Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1998, Page 157

Changes in Atlantic Water Inflow
into the Nordic Seas
Broytingar í innráki av Atlantssjógvi til høvini fyri norðan
163
Bogi Hansen
Fiskirannsóknarstovan, Box 3051, FO-110 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, Phone: +298 31 50 92, fax: +298 31 82 64
e-mail: bogihan@frs.fo
Úrtak
Undirsjóvarryggurin, sum gongur millum Grønland og
Skotland, skilir høvini norðan og eystan fyri okkum frá
restini av heimshøvunum; men loyvir tó ráki báðar
vegir. I ovastu løgunum rekur heitur Atlantssjógvur
norður og eystur um ryggin (Mynd 1), og hetta rák hevur
stóran týdning fyri klimaviðurskifti bæði her um okkara
leiðir og á jørðini sum heild. Aftan á drúgvar kanningar
sæst nú vón fyri at fáa talfest mongdina av sjógvi, sum
ferðast yvir um ryggin (Mynd 2). Eisini eru týðiligar
ábendingar um broytingar í teimum ymisku greinunum.
Mátingar, sum nú verða gjørdar, kunnu væntast at
útgreina, hvussu stórar hesar broytingar eru.
Extended abstract
The Greenland-Scotland Ridge is a subma-
rine ridge system separating the Nordic
Seas (Norwegian Sea, Iceland Sea, Green-
land Sea) and the Arctic Ocean from the
rest of the World Ocean. North of the ridge
a series of processes produce deep and in-
termediate water masses which flow into
the Atlantic over the ridge to form a key
component of the deep waters of the World
Ocean. To compensate for the sinking wa-
ter, there is a continuous inflow of Atlantic
water into the Nordic Seas across the ridge
and this inflow is therefore a main factor in
the global thermohaline circulation. At the
same time it transports heat northeastwards
Fig. 1. Bottom topography of the Greenland-Scotland
region with the main current paths in the upper layer
indicated by arrows. NIIC: North Icelandic Irminger
Current, FC: Faroe Current, SC: Shetland Current.
Mynd 1. Botndýpi og høvuðsrák í vatnskorpuni kring
Føroyar.
and is to a large extent responsible for the
mild climate of the northeastem Atlantic
and its surrounding landmasses.
The ridge extends above sea level in Ice-
land and in the Faroe Islands and these di-
vide the water masses above the ridge into
three gaps. The Atlantic water inflow oc-
curs through all of these gaps (Fig. 1), but
Fróðskaparrit 46. bók 1998: 163-164