Due to the rotation of our planet and the Coriolis effect in the Northern Hemisphere winds are blown to the right across the North Atlantic to Ireland the UK and Scandinavia so we have to look at the weather in North America and the direction of the Polar Front Jet Stream. The Coriolis effect increases in strength the nearer you get to the poles and is responsible for large cyclones or depressions. The weather in the North Atlantic is influenced by the 23.4° tilt in the axis of the Earth as the seasons are caused by variations in the angle of the sunlight hitting the Earth and are one of the major causes of Atlantic storms.

Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean occupies a roughly circular basin and covers an area of about 5,427,000 sq miles almost the size of Antarctica and its coastline is 28,200 miles long. It is surrounded by the land masses of Eurasia North America Greenland and by several islands. It is generally taken to include Baffin Bay Barents Sea Beaufort Sea Chukchi Sea East Siberian Sea Greenland Sea Hudson Bay Hudson Strait Kara Sea Laptev Sea White Sea and other tributary bodies of water. It is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Bering Strait and to the Atlantic Ocean through the Greenland and Labrador Seas. The average depth of the Arctic Ocean is 3,406  feet. The deepest point is Litke Deep in the Eurasian Basin at 17,880 feet. Much of the Arctic Ocean is covered by sea ice that varies seasonally in extent and thickness. The mean extent of the ice has been decreasing since 1980 from the average winter value 6,023,200 sq miles at a rate of 3% per decade.  The sea ice is affected by wind and the ocean currents. The Arctic ice pack is thinning and for many years there has been is a seasonal hole in the ozone layer. Reduction of the area of Arctic sea ice reduces the planet's average albedo possibly resulting in global warming. Research shows that the Arctic may become ice free for the first time in human history by 2040.






Arctic Council Secretariat Fram Centre Postboks 6606 Stakkevollan

9296 Tromsø Norway


North Atlantic Ocean


The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 41,100,000 sq miles it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area. The average depth of the Atlantic with its adjacent seas is 3,339 metres without them it is 3,926 metres. The greatest depth is the Milwaukee Deep at 27,500 ft in the Puerto Rico Trench. The Atlantic's width varies from 1,538 nautical miles between Brazil and Sierra Leone to over 3,450 nautical miles in the south.  The principal feature of the bottom topography is a submarine mountain range called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which is moving at 2.5 cm per year. It extends from Iceland in the north to approximately 58° South latitude reaching a maximum width of about 860 nautical miles. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the Atlantic Ocean into two large troughs with depths from 12,000–18,000 ft. Transverse ridges running between the continents and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge divide the ocean floor into numerous basins. A great rift valley also extends along the ridge over most of its length. The depth of water at the apex of the ridge is less than 8,900 ft in most places while the bottom of the ridge is three times as deep. The Atlantic Ocean is a major source of atmospheric moisture through evaporation and traps around 30% of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by human activity. The waters of the North Atlantic are circulated in a clockwise direction. The Gulf Stream carries more water than all the world’s rivers combined and has it moves north its salinity increases. The Sargasso Sea has above average salinity.


In co-operation with the Icelandic Meteorological Office and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Data and information will be collected from the NOAA - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which was formed on the 3 October 1970 by Richard Nixon to amalgamate the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey the Weather Survey and the U.S. Commission Fish and Fisheries. It is an agency within the Department of Commerce.

A Icelandic Met Office staff member monitoring computer screen showing seismic activity from Bardarbunga eruption. They have a staff of 130 people of which 60 staff members work on research-related activities.



Canadian Weather

Atlantic Coast Public Weather Alerts

Satellite image of the Atlantic Coast

The 1996 Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic Council as a forum for promoting cooperation coordination and interaction among the Arctic States with the involvement of the Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on issues such as sustainable development and environmental protection.


Arctic and North Atlantic Administration  38 Union Street  Grantham Lincolnshire NG31 6NZ  Disclaimer  Owner: Geoffrey Wildman

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