A step towards high resolution modeling of the central Faroe shelf circulation by FarCoast800

This paper describes the FarCoast800 model setup for the Faroe shelf and the validation towards observations. We found that the circulation was in accordance with observations on the shelf and the upper 500m of the water column, away from the lateral boundaries. Furthermore, we found high correlations between the model and observations for the on-shelf water, in particular for short-term variations of temperature, demonstrating the importance of high resolution atmospheric forcing. A main challenge for this study was the lateral boundary conditions at all four open boundaries in the varying and steep bathymetry of the FarCoast800 model setup. We also investigated the origin of water reaching the different areas of the shelf. Notably our results indicated intrusion of water originating from the East Icelandic Current into the deeper areas on the eastern part of the Faroe shelf. Our long term motivation of the study was to investigate the capability of the model to drive an even higher resolution ROMS model setup for the central Faroe shelf, enabling the resolution of processes on a 100m scale or less. The study concludes that FarCoast800 can drive a high-resolution nested model area on the Faroe shelf. Here we present a Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS) model setup for the Faroe shelf with a horizontal resolution of 800m x 800m and 35 vertical layers. The model setup is forced by a high resolution atmospheric model, and forced by a 4km x 4km horizontal resolution version of the ROMS model on the lateral boundaries. We name our model setup FarCoast800. The model setup was run for the entire sample year 2013.publishedVersio

Newly arrived refugees’ perception of health and physical activity in Denmark

Refugees health status after receiving asylum in their new country is often poor, both physical and mentally. Despite that, European countries rarely offer programmes specifically targeted health and health behaviour for newly arrived refugees. This study investigated newly arrived refugees’ perspective on health and in particularly physical activity (PA) upon granted asylum in Denmark. A transnational migration perspective provides the theoretical framework in this study. Semi-structured interviews with twenty newly arrived refugees provide data for the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Health manifests itself in varied ways to the newly arrived refugees and a broad and holistic perspective on health, was evident. Overall PA had important benefits, such as pain relief, better physical fitness, lose weight, a stronger body, to stay active, cater to mental health and in general something of interest to the newly arrived refugees. However, the informants experienced several barriers for doing PA and living healthy lives. Time, pain, low income, job insecurity, mental strain, discourse of health and PA (health promotion), external expectations and demands (municipality and government in Denmark), precariat living conditions and general worrying were amongst the most explicit barriers. In addition, the question of how the newly arrived refugees are positioned in their families seems vital, as patriarchal family structures seem to prevent some from doing PA. Based on the results, we underline the importance of involving refugees in developing health promotion activities while considering of their unique experiences and transnational background

A tidally driven fjord-like strait close to an amphidromic region

The strait studied in this paper, “Sundalagið Norður”, is the northern part of a narrow body of seawater separating the two largest islands in the Faroe Islands (Faroes). It has shallow sills in both ends and considerably deeper waters in between. South of the southern end of the strait there is an amphidromic region for the semidiurnal tides so that the tidal range is much lower south of the strait than north of it. The resulting tidal forcing generates periodically varying inflow of seawater across the northern sill, but only a part of that manages to cross the narrow and shallow southern sill. Combined with a large input of freshwater, this gives the strait a fjord-like character. To investigate how this fjord-like character affects the circulation within the strait and its exchanges with outside waters, a pilot project was initiated to simulate the dynamics of the strait with a high-resolution ocean model for a month. The model simulations show clearly the dominance of tidal forcing over freshwater (estuarine) and wind on timescales up to a day. On longer timescales, the simulations indicate systematic variations in the net flows (averaged over a diurnal tidal period) through both the upper and deeper layers. These long-period variations of net flow in the model simulations are forced by sea level differences between both ends of the strait generated by the dominant fortnightly and monthly tidal constituents (Mf, MSf, Mm, MSm). Harmonic analysis of sea level records from two tide gauges located off each end of the strait demonstrates that this behaviour is not a model artefact and it has pronounced effects on the strait. Not only does it induce long-period (mainly fortnightly) variations in the net flow through the strait, but it also generates variations in the estuarine characteristics. According to the model simulations, periods with net southward flow, typically lasting a week, have a strait-like character with net southward flow almost everywhere. Periods with net northward flow, in contrast, have a more fjord-like character with stronger salinity stratification and a southward counter-flow in the deep layer. This also induces a large difference in renewal rate of the deep water between the two periods, which is important to consider for human utilization of the strait, especially the local aquaculture plant. The combination of topographic, freshwater, and tidal characteristics creating these long-period variations is rather unusual, and it is not known whether similar systems exist elsewhere, but the long-period variations tend to be masked by the stronger semidiurnal and diurnal variations and may easily be overlooked.publishedVersio

Salmon farming in the North: How do we regulate growth?

Source at https://framsenteret.no/fram-forum/Aquaculture has become a major part of global food production, and according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, it is now the fastest growing animal food-producing industry. In the North, further growth in salmon farming is expected. What mechanisms are in place to regulate this growth