The Greenland–Scotland Ridge in a Changing Ocean: Time to Act?

• Published in: Marine Ecology
• Main Authors: Pampoulie, Christophe, Brix, Saskia, Randhawa, Haseeb S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2024
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Faroe Islands; Greenland; Submarine Mountain; Climate change; Denmark Strait; Greenland-Scotland Ridge; Iceland; Nordic Seas; North Atlantic; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/maec.12830; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/maec.12830

ABSTRACT The Greenland–Scotland Ridge is a submarine mountain that rises up to 500 m below the sea surface and extends from the east coast of Greenland to the continental shelf of Iceland and across the Faroe Islands to Scotland. The ridge not only separates deeper ocean basins on either side, that is, the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, but also forms a geomorphological barrier between the cold arctic water masses of the Nordic Seas and the comparably contrastingly warmer water of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is therefore situated at a strategic geographical position in relation to the effect of climate change in the Arctic region. Both the Arctic and the Atlantic subpolar ecosystems are facing each other at the ridge, creating oceanic fronts in the Denmark Strait and in the Iceland–Faroe ridge alike. This ridge in the subarctic area forms the southern boundary of the North Atlantic Gateway to the Arctic Ocean, affecting exchanges of oceanic currents and of marine organisms between the two main ecosystems in the Nordic polar region. For example, the appearance of natural invasive species such as the Atlantic mackerel in this region mainly occurred along the ridge, with arrival through the Scotland–Faroe Islands mount with subsequent waves of colonization which eventually reached the southern tip of Greenland. With the increasing impacts of climate change, such natural colonization through the ridge is likely to happen more frequently and affect regional ecosystems. Yet, the human resources and the economy of the local nations on the ridge are rather limited compared to neighboring countries. With a total of less than half a million people inhabiting the area and a total ocean surface of circa 3 million km 2 of continental shelf, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Scotland will face critical challenges in the coming years with respect to biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of marine resources. Here is a summary of what we know, what we might expect, and an opening to potential ...