| dc.description.abstract | During the winter of 1963, with great negative anomalies in the air temperatures (Tab. 1), and relative low cloudiness, the cooling of the sea by radiation, conduction and partly also by evaporation, has resulted in very low sea temperature in wide areas and severe forming of ice in the Baltic, the Kattegat and the Skagerack. (Fig. 1).
The south-eastern North Sea has in February, temperature from below 0° to 3° and 4° from surface to bottom or 4 1/2° to 2° below normal. Off the coast of England, the temperature is 1°-1 1/2° below normal. The anomaly decrease toward the North to zero and in the Færoe-Shetland Channel the temperature is a little above normal.
Along the Norwegian coast the temperature is lower at the Skagerack coast, below -1° with anomalies up to 3 1/2° C. The belt of cold water with a thickness of 20 to 80 meters along the Norwegian coast has presumably hampered the catch of winter herring. The density of the water in the south-eastern part of the north sea is greater than in the other area including the Norwegian Channel. Taking the direction of the current into consideration, it is anticipated that the deep-and bottom-water of the Norwegian Channel will be renewed by this heavy and considerably colder water. Further, it is expected that it will take relatively long time (months) before normal temperature conditions are again established in the deepest parts of the Norwegian Channel.
The temperatures in the watermasses off Finnmark and in the Barents Sea are considerably below normal. The Atlantic water in the Faroe Shetland Channel, and in the southgoing warm current penetrating into Skagerack along the western part of the Norwegian Channel (Revet), has from normal temperature to 1° above. This may be seen in relation to the fact that the air temperature in the North Atlantic has been above normal in November-December 1962 and in February 1963. It is expected that the unusual hydrographical conditions will have consequences for the fisheries in the south-eastern part of the North Sea, on Revet and off Finnmark. | en_US |
