Faroe-Shetland Channel

Location: Stations between Faroe and Shetland, north of Scottish mainland

Monitoring Period: 1893 - Present

What is collected?

Temperature - 1-5 times/year
Salinity - 1 - 5 times/year

Background

The data from offshore surveys are used to understand the circulation in Scottish waters. Particularly important are the water masses that pass through the Faroe-Shetland Channel to and from the Arctic, and those that exchange with the Northern North Sea.

Two lines of stations between Shetland and Faroes are called the Fair Isle - Munken Line (FIM - southernmost line) and the Nolso-Flugga Line (NOL - norternmost line) are regularly monitored for temperature and salinity to classify and characterise the water masses in the Faroe-Shetland Channel. The two main water masses are characterised and shown in the image.

This information page is part of the theme:

Offshore Monitoring

Faroe Shetland Currents - © Marine Scotland

NAW is North Atlantic water and is the temperature and salinity at the standard depth which exhibits the maximum salinity of the most south-easterly two stations on both NOL and FIM on the Scottish side of the Channel.

This criteria was designed to produce the characteristics of the North Atlantic water lying within the slope current at the Scottish shelf edge. This water most probably originates west of the UK, in the Rockall Through, and may be most closely related to North east Atlantic Water (NEAW) .

MNA is modified North Atlantic water and is the temperature and salinity at the standard depth which exhibits the maximum salinity within the first two stations on both NOL and FIM lines on the Faroese side of the Channel. This criteria was designed to define the characteristics of the modified North Atlantic water which comprises much of the surface waters of the channel, and encompasses the anti-cyclonic (clockwise) flow of warm, surface water around the Faroe plateau. These waters most likely originate in the sub-tropical gyre, west of Rockall and hence may more closely follow conditions in areas influenced by the North Atlantic current.

Data originators:

Scottish Government (Marine Directorate)

Friday, April 1, 2016 - 10:09

Map Type	Click title for metadata and licence information	Date of data	View Map
External Interactive Maps or Portals	Marine Scotland Science - Offshore Oceanographic Monitoring stations		View Map (external source)

Type	Link Title	External Link
Reports	ICES Report on Ocean Climate 2014	ices.dk