The Return Atlantic Current is directly east of the East Greenland Current. The Yermak Branch moves northwesterly till about 81°N, and then it moves directly westward and eventually equatorward in the Return Atlantic Current. The Svalbard Branch continues to follow the continental shelf northeastward, and eventually sinks to an intermediate depth and is cyclonically recirculated throughout the Arctic, eventually being pushed out through the East Greenland Current. At about 80° North latitude the WSC splits into two different sections, the Svalbard branch and the Yermak Branch. The current is quite narrow and strong, having a width of roughly 100 kilometers and a maximum speed of 35 cm/s. Specifically, it tends to follow along steep continental shelves. The WSC begins its movement in the Norwegian Sea where it branches off the Norwegian Atlantic Current and arrives at Spitsbergen's western coast, where it is guided by the bathymetric profile of the ocean floor surrounding Svalbard. It is easiest to discuss horizontal movements and vertical movements of the WSC, separately. The WSC has a unique structure as it flows poleward off the western coast of Spitsbergen. Thus, the EGC combined with the warm WSC makes the Fram Strait the northernmost ocean area having ice-free conditions throughout the year in all of the global ocean. The EGC is characterized by being very cold and low in salinity, but above all else it is a major exporter of Arctic sea ice. The warm and salty WSC flows north through the eastern side of Fram Strait, while the East Greenland Current (EGC) flows south through the western side of Fram Strait. The WSC is of importance because it drives warm and salty Atlantic Water into the interior Arctic. The WSC branches off the Norwegian Atlantic Current in the Norwegian Sea. The West Spitsbergen Current ( WSC) is a warm, salty current that runs poleward just west of Spitsbergen, (formerly called West Spitsbergen), in the Arctic Ocean. The West Spitsbergen Current transport relative warm and saline water into the Arctic Ocean.

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