Heat balance in the Chukchi Sea

Interannual variation of heat balance in the Chukchi Sea in summer was investigated through analysis of satellite-derived sea-ice concentrations and reanalysis products during 1999-2010. The solar heat input varied from 4.3 to 8.0 × 1020 J over the Chukchi Sea defined in this study (5.9 × 105 km2). These values were larger than the heat transport from the Bering Strait ranging from 2.9 to 5.1 × 1020 J, suggesting that the Chukchi Sea was the area where the Pacific Water from the Bering Sea was strongly modified, affecting the interannual variation of the heat transport to the interior Arctic basin. Interannual variation in the latent, sensible, longwave radiation fluxes and the heat of fusion of sea ice in the Chukchi Sea are small compared with the heat transport from the Bering Strait as well as the solar heat input in the Chukchi Sea.