The variability in the volume exchanges between the North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas during the last 50 years is investigated using a synop- tic forced, global version of the Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model (MICOM). The simulated volume fluxes agree with the existing observa- tions. The net volume flux across the the Faroe–Shetland Channel (FSC) is positively correlated with the net flux through the Denmark Strait (DS; R = 0.74 for 3 years low pass filtering), but negatively correlated with the net flux across Iceland-Faroe Ridge (IFR; R = −0.80). For the Atlantic inflow across the FSC and IFR, the correlation is R = −0.59. For the transports through the FSC and DS, the simulation suggests that an at- mospheric pattern resembling the North Atlantic Oscillation is the main driving force for the variations, involving Ekman fluxes and barotropic adjustment. The model also shows a 0.7 Sv reduction of the Atlantic in- flow to the Nordic Seas since the late 50’s.