As a part of the EC MAST III VEINS programme a high resolution coupled sea ice-ocean model has been set up for the Arctic Ocean, the Nordic Sea and the subpolar North Atlantic. It is driven with daily atmospheric data from the ECMWF reanalysis to cover the period from 1979 to 1993.
The run is analysed and compared to available oceanic and ice-cover data. Propagating signals constitute a large part of the variability in the area. The winter temperature of the Atlantic Water along the Norwegian coast shows warm periods between winters 82/83-83/84 and 88/89-92/93 and a cold period from 85/86-87/88. The cause for these anomalies is discussed. In the area northeast of Island the variability of the East Icelandic Current is responsible for anomalous cold and fresh conditions during high NAO states. The analysis also addresses the question, whether a link between the variability in the Nordic Seas and the subpolar gyre across the ridges is established in the model.