Adrift in the Beaufort Gyre: A model intercomparison

Output from six regional sea ice-ocean climate model simulations of the arc tic seas is compared to investigate the models' ability to accurately repro duce the observed late winter mean sea surface salinity. The results indica te general agreement within the Nordic seas, strong differences on the arct ic continental shelves, and the presence of a climate drift that leads to a high salinity bias in most models within the Beaufort Gyre. The latter is highly sensitive to the wind forcing and to the simulation of freshwater so urces on the shelves and elsewhere.