Transport of heat and salt driven by remote shelf winds in a glacial fjord of East Greenland

Greenland's glacial fjords form a key link in the climate system between the open ocean and the ice sheet's outlet glaciers. The circulation in these fjords controls heat transport to the glaciers and submarine melting, thereby potentially affecting glacier behavior and the mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Here, we use ocean data from Sermilik Fjord, where Helheim Glacier drains, to quantify the circulation and identify the leading order drivers. Using three years of moored velocity and CTD records and ERA Interim Reanalysis wind fields, we find evidence of a strong fjord response to remote winds on the shelf. Large along-shore winds events (called barrier winds in this region) drive isopycnal movements on the shelf and subsequent baroclinic flows within the fjord. Beyond an intense transient response throughout the length of the fjord, these flows can also trigger a marked shift in properties both in the outflowing glacial meltwater and the inflowing ocean water within the fjord. The interaction between the freshwater input from the glacier and the remote forcing from winds on the shelf is examined.