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Greenland Sea Facts

Greenland Sea Facts
The Greenland Sea is considered to be part of the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, bordered by Greenland to its west, Iceland and the Norwegian Sea to its south, the Arctic Ocean and Fram Strait to its north, and the Svalbard Archipelago to its east. The Greenland Sea covers an area of approximately 465,300 square miles. Seal hunting for harp seal and the hooded seal has been common in the region for over 200 years.
Interesting Greenland Sea Facts:
The maximum depth of the Greenland Sea is 15,899 feet and the average depth is 4,738 feet.
In 1909 the complex water current system of the Greenland Sea was detailed by Fridtjof Nansen.
Whale hunting was popular in the Greenland Sea for 300 years, ending in 1911 when the whale population was depleted to the point of not being profitable.
Whales in the Greenland Sea have been protected since whaling ended but the population has not regenerated.
There are large invertebrates and a variety of fish, birds, and mammals inhabiting the Greenland Sea.
Mammals in the Greenland Sea include dolphins, whales, and seals. Bowhead whales were once abundant but whaling depleted the population.
Fish in the Greenland Sea include halibut, redfish, herring, and cod.
Deer, Musk ox, and polar bears feed along the coastal region.
It is believed that the Greenland Sea may hold large deposits of natural gas and oil but drilling in such a hostile environment could prove to have disastrous environmental consequences if it moves forward. Exploratory drills are set to begin in the mid-2020s.


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