climate variability KW - 1876 Water budgets KW - 4219 Continental shelf and slope processes KW - 4283 Water masses KW - 4870 Stable isotopes KW - ACL KW - CNRS KW - GEOVIDE_ANR-13-BS06-0014 KW - Labrador Current KW - Pacific water KW - UBO KW - brines KW - chibido KW - freshwater KW - sea ice melt KW - stable isotopes ER -