| Irminger Sea | |
|---|---|
 TheSouth East Greenland town ofTasiilaq is located on the coast of the Irminger Sea | |
  Irminger Sea | |
| Coordinates | 62°N35°W / 62°N 35°W /62; -35 |
| Type | Sea |
| Basin countries | Greenland andIceland |
| Max. length | 480 km (300 mi) |
| Surface area | 300,000 sq mi (780,000 km2) |
TheIrminger Sea is amarginal sea of theNorth Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered to the west by southernGreenland, to the north byIceland and theDenmark Strait, to the east by theReykjanes Ridge (a northern part of theMid-Atlantic Ridge), and to the south by open waters of the North Atlantic.
It was named after Danish vice-admiralCarl Ludvig Christian Irminger (1802–1888), after whom theIrminger Current was also named.[1]
The northern limit is theGreenland–Iceland Rise on the bottom of theDenmark Strait betweenIceland and EastGreenland, which connects to theGreenland Sea. To the southwest, it reaches toCape Farvel, the southern tip of Greenland, and meets theLabrador Sea at this point. South of this point is the open North Atlantic Ocean. The sea floor of the Irminger Sea is largely part of the Irminger Basin, a northeastern continuation of the maximally 4,600 m (15,100 ft) deepLabrador Basin, which on the east is bordered by theReykjanes Ridge. This delineation is oceanographic only and does not represent any official borders. The Irminger Sea is one of the main fishing areas of theRose fish.
The Irminger Sea is 480 km (300 mi) long and 290 km (180 mi) wide at its narrowest.
An area in the southern part of the Irminger Sea known as the Cape Farewell Ground was once considered a productive whaling ground.[2] EndangeredNorth Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) continue to be found there sporadically.[3][4]
