Ecosystem Reference
Ecosystem North Sea
Type Sea/Bay/Gulf
Salinity saltwater
Other Names
Location
LME SAU No 22. Northeast Atlantic, from eastern Channel to Skagerak, Kattegat, north to Stavanger and Shetland Isles. LME2002, Modified LME 2006, SAUP 2008. 62° N 50° N - 5° W 12° E
Location Map north-sea.jpg
Size Ref
River Length Area 695749 km2 Drainage Area
Depth
Average Depth Max Depth Ref
Temperature
Surface 12.0 °C Map91.gif
100 Meters Depth 9.0 °C Map92.gif
Description The North Sea (including the Channel out to 5° W and part of the Kattegat) covers an area of 745,950 km² with a volume of about 94,000 km³. The greater part of the sea is shallower than 200 m, but is bordered by a deep trench down to 700 m off the coast of Norway. A former glacial moraine forms a shallow bank that divides the summer stratified northern North Sea from the largely tidally mixed shallow southern North Sea. The greater part of the bottom is covered in sand and gravel (due to glaciation). The coast shows great variability from the deltaic protected coastline at the mouth of the Rhine, to sand dunes to massive cliffs in the north. Currents driven by tides and winds dominate the circulation which is guided by the topography. Inflow of Atlantic water occurs along the edge of the Norwegian trench at approximately 100m and is overlain at the surface by outflow of low saline water from the Baltic (http://www.na.nmfs.gov/lme/text/lme22.htm)
Comments on faunal list Area from SAU (November 2015).
URL 1 http://www.seaaroundus.org/lme/22.aspx
URL 2
Ecosystem Checklist Link
Total
FishBase Literature
Species Families Species Families Reference
209 86 35388
Froese, Rainer on 02.18.94
Modified by Kesner-Reyes, Kathleen on 02.24.17
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