Jan Mayen Island in Scientific Focus

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Proceedings of the NATO ARW on Joint International Scientific Observation Facility on Jan Mayen Island, Oslo, Norway from 11 to 15 November 2003.

Jan Mayen is a volcanic island surrounded by the deep Greenland, Iceland and Norwegian Seas. There, atmospheric and oceanic processes unleash potential energy that forces very dynamic interactions between sea and air. This unique geophysical focal point generates climatic variability in northern Europe, and supports marine biological production that sustains the yield of large living resources. The marine populations are clearly fluctuating with variations in climate, and raises questions about effects of man-made climate change. Since the last Ice Age the sinking of Greenland Sea Deep-Water has been a substantial driving force for the Global Thermo-Haline Circulation which feeds warm Atlantic water into the Nordic Seas. Global warming may interact with the deep-water formation and force feedback mechanisms that express themselves beyond imagination. The book addresses such problems to raise an interest for doing research on the island and in its waters. The potentials for doing that increases when the island's Loran-C station closes down in 2005. The book recommends how the international scientific community may gain access to this really challenging arena for local, regional and Global research. It is a blueprint for the logistics required for science to succeed in a very remote and physically demanding place on Earth.