Labrador Sea

The Labrador Sea is a North Atlantic sea between Labrador and Greenland, connected to the Arctic Ocean through the Davis Strait. It is a major site of deep-water formation and a route for ocean currents.

Labrador Sea Water: A cold, relatively fresh intermediate water mass formed by winter convection in the Labrador Sea. Winter mixing creates this recognizable water mass, which spreads through the Atlantic interior.
Labrador: A large region of eastern mainland Canada bordering the Labrador Sea. Its coast forms the sea's western boundary.
Labrador Sea Experiment: A field program that measured winter convection and water-mass formation in the Labrador Sea during the 1990s. Its observations documented deep winter mixing and the formation of Labrador Sea Water.
Marine heatwave: A prolonged period of exceptionally warm ocean temperatures relative to the local historical range. Reduced winter mixing can leave more heat near the surface, affecting regional marine conditions.
Deep-water formation: The process by which surface seawater becomes dense enough to sink into the deep ocean. Strong winter convection makes the Labrador Sea one of the North Atlantic's deep-water formation regions.
Greenland: The world's largest island, lying between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. Greenland bounds the Labrador Sea on the east.
Great Salinity Anomaly: A major episode of unusually fresh North Atlantic surface water that spread southward from the Arctic during the 1970s and 1980s. Its freshening altered surface density and convection conditions in the Labrador Sea.
North Atlantic Oscillation: A recurring variation in atmospheric pressure between the subtropical and subpolar North Atlantic. Its winter winds influence heat loss and convection over the Labrador Sea.
Ocean convection: Vertical movement in seawater driven by differences in density, often caused by cooling or salinity changes. Cooling and wind-driven mixing can overturn the sea's upper layers.
Davis Strait: A strait between Greenland and Canada's Baffin Island that connects Baffin Bay with the Labrador Sea. It forms the sea's northern passage toward Arctic waters.

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