Sea · Greenland, Iceland, Norway
Greenland Sea
The Greenland Sea lies between the icy east coast of Greenland, Iceland and the islands of Svalbard. It is one of the coldest seas on Earth, full of pack ice, icebergs, seals and whales.
Picture credit: Jerzy Strzelecki (CC BY 3.0) · Ymblanter (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Greenland Sea?
Part of: Arctic Ocean.
Countries on its coasts: Greenland, Iceland, Norway.
The story behind it
In the Greenland Sea the air is so cold that it rarely gets warmer than 0 °C. For much of the year the water is covered by drifting sea ice and thick pack ice, and towering icebergs float past. Along the east coast of Greenland the sea ice never goes away completely: it is largest in April and smallest in September. A cold current flows south along Greenland, while a warmer current flows north on the other side, near Svalbard. In winter a huge ice field called the West Ice forms between Greenland and the island of Jan Mayen, and harp seals and hooded seals have their pups there. Long ago whalers came to hunt bowhead whales. Today cod, herring, seals, whales and dolphins live in these waters. Scientists study the sea closely, because here cold surface water sinks deep down and helps drive the ocean currents of the north.
Find it on the globe
Greenland Sea is there as a name written across its water — tap the water and its card opens. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
Questions children ask
How big is the Greenland Sea?
How deep is the Greenland Sea?
Its deepest point inside the sea is about 4 800 metres down. Just to the north, in the Fram Strait, a hole called the Molloy Deep reaches about 5 570 metres.
Does anyone live on the islands of the Greenland Sea?
Of its islands, only Svalbard has people living there all year. On Jan Mayen only a small team of staff stays for a while.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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