Thin and transient meltwater layers and false bottoms in the Arctic sea ice pack—Recent insights on these historically overlooked features

The rapid melt of snow and sea ice during the Arctic summer provides a significant source of low-salinity meltwater to the surface ocean on the local scale. The accumulation of this meltwater on, under, and around sea ice floes can result in relatively thin meltwater layers in the upper ocean. Due to the small-scale nature of these upper-ocean features, typically on the order of 1 m thick or less, they are rarely detected by standard methods, but are nevertheless pervasive and critically important in Arctic summer. Observations during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition in summer 2020 focused on the evolution of such layers and made significant advancements in understanding their role in the coupled Arctic system. Here we provide a review of thin meltwater layers in the Arctic, with emphasis on the new findings from MOSAiC. Both prior and recent observational datasets indicate an intermittent yet long-lasting (weeks to months) meltwater layer in the upper ocean on the order of 0.1 m to 1.0 m in thickness, with a large spatial range. The presence of meltwater layers impacts the physical system by reducing bottom ice melt and allowing new ice formation via false bottom growth. Collectively, the meltwater layer and false bottoms reduce atmosphere-ocean exchanges of momentum, energy, and material. The impacts on the coupled Arctic system are far-reaching, including acting as a barrier for nutrient and gas exchange and impacting ecosystem diversity and productivity

Annual cycle observations of aerosols capable of ice formation in central Arctic clouds

The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, prompting glacial melt, permafrost thaw, and sea ice decline. These severe consequences induce feedbacks that contribute to amplified warming, affecting weather and climate globally. Aerosols and clouds play a critical role in regulating radiation reaching the Arctic surface. However, the magnitude of their effects is not adequately quantified, especially in the central Arctic where they impact the energy balance over the sea ice. Specifically, aerosols called ice nucleating particles (INPs) remain understudied yet are necessary for cloud ice production and subsequent changes in cloud lifetime, radiative effects, and precipitation. Here, we report observations of INPs in the central Arctic over a full year, spanning the entire sea ice growth and decline cycle. Further, these observations are size-resolved, affording valuable information on INP sources. Our results reveal a strong seasonality of INPs, with lower concentrations in the winter and spring controlled by transport from lower latitudes, to enhanced concentrations of INPs during the summer melt, likely from marine biological production in local open waters. This comprehensive characterization of INPs will ultimately help inform cloud parameterizations in models of all scales

Meltwater layer dynamics in a central Arctic lead: Effects of lead width, re-freezing, and mixing during late summer

17 pages, 9 figures, 1 table.-- Data accessibility statement: The data analyzed in this study were mainly retrieved from links below: RINKO profiler-derived variables: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.945337, water sampling derived variables: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.945285, meteorological variables: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.935267, and MSS profiler-derived variables: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.939816. The oxygen isotope data stems from the ISOLAB Facility at AWI in PotsdamLeads play an important role in the exchange of heat, gases, vapour, and particles between seawater and the atmosphere in ice-covered polar oceans. In summer, these processes can be modified significantly by the formation of a meltwater layer at the surface, yet we know little about the dynamics of meltwater layer formation and persistence. During the drift campaign of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), we examined how variation in lead width, re-freezing, and mixing events affected the vertical structure of lead waters during late summer in the central Arctic. At the beginning of the 4-week survey period, a meltwater layer occupied the surface 0.8 m of the lead, and temperature and salinity showed strong vertical gradients. Stable oxygen isotopes indicate that the meltwater consisted mainly of sea ice meltwater rather than snow meltwater. During the first half of the survey period (before freezing), the meltwater layer thickness decreased rapidly as lead width increased and stretched the layer horizontally. During the latter half of the survey period (after freezing of the lead surface), stratification weakened and the meltwater layer became thinner before disappearing completely due to surface ice formation and mixing processes. Removal of meltwater during surface ice formation explained about 43% of the reduction in thickness of the meltwater layer. The remaining approximate 57% could be explained by mixing within the water column initiated by disturbance of the lower boundary of the meltwater layer through wind-induced ice floe drift. These results indicate that rapid, dynamic changes to lead water structure can have potentially significant effects on the exchange of physical and biogeochemical components throughout the atmosphere–lead–underlying seawater systemThis study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (grant numbers: JP18H03745; JP18KK0292; JP17KK0083; JP17H04715; JP20H04345) and by a grant from the Joint Research Program of the Japan Arctic Research NetworkCenter. MM and HM are supported through the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant number 03FO869A). ALW and KS were funded through the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) (Grants No NE/S002596/1 and NE/S002502/1, respectively). ESD was supported by NERC through the EnvEast Doctoral Training Partnership (NE/L002582/1), as well as NERC and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the UK Arctic Office. EJC was supported by the National Science Foundation (USA) NSF OPP 1821911 and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. CG was funded through the Spanish funding Agency (AEI) though the grant PCI 2019-111844-2. MMS was funded through NSF OPP-1724467, OPP-1724748, and OPP-2138787. DB was funded through the German funding Agency (DFG) through grant BA1689/4-1With the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe

B-type natriuretic peptide and C-reactive protein in the prediction of atrial fibrillation risk: the CHARGE-AF Consortium of community-based cohort studies

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) predict atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. However, their risk stratification abilities in the broad community remain uncertain. We sought to improve risk stratification for AF using biomarker information

Multiomics in the central Arctic Ocean for benchmarking biodiversity change

Multiomics approaches need to be applied in the central Arctic Ocean to benchmark biodiversity change and to identify novel species and their genes. As part of MOSAiC, EcoOmics will therefore be essential for conservation and sustainable bioprospecting in one of the least explored ecosystems on Earth

Continuous DeltaO2/Ar measurements as a proxy for net community production during the MOSAiC campaign in the central Arctic Ocean

To investigate the balance between net photo- and heterotrophy throughout the Arctic autumn-winter-spring transition, we assessed the abundances of O2 and Ar in surface waters by means of membrane-inlet mass spectrometry . We derived biologically mediated O2 super-/undersaturation (ΔO2/Ar), reflecting the difference between gross primary production and the community’s combined autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration (i.e., ‘net community production’, NCP). We present first results on the magnitude of NCP over the autumn-winter-spring transition and extrapolate biological carbon drawdown and release. Further correlation with biological and chemical parameters assessed during MOSAiC is used to identify the controls on net community production and to better understand the ecological mechanisms that drive biogeochemical fluxes in the rapidly changing Arctic

Heart disease and stroke statistics-2021 update: A report from the American Heart Association

Background: The American Heart Association, in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, annually reports the most up-to-date statistics related to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular risk factors, including core health behaviors (smoking, physical activity, diet, and weight) and health factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose control) that contribute to cardiovascular health. The Statistical Update presents the latest data on a range of major clinical heart and circulatory disease conditions (including stroke, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure, valvular disease, venous disease, and peripheral artery disease) and the associated outcomes (including quality of care, procedures, and economic costs).Methods: The American Heart Association, through its Statistics Committee, continuously monitors and evaluates sources of data on heart disease and stroke in the United States to provide the most current information available in the annual Statistical Update. The 2021 Statistical Update is the product of a full year\u27s worth of effort by dedicated volunteer clinicians and scientists, committed government professionals, and American Heart Association staff members. This year\u27s edition includes data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, an enhanced focus on social determinants of health, adverse pregnancy outcomes, vascular contributions to brain health, the global burden of cardiovascular disease, and further evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors related to cardiovascular disease.Results: Each of the 27 chapters in the Statistical Update focuses on a different topic related to heart disease and stroke statistics.Conclusions: The Statistical Update represents a critical resource for the lay public, policy makers, media professionals, clinicians, health care administrators, researchers, health advocates, and others seeking the best available data on these factors and conditions

Heart disease and stroke statistics-2020 update: A report from the American Heart Association

Background: The American Heart Association, in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, annually reports on the most up-to-date statistics related to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular risk factors, including core health behaviors (smoking, physical activity, diet, and weight) and health factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose control) that contribute to cardiovascular health. The Statistical Update presents the latest data on a range of major clinical heart and circulatory disease conditions (including stroke, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure, valvular disease, venous disease, and peripheral artery disease) and the associated outcomes (including quality of care, procedures, and economic costs).Methods: The American Heart Association, through its Statistics Committee, continuously monitors and evaluates sources of data on heart disease and stroke in the United States to provide the most current information available in the annual Statistical Update. The 2020 Statistical Update is the product of a full year\u27s worth of effort by dedicated volunteer clinicians and scientists, committed government professionals, and American Heart Association staff members. This year\u27s edition includes data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, metrics to assess and monitor healthy diets, an enhanced focus on social determinants of health, a focus on the global burden of cardiovascular disease, and further evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors, implementation strategies, and implications of the American Heart Association\u27s 2020 Impact Goals.Results: Each of the 26 chapters in the Statistical Update focuses on a different topic related to heart disease and stroke statistics.Conclusions: The Statistical Update represents a critical resource for the lay public, policy makers, media professionals, clinicians, healthcare administrators, researchers, health advocates, and others seeking the best available data on these factors and conditions