Norwegian Sea

Norwegian Sea, arm of the North Atlantic Ocean bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by Norway, on the south by the North Sea, on the south-west by the rest of the Atlantic, and on the west by Iceland. A submarine ridge, the Iceland-Faroe Rise, acts as a partial underwater barrier between the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic. The sea remains mostly ice-free all year thanks to the Norwegian Current, the final extension of the North Atlantic Drift which brings warm water from across the Atlantic (see Oceans and Oceanography: Ocean Currents). However, in winter the weather can be cold enough in the northern part of the sea for the superstructures of ships to ice up. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a zone of active seafloor spreading, runs through the middle of the sea floor. In this area are feeding grounds for North Atlantic salmon. There are economically important fisheries for cod and herring in the Norwegian Sea.