Overview | Bering Sea | Barents Sea | Greenland

See the annually updated Arctic Report Card essay on Greenland!

North Atlantic Ocean temperatures respond to changes in the Arctic Oscillation, locally represented by the North Atlantic Oscillation. When temperatures are warmer in northern Europe, they are often colder on the northwest Atlantic side. The figure below shows northwest Atlantic Ocean temperatures (Station 27) compared to the Kola temperature record in the Barents Sea (top figure, below). Note that when Kola temperatures (red) were warmer than normal, Station 27 temperatures (blue) were colder than normal. It is thought that local ecosystems may respond directly to temperatures or that temperatures may be a proxy for other oceanographic processes.

In the 1980s, shrimp and other crustaceans replaced cod as a principal catch in Greenland waters (bottom figure). Shrimp continue to thrive in present climate conditions.

Annual ocean temperature anomaly (from 1961-1990 mean) for Kola and Station 27. Kola is located off northwestern Russia and Station 27 is on the western Grand Bank off eastern Canada. Anomalies are the differences from the 1961-1990 mean values. Kola data from the Institute of Marine Research, Norway. Station27 data from Fisheries and Oceans, Canada.

Greenland crustaceans/shrimp. Data from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.

Find more information (references and websites):

• Dippner, J.W. and Ottersen, G. 2001. Cod and climate variability in the Barents Sea. Climate Research 17: 73-82.
• Climatic Atlas of the Barents Sea 1998: Temperature, salinity, oxygen. From the US National Ocean Data Center.