Greenland Sea

The Greenland Sea (Danish: Grønlandshavet) is a large body of water. It borders Greenland to the west, the Svalbard archipelago to the east, Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Norwegian Sea and Iceland to the south. It is often considered part of the Arctic Ocean, but sometimes it is seen as part of the Atlantic Ocean. Because the exact borders of the Arctic Ocean can be unclear, scientists usually group the Greenland Sea with the Nordic Seas, which also include the Norwegian Sea. Together, these waters are sometimes called the "Arctic Mediterranean Sea."

The Greenland Sea has an Arctic climate, with cold northern winds and temperatures that rarely get above freezing. In the past, a special area of ice called the Odden ice tongue would grow out from the main ice edge along Greenland during the winter. Another icy area, known as the West Ice, forms each winter north of Iceland, between Greenland and the island of Jan Mayen. This region is an important place for harp seal and hooded seal to breed.

Extent

The International Hydrographic Organization describes the borders of the Greenland Sea like this:

• To the north, a line connects the northernmost point of Svalbard to the northernmost point of Greenland.
• To the east, it follows the west coast of the main island of Spitsbergen.
• To the southeast, a line goes from the southern end of Spitsbergen to the northern tip of Jan Mayen, then down the west coast of Jan Mayen to its southern end, and finally to a point on the east coast of Iceland.
• To the southwest, a line connects Straumnes in Iceland to Cape Nansen in Greenland.
• To the west, it includes the eastern and northeastern coast of Greenland between Cape Nansen and its northernmost point.

History

The Greenland Sea has been known for a long time. The first scientific studies were done in 1765 and 1766 by Russian expeditions led by Admiral V. Chichagov. These scientists studied the sea's currents, ice, and depths. More studies followed in the late 1800s.

For about 300 years, the Greenland Sea was an important place for whaling. By 1911, there were so few whales left that whaling was no longer profitable. Since then, the remaining whales have been protected. In recent years, scientists have seen more bowhead whales, which may mean their numbers are slowly growing again.

The Inuit people have hunted whales in the Greenland Sea for centuries. In 2017, a team led by Fiann Paul made the first complete crossing of the Greenland Sea using only rowing power.

Geography and geology

The Greenland Sea is near Greenland. To the west is the island of Greenland, and to the south are the Denmark Strait and Iceland. The Norwegian Sea is to the southeast, behind the island of Jan Mayen. To the northeast, across the Fram Strait, is the Svalbard archipelago of Norway.

The sea has a deep bottom, with the deepest point being about 4,846 meters (15,899 feet). The Greenland ice sheet reaches down to the sea at Jøkel Bay. Major islands in the area include the Svalbard archipelago and Jan Mayen. Only the Svalbard islands are inhabited, while Jan Mayen has temporary military staff.

Hydrology, climate, and ice

The Greenland Sea has an Arctic climate. It has very cold winters and cool summers. Winter temperatures can drop below −49 °C near Spitsbergen, and summer temperatures can reach up to 25 °C near Greenland. The sea stays cold all year. Surface water temperatures are around −1 °C in the north and 1–2 °C in the south.

Winds and currents move ice and water around the sea. Cold water from the North Atlantic Current flows south along Greenland. Warmer water from the Gulf Stream flows north along Spitsbergen. These currents help create a slow, circular movement of water. The sea is covered in ice for much of the year, with different types of ice appearing depending on the season.

Fauna

The Greenland Sea has many different animals that are important for the ocean’s food chain. Big animals like fish—such as cod, herring, redfish, halibut, and plaice—as well as birds, seals, whales, and dolphins all eat smaller creatures that live in the water.

In the past, the Greenland Sea had many whales, especially bowhead whales. But whaling reduced their numbers a lot from the 1600s until 1911. Recently, there are signs that whale numbers may be growing again.

Oil and gas

Main article: Petroleum exploration in the Arctic

Scientists think the Greenland Sea might have a lot of natural gas and some oil. Because of this, Greenland let companies explore there. Big companies like Statoil, Chevron, and Eni got rights to look. Other companies like Shell, BP, and DONG Energy were also involved.

Plans were to start exploring in the 2020s, but by 2021, Greenland stopped giving out licenses for oil exploration.