The Faroe Shelf Water (FSW) is the water masses on the shallow part of the Faroe Shelf, surrounding the Faroe Islands on the ridge system between Greenland and Scotland. FSW differs from the surrounding Atlantic water due to partial isolation from the surrounding watermasses, and is characterized as slightly fresher due to the excess of precipitation and run off from the rivers over the evaporation, well mixed due to relatively strong tidal currents, which leads to colder surface temperatures compared to the surroundings, and a genereal clockwise residual current around the islands driven by the tides.

In this project the FVCOM model is implemented for the Faroe Shelf and the area beyond to edge of the European continent north of Scotland to the south and otherwise out into the deep surrounding oceans. The model is driven by specifying the tides on the open boundary and river outlets from land. The model results is validated towards selected current profile observations on the shelf and in main straits, as well as data from sea level gauges around the islands, and earlier description of the water masses and fronts separating them on the shelf.

The model mesh in this project cover the entire Faroe Shelf, the Faroe and Bailey Banks to the west as well the Faroe Bank and Faroe Shetland Channels with a resolution of 6km along the open boundary, increasing to 100-300m along the coast, though all aquaculture sea sites and main harbors has a resolution of approximately 50m, as demonstrated by the inserted plots.

Scientists:
  • Knud Simonsen
  • Jari í Hjøllum
  • Jákup O. Svøðstein

all at COSUrFI, UFI.

Funded by:
  • Bakkafrost
  • University of the Faroe Islands
Results:

In progress