The role of asymmetries in Nordic Seas dynamics

The oceanic transport of heat and salt from the equator northward is one of the main reasons for the mild climate of Europe. This transport occurs in the upper layer of the ocean. In the north, strong cooling occurs due to the large difference in temperature between the ocean surface and the atmosphere. The cooled watermass has a higher density and therefore sinks and returns toward the south at depth. This so-called AtlanticMeridional Overturning Circulation is driven in part by the wind and in part by the difference in temperature and salinity between the equator and the poles. Polar climate change will result in warmer and fresher oceans whichwill likelyweaken this global overturning circulation. Especially processes that concern the transformation from the light (warm) watermasses to dense (cold) watermasses are sensitive to changes in buoyancy forcing. This thesis focuses on an area where a large part of this transformation from light to dense watermasses takes place; the Nordic Seas. The Nordic Seas are located between Greenland and Norway and consist of several sub-basins, like the Lofoten Basin, the Greenland Basin and the Norwegian Basin. The main aim of this thesis is to better understand the dynamical processes involved in the watermass transformation in the Nordic Seas.