The flow of Atlantic water to the North Icelandic Shelf and its relation to the drift of cod larvae

The amount of Atlantic water (AW) present on the shelf north of Iceland is highly variable and influences the local biological productivity. Estimates of the volume and heat transports of AW to the North Icelandic Shelf between 1994 and 2000 are presented here. On average, 66% of the eastward flow on the Hornbanki section consists of AW with a transport of AW of approximately 0.75 Sv. The associated heat transport is 19 TW. There are large interannual variations in the transports, from over I Sv in the summers of 1997, 1999, and 2000 to almost no AW transport in February/March 1995. The seasonal variation in the transport has an amplitude of 0.2 Sv with a minimum in February/March and maximum during late spring and summer. Larval cod are carried by this flow from the main spawning grounds south of Iceland to the nursery grounds on the North Icelandic Shelf. The increasing abundance and the better condition of cod larvae after 1997 are related to the increase of the AW inflow then. (c) 2005 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.