Hydrographic conditions off West Greenland in 2015

• Main Author: Cisewski, Boris
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Text; Greenland; Nuuk; Irminger Sea; Western Shelf; Fyllas Bank; NADW; North Atlantic Deep Water; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://www.openagrar.de/receive/timport_mods_00005280; https://www.openagrar.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/timport_derivate_00005280/dn057039.pdf

An overview of the atmospheric and hydrographic conditions off West Greenland in autumn 2015 is presented. In winter 2014/2015, the NAO index was positive (3.56) representing the highest value since 1995. The annual mean air temperature at Nuuk weather station in West Greenland was -2.9°C in 2015, which was -1.5°C below the long-term mean (1981-2010). The core properties of the water masses of the West Greenland Current (WGC) are monitored at two standard NAFO/ICES sections across the western shelf and continental slope of Greenland near Cape Desolation and Fyllas Bank. The properties of the Irminger Sea Water (ISW) are monitored in the 75-200 m layer at Cape Desolation Station 3. In 2015, the water temperature and the salinity of the ISW was 5.4°C and 34.93, which was 0.31°C below and 0.01 above the long-term mean, respectively. The properties of the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) in the Deep Boundary Current west of Greenland are monitored at 2000 m depth at Cape Desolation Station 3. Since the beginning of the 1990s, temperature and salinity were decreasing and reached their minimum values in 1998 and 1997, respectively. After that, the temperature of the NADW revealed a positive trend until 2014, whereas its salinity rather stagnated between 2007 and 2014. In 2015, the temperature decreased and salinity increased, and were 0.03°C below and 0.02 above the long-term mean. The water properties between 0 and 50 m depth at Fyllas Bank Station 4 are used to monitor the variability of the fresh Polar Water component of the West Greenland Current. In 2015, the temperature of this water mass was 2.31°C, which was 0.33°C below its long-term mean (1983-2010). The salinity decreased in 2015 and was 0.17 above its long-term mean.