With the extent so low and the large gap west of the LB between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans allowing additional wave energy transfer are there any educated guesses on the effects of additional wave energy.

My ignorant guess is that the AOBC upwells there. I don't think this is new but might be stronger. Good graph in this paper, I think we could drop the question mark on the current that causes the laptev bite. http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2011/2010JC006637.shtml From the link below, We attribute the changes in the Atlantic layer to changes (in temperature and salinity and/or volume) in the outflow from the Barents Sea the previous winter, possibly caused by an observed increased flow of ice from the Arctic Ocean into the Barents Sea. The change in water properties also strengthens the cold halocline layer and increases the stability of the upper ocean. This suggests a feedback in which ice exported from the Arctic Ocean into the Barents Sea promotes ice http://psc.apl.washington.edu/HLD/Lomo/Lomonosov.html