The Quality Status Of The Celtic Seas ...

• Main Authors: Boelens, R.G.V., Portmann, J. E.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: ASC 1999 - V - Theme session 2024
• Subjects: Oceanic Northeast Atlantic ICES Ecoregion; Ecosystem observation, processes and dynamics; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25637541.v1; https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/conference_contribution/The_Quality_Status_Of_The_Celtic_Seas/25637541/1

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.The part of the OSPAR Convention area known as Region III (i.e. the Celtic Seas) extends westwards of longitude 5°W and the west coast of Great Britain to the 200 m isobath, the northern and southern boundaries being latitudes 60°N and 48°N respectively. A northerly flow of warm Atlantic water into and across the Region, and prevailing south-westerly winds, produce a temperate climate and sea temperatures in winter to the south and west of Ireland several degrees warmer than those in the Irish Sea and 4-5 degrees warmer than in the North Sea. West-facing coasts are exposed to large waves and strong winds associated with depressions tracking north­eastwards from the Atlantic whereas the more sheltered Irish Sea is characterised by a complex circulation and widely variable tidal dynamics. In summertime, a salinity dominated frontal system develops off the west coast of Ireland and thermal fronts develop between the well-mixed water of the ...