The circulation of the northern part of the North Eastern Atlantic

Circulation and water masses are discussed for the area between Scotland and Iceland. For most of this area the circulation is still not well known with any certainty. The upper waters are dominated by two moderately different water masses of Atlantic origin. These feed into the Norwegian Sea through the Faroe-Shetland Channel and north of the Faroes and are the main contributors to the oceanic heat flux from the Atlantic to the northern sea areas. Several estimates have been made of the Faroe-Shetland Channel transport, but the disagreement is large. Transport estimates north of the Faroes are even more uncertain. The circulation of the deep water is also known only for part of the area although the Overflow water forms a distinctive signal in several regions.