Atlantic herring

Fratercula arctica, the Atlantic puffin, is a diving seabird that feeds on small fish and large zooplankton.

Metridia longa is a cold-water copepod that migrates vertically through the water column and feeds on planktonic food.

Oithona similis is a tiny cyclopoid copepod that is common in cold and temperate marine waters.

Balaenoptera acutorostrata, the minke whale, is a relatively small baleen whale that feeds on schooling fish and krill.

Calanus finmarchicus is a small calanoid copepod that drifts through the water column of the North Atlantic.

Themisto libellula is a large predatory amphipod that lives in cold northern waters.

The Norwegian Current carries Atlantic water north along the Norwegian coast toward the Barents Sea and Arctic gateway. Spring blooms of diatoms and coccolithophores feed copepods, krill, fish, seabirds, seals, and whales. Because it links the North Atlantic to polar seas, it is a strong example of how circulation shapes subpolar food webs and ocean climate.