Heat loss of the Norwegian Atlantic Current toward the Arctic
Hydrographic data from three standard sections (Svinøy, Gimsøy, and Sørkapp) in the Norwegian Sea are used along with a simple analytical model to investigate the heat loss of the Norwegian Atlantic Current toward the Arctic. The sections include data from 1978 to 2000. Only in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea is there a significant negative trend in salinity. The area occupied by Atlantic Water in the Svinøy Section decreased over a similar period, but showed a similarly rising temperature trend. Summer heat contents in the Svinøy and Gimsøy sections, however, show no prominent trend from 1979 to 2000. Results from the analytical model show that the lateral mixing process and the ocean-atmosphere heat flux in the Norwegian Atlantic Current are of the same order. The model also indicates a propagation speed of 3.2 cm s-1 from the Svinøy to the Gimsøy Section.
Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".
