Water mass transport variability to the North Icelandic shelf, 19942010

Abstract

In the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland, the north-flowing warm, saline Atlantic Water (AW) of the Irminger Current meets the south-flowing cold, relatively fresh Polar Water (PW) of the East Greenland Current. A mixture of these two surface water masses then flows along the shelf north of Iceland. The mixture can vary from being almost pure AW to consisting, to a large extent, of PW. The relative quantities of each water mass to some extent determine the productivity and the living conditions on the shelf north of Iceland. The flow has been monitored with current meters on a section north of Iceland since 1994, and these measurements, together with hydrographic data, are used to study its structure and variability. The amount of AW carried by the flow is calculated along with the associated heat transport. In the period 19942010, the flow consisted on average of 68 of AW with a transport of 0.88 Sv and an associated heat transport of 24 TW. There is notable seasonal variation in the flow and strong interannual variability. © 2012 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.