A key source area and constraints on entrainment for basin-scale sediment transport by Arctic sea ice
Abstract. Combining field measurements, remote sensing data and numerical modelling, a key sitefor entrainment and dispersal of sediments throughout the Arctic has been identified near the NewSiberian Islands. At this location, the relevant boundary conditions are shown to be highlyconducive to sediment entrainment and export. The total ice-bound sediment export of 18.5 x 10 6t for an entrainment event documented in 1994/95 is of the same order of magnitude as annualsediment supply to the deep sea sector of the Eurasian Arctic and the Greenland Sea. Satelliteimagery from different years and ancillary data indicate that ice advection from this source mayplay an important role in sedimentation downstream in the Transpolar Drift.