The
Norwegian Sea (
Norwegian Norskehavet) is part of the
North Atlantic Ocean northwest of
Norway, located between the
North Sea (i.e. north of
Scotland) and the
Greenland Sea.
It adjoins the Iceland Sea to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a submarine ridge running between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. To the North, the Jan Mayen Ridge separates it from the Arctic Ocean.
The Norwegian Sea, the Greenland Sea and the Icelandic Sea are sometimes collectively referred to as the Nordic Seas.
In the Norwegian Sea and Greenland Sea, surface water descends two to three kilometres down to the bottom of the ocean, forming cold, oxygen-rich groundwater. As a result, there is a warm surface current and a cold depth current running along the west coast of Norway.
