A section of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norway north of the North Sea.
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| The Norwegian Sea | |
|---|---|
| Mean depth: | 1600-1750 meters |
| Maximum depth: | 3,970 meters (13,020 feet) |
| Area of surface: | 1,380,000 square kilometers |
| Volume: | 2,400,000 cubic kilometers |
| Water salinity: | about 35 parts per 1,000 |
The Norwegian Sea (Norwegian: Norskehavet) is part of the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Norway, located between the North Sea (i.e. north of Scotland) and the Greenland Sea.
It adjoins the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a submarine ridge running between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. To the North, the Jan Mayen Ridge separates it from the Greenland Sea.
The Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea are sometimes collectively referred to as the Nordic Seas.
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The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Norwegian Sea as follows[1]
In the Norwegian Sea and Greenland Sea, surface water descends two to three kilometres down to the bottom of the ocean, forming cold, oxygen-rich groundwater. As a result, there is a warm surface current and a cold depth current running along the west coast of Norway.
The so-called East Iceland Current transports cold water south from the Norwegian Sea towards Iceland and then east, along the Arctic Circle. In the Norwegian Current, a branch of the Gulf Stream carries warm water masses northward and contributes to the mild and moist climate in Norway. The Norwegian Sea is the source of much of the North Atlantic Deep Water.
The region remains ice-free due to the warm and saline Norwegian Atlantic Current. It provides rich fishing grounds, with catches mostly consisting of cod, herrings, sardines and anchovies. Nowadays, shifts and fluctuations in these currents are closely monitored, as they are thought to be indicators for an ongoing climate change.
Large-scale oil and gas production in the Norwegian Sea started in 1993. In recent news, the Norwegian Sea was proposed as a prototype storage site for the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (see carbon sink)[citation needed]. This has yet to be confirmed.
Coordinates: 69°00′N 0°01′E / 69°N 0.017°E
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| Translations: Norwegian Sea |
| Scoresby Sound (arm of the Norwegian Sea) | |
| Trondheim (city of central Norway on Trondheim Fjord) | |
| Sognafjord (inlet of the Norwegian Sea in southwest Norway) |
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