<P> The circulation of the Nordic Seas is cyclonic . The circulation pattern is seen in Figure 2 . </P> <P> The Nordic Seas exchange water with the North Atlantic in the upper ocean . Warm water from the North Atlantic enters the Nordic Seas from the east, specifically in the Norwegian Atlantic Current (part of the North Atlantic Current). The western boundary of the Nordic Seas is the southward - flowing East Greenland Current . This current enters through the Fram Straight from the Arctic . This current is considered one of the main ways for Arctic sea ice to be exported . The East Greenland Current splits into the Jan Mayen Current on the eastern boundary of the Nordic Seas due to bathymetry . The Jan Mayen Current plays an important role in the dense water formation that occurs in the Greenland Sea . Continuing northward, the Norwegian Atlantic Current flows along the coast of Norway to the Arctic, eventually separating into the Barents Sea and the Spitsbergen Current . There are several gyre circulations that occur in the Nordic Seas . The subsurface waters leave the Nordic Seas through the south from overflows between Greenland and Scotland . The intermediate water leaves through the Denmark Straight and the Iceland Ridge . The densest overflow waters leave through the Faroe Bank Channel . </P> <P> The water masses that encompass the Nordic Seas are always changing in response to the local variations that occur between atmosphere - ocean fluxes and convection of intermediate to deep water . The Nordic Seas are found between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, both having variable surface water conditions . The Nordic Seas are complex in the variety of water masses it contains: two surface waters, three intermediate waters, and three deep waters . Figure 3 shows the water mass circulations that occur in the Nordic Seas, displaying the surface waters, the intermediate waters, and the deep waters . </P> <P> The two surface waters are the Atlantic Water and the Polar Surface Water . The Atlantic water is warm and has a higher salinity than the cooler, fresh Polar Surface Water . The difference in temperature and salinity between the two water masses plays a role in the climate of Scandinavia . The Atlantic Water enters the system with temperatures of 7 to 9 ° C and a salinity of 35.2 psu . As the Atlantic water moves in the Norwegian Atlantic Current, the temperature cools to 1 to 3 ° C with a salinity of 35.0 psu . The warmth provided by this current plays a role in giving Scandinavia the warmer temperatures . The Polar Surface Water has a temperature around 1.5 ° C and a salinity of approximately 34 psu . Depths are around 150 meters . This water increases in temperature as it reaches the Greenland Sea, but causes colder upper waters in the Greenland Sea . </P>

Where is the fresh water in the nordic sea coming from