Iceland Sea

Iceland Sea
Iceland Sea
	Iceland Sea
Coordinates	66°55′23″N 12°37′44″W / 66.923107°N 12.628921°W
Surface area	406,000 km2 (157,000 sq mi)
Average depth	1,026 m (3,366 ft)
Water volume	417,000 km3 (100,000 cu mi)
Islands	None

The Iceland Sea is a small body of water delimited by the Jan Mayen fracture zone to the north, Greenland to the west, the Denmark Strait to the south, and the Jan Mayen Ridge to the east. Depths usually range from 500 to 2,000 meters but can be shallower on the Continental shelf of East Greenland. The Kolbeinsey Ridge crosses the Iceland Sea, dividing it into eastern and western parts.^[1]

Sea ice northwest of Iceland, similar to that of the main Icelandic Sea, as viewed from an Icelandic Coast Guard aircraft.

Marine life

Many species of seals and whales reside in the frigid waters off Iceland's northern coast.

References

^ Pálsson, Ólafur K.; Gislason, Astthor; Guðfinnsson, Hafsteinn G.; Gunnarsson, Björn; Ólafsdóttir, Sólveig R.; Petursdottir, Hildur; Sveinbjörnsson, Sveinn; Thorisson, Konrad; Valdimarsson, Héðinn (2012-09-01). "Ecosystem structure in the Iceland Sea and recent changes to the capelin (Mallotus villosus) population". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 69 (7): 1242–1254. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fss071. ISSN 1054-3139.

[1] Pálsson, Ólafur K.; Gislason, Astthor; Guðfinnsson, Hafsteinn G.; Gunnarsson, Björn; Ólafsdóttir, Sólveig R.; Petursdottir, Hildur; Sveinbjörnsson, Sveinn; Thorisson, Konrad; Valdimarsson, Héðinn (2012-09-01). "Ecosystem structure in the Iceland Sea and recent changes to the capelin (Mallotus villosus) population". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 69 (7): 1242–1254. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fss071. ISSN 1054-3139.

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