Does the fresh water supply from the Amur river flowing into the sea of Okhotsk affect sea ice formation?

The impacts of ground hydrology on the high-latitude oceans, such as meltin g glaciers and discharge from rivers into the oceans, can affect global cli mate by mediating the flow of low-density, fresh water inflow that strength ens the ocean's stratification. This suppresses the thermohaline circulatio n, and also promotes sea-ice formation. Our time series analysis based on s ea-ice and river-discharge data indicates that the effect of this fresh wat er on the sea-ice in the Okhotsk Sea, into which the second largest Siberia n River, the Amur, discharges, is relatively unimportant. Interannual varia tions in the ice extent are negatively correlated with the amount of discha rge. We find circumstantial evidence that the inflow of warmer river water tends to raise the sea surface temperature, and that it suppresses ice form ation in the following winter. This potential explanation for the negative correlation implies that sensible heat transported by large rivers in high latitudes should be reconsidered in studying global climate change.