Canadian Archepelago Throughflow Study

The aim of our project is to measure the freshwater flux passing through Nares Strait (one of three major passages connecting the Arctic and the Atlantic through the Canadian Archipelago) in the form of freshened sea-water and ice, as well as its variability, and to determine what sets its strength. Why?? The relatively fresh water leaving Nares Strait and the rest of the Canadian Archipelago enters the Atlantic via the Labrador Sea. This is one of the few critical regions where surface water sinks to form deep water as part of the thermohaline overturning circulation. The amount of freshwater input into the ocean here influences the surface density, and therefore has the potential to significantly affect the strength of the thermohaline circulation and climate.