New and improved estimate of freshwater transport of the East Icelandic Current

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The Iceland Sea is an important part of the North Atlantic climate system, as it is known for water mass formation due to surface cooling. The Iceland Sea receives fresh and cold Arctic waters branching off from the East Greenland Current. A considerable amount of this freshwater flows to the south-east with the East Icelandic Current (EIC). In this study, the freshwater transport of the EIC across the Langanes Northeast section is estimated by a combination of data from a recent current meter mooring close to the Iceland shelf edge, repeated hydrographic surveys, and satellite altimetry. From these data, full-depth absolute geostrophic velocities, and temperature / salinity properties of the EIC are available four times per year, allowing freshwater transport estimates over the entire width of the EIC. The time series covers the period from 1992 to 2012, allowing to assess interannual variability and relation to variations in large-scale atmospheric forcing.