The structures of the hydrographic fronts separating the Atlantic-originwaters from ambient waters in the northern Nordic Seas are discussed. Flowsof the western and eastern branches of the West Spitsbergen Current createthe Atlantic domain borders and maintain these fronts. This work is based onprevious research and on investigations carried out in the project DAMOCLES (DevelopingArctic Modelling and Observational Capabilities for Long-term EnvironmentalStudies). Most of the observational data were collected during the R/VOceania cruises. The main focus of the paper is the western borderof the Atlantic domain – the Arctic Front, alongfrontal and transfrontaltransports, and the front instability and variability. The alongfrontalbaroclinic jet streams were described as a significant source of theAtlantic Water and heat in the Nordic Seas. The baroclinic instability andadvection of baroclinic eddies which occurs due to this instability werefound to be the main transfrontal transport processes. Most of the AtlanticWater transported by the western branch recirculates west and southward. Theeastern branch of the West Spitsbergen Current provides most of the AtlanticWater entering the Arctic Ocean. Both processes are very important for theArctic and global thermohaline circulation.
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