Previous reports have suggested a link between increased storminess in the North Atlantic during recent years with a period of time during which the North Atlantic Oscillation Index has been strongly positive. New analyses of late nineteenth-century gale-day data for meteorological stations in northern Scotland and western Ireland indicate that the relatively high storminess that characterized this period was associated with monthly NAO Index values that rarely exceeded +2 and, on several occasions, were strongly negative. It is speculated that this difference may reflect the influence of an expanded sea-ice cover in the Greenland Sea that caused a considerable southward displacement of the North Atlantic storm track during the late nineteenth century. Such changes imply that the polar atmospheric and oceanic fronts in the North Atlantic were displaced southward during the late nineteenth century.
ABSTRACT. The expansion and subsequent decline in catches in many fisheries of the world during the 20th century suggest that the history of fisheries needs our urgent attention. Analysis of environmental effects on fisheries in the past (when overfishing was not an issue) may cast light on current concerns about declining fish stocks. Primary documentary evidence from Iceland was used for preliminary investigations into correlations between sea-ice extent, sea temperatures, ocean currents, and cod fishing, and hence between severe weather and the decline of Icelandic fisheries in the past. The sources suggest that fishing was generally successful in Iceland during the medieval period and well into the 16th century. However, in the 17th through the 19th centuries, the fisheries failed on numerous occasions, sometimes for several years. The causes of these failures were complex. Climate likely played a part, and this was certainly the perception of contemporary writers; however, socioeconomic factors were also involved.Key words: Arctic sea ice, climate/sea interactions, cod fisheries, fisheries history, Iceland RÉSUMÉ. L'expansion, et le déclin qui suivit, touchant les prises de nombreuses pêcheries dans le monde au cours du XX e siècle suggèrent que nous devons nous pencher sans tarder sur l'historique de la pêche. Une analyse des répercussions environnementales sur les pêcheries dans le passé (quand la surpêche ne constituait pas un problème) peut jeter de la lumière sur les enjeux actuels concernant l'épuisement des stocks de poissons. Des preuves documentaires primaires provenant d'Islande ont servi aux recherches préliminaires portant sur les corrélations entre l'étendue de la glace marine, les températures de la mer, les courants océaniques et la pêche de la morue -donc entre le mauvais temps et le déclin des pêcheries islandaises dans le passé. Les sources suggèrent que la pêche était généralement fructueuse en Islande durant la période médiévale et les premières décennies du XVI e siècle. Toutefois, du XVII e à la fin du XIX e siècle, les pêcheries connurent bien des échecs, parfois sur plusieurs années. Les causes en étaient complexes. Si le climat jouait vraisemblablement un rôle -ce que perçurent bien les écrivains de l'époque -, des facteurs socio-économiques entraient aussi en jeu.Mots clés: glace marine arctique, interactions climat/mer, pêcheries de morue, historique des pêcheries, Islande Traduit pour la revue Arctic par Nésida Loyer.
A high-resolution sedimentary record from the subarctic fjord Arnarfjörður in northwestern Iceland provides information on local changes in sea ice cover and a regional oceanographic climatic signal reflecting changes in the position of the Polar Front that separates the North Atlantic Current and the East Greenland Current. The 520 cm long sediment core spans approximately 2000 years and thus offers a multi-decadal time resolution during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and the early to middle part of the Little Ice Age (LIA). Approximately 150 years from the top of the core were lost during coring. The marine climate reconstruction is based on multi-proxy study with focus on benthic foraminiferal fauna allowing down-core bottom water temperature (BWT_{TF}) estimations based on the statistical transfer function approach. This first of the kind study from Arnarfjörður demonstrates significant variability in the benthic foraminiferal fauna dominated by Cibicides lobatulus, Cassidulina reniforme and Elphidium excavatum, BWT_{TF} variations of ∼3°C, fluctuating from ca. 1.5±1.1 °C to 4.5±0.6 °C. The data is in harmony with previously reported LIA characteristics from the region, which has been described as a period of high amplitude fluctuations, with non-stable conditions and cold bottom waters.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.