Atlantic Water Transformation in the Lofoten Basin of the Nordic Seas

F. Straneo (WHOI), T. Rossby (URI), Henrik Søiland (IMR), J. Lilly (ESR), M. Spall (WHOI) The warm Atlantic Water flowing into the Nordic Seas loses a large amount of heat as it circulates around the Lofoten Basin. Thus, a significant transformation of the waters which eventually feed the overflows as well as the Atlantic Water branch entering the Arctic Ocean, occurs in this poorly studied basin upstream. In this project (2010-2012) we will use a combination of moorings, floats, historical data and modeling studies to investigate the processes that govern the heat loss and what controls their variability. Fieldwork will be conducted in collaboration with IMR in the summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012.