Are climate scientists puzzled as to why the arctic is NOT freshening? (not referring to the freshening from the Russian rivers talked about here), but as a whole, didn’t we, or don’t we expect the arctic to freshen?

I can’t speak for all scientists since our paper contradicts several scientists that seem to think the Arctic Ocean is freshening. However, you’re right, there have been studies that predict increased water cycle and freshening in the Arctic Ocean due to climatic change. For the deep basin, we find an increase in total freshwater content, a major fraction of which can be accounted for by the long-term, as opposed to seasonal, reduction in sea ice. If we average over a wider area, that total freshening nearly goes way, emphasizing the importance of data coverage and changes in freshwater pathways (which heavily involves shallow regions. Anyway, I think the Arctic Ocean could be freshening, on average, but the change in average freshwater content due to changes in pathways, at least during the period we studied, was so large it dwarfs the slower smaller changes due to climate change

Where is all the (greenland, arctic glacier) meltwater going, does it just mix into the water column, or flow out of the Arctic, blown out of the arctic?

It doesn’t get into the Arctic Ocean in any great amount. The Greenland ice sheet melt on the west side goes into Baffin Bay and out Davis Strait to the N. Atlantic and on the east side it goes into the Greenland Sea and East Greenland Current to the N. Atlantic. A reviewer asked about the relative size of freshwater flux from Greenland melt and I recall it was small relative to the other sources of freshwater ocean luxes out of the Arctic. The Pacific , eurasian rivers, and even precip-evap, involve huge amounts of freshwater flux.The freshwater flux due to ice production is significant but it decreases the LIQUID freshwater content in the Arctic Ocean

Do leading models and theory suggest that Greeenland & Arctic glacier meltwater will pool up in the Arctic?, or is this widely debated.

No, because it doesn’t make it into the Arctic Ocean except after it has mixed with other water at lower latitudes.

(1). Are climate scientists puzzled as to why the arctic is NOT freshening? (not referring to the freshening from the Russian rivers talked about here), but as a whole, didn’t we, or don’t we expect the arctic to freshen?

(2). Where is all the (greenland, arctic glacier) meltwater going, does it just mix into the water column, or flow out of the Arctic, blown out of the arctic?

(3). Do leading models and theory suggest that Greeenland & Arctic glacier meltwater will pool up in the Arctic?, or is this widely debated?

my questions may overlap?
regards.
ac