Abstract:

The Pacific water enters the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait, influencing the sea ice, water masses and circulation in the Arctic Ocean. During the past decade, a series of abnormal variations occurred in the Arctic Ocean. At the same time, the volume transports and features of the Pacific inflow in the Bering Strait varied obviously and the route and influence area of the Pacific water changed greatly. The relationships between these variations are still kept unrevealed. This paper reviews the advances on the relative studies and discusses the possible links between the abnormal variations in the Arctic Ocean and the changes of the Pacific inflow.