Where does the Barents Sea flow into? Where is the Barents Sea? Coordinates, description, depth and resources

Characteristics of the Barents Sea

The Barents Sea has clear boundaries in the south and partly in the east, in other areas the borders run along conventional lines drawn along the shortest distances between coastal points. The western border of the sea is the line of Cape Yuzhny (Spitsbergen) - about. Medvezhiy - m. North Cape. The southern border of the sea runs along the coast of the mainland and the line between Cape Svyatoy Nos and Cape Kanin Nos, separating it from White Sea. From the east, the sea is limited by the western coast of the Vaygach and Novaya Zemlya islands and further by the line of Cape Zhelaniya - Cape Kolzat (Graham Bell Island). In the north, the border of the sea runs along the northern edge of the islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago to Cape Mary Harmsworth (Alexandra Land Island) and then through Victoria and Bely Islands to Cape Lee Smith on the island. Northeast Land (Spitsbergen).

Located on the northern European shelf, almost open to the Central Arctic Basin and open to the Norwegian and Greenland seas, the Barents Sea is a type of continental marginal sea. This is one of the largest seas in terms of area. Its area is 1,424 thousand km2, its volume is 316 thousand km3, its average depth is 222 m, its greatest depth is 600 m.

There are many islands in the Barents Sea. Among them are the archipelagos of Spitsbergen and Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, the islands of Nadezhda, King Charles, Kolguev, etc. Small islands are mainly grouped into archipelagos located near the mainland or larger islands, for example Krestovye, Gorbov, Gulyaev Koshki, etc. Its complex, dissected coastline forms numerous capes, fjords, bays, and bays. Certain sections of the Barents Sea coast belong to different morphological types shores. The shores of the Barents Sea are mainly abrasive, but there are accumulative and icy shores. The northern coasts of Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula are mountainous and steeply drop to the sea; they are cut by numerous fjords. The southeastern part of the sea is characterized by low, gently sloping shores. The western coast of Novaya Zemlya is low and hilly, and in its northern part glaciers come close to the sea. Some of them flow directly into the sea. Similar shores are found on Franz Josef Land and on the island. North-Eastern land of the Spitsbergen archipelago.
Climate

The position of the Barents Sea in high latitudes beyond the Arctic Circle, its direct connection with the Atlantic Ocean and the Central Arctic Basin determine the main features of the sea's climate. In general, the climate of the sea is polar marine, characterized by long winters, short cold summers, small annual changes in air temperature, and high relative humidity.

Arctic air dominates in the northern part of the sea, and air of temperate latitudes dominates in the south. At the border of these two main flows there passes an atmospheric Arctic front, generally directed from Iceland through the island. Bear to the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya. Cyclones and anticyclones often form here, affecting the weather patterns in the Barents Sea.

In winter, with the deepening of the Icelandic minimum and its interaction with the Siberian maximum, the Arctic front intensifies, which entails increased cyclonic activity over central part Barents Sea. As a result, very changeable weather sets in over the sea with strong winds, large fluctuations in air temperature, and “burst” precipitation. During this season, predominantly southwestern winds blow. In the north-west of the sea, north-east winds are also often observed, and in the south-eastern part of the sea - winds from the south and south-east. Wind speed is usually 4-7 m/s, but at times increases to 12-16 m/s. The average monthly temperature of the coldest month - March - is -22° on Spitsbergen, -2° in the western part of the sea, in the east, near the island. Kolgueva, -14° and in the southeastern part -16°. This distribution of air temperature is associated with the warming effect of the Norwegian Current and the cooling effect of the Kara Sea.

In summer, the Icelandic low becomes less deep, and the Siberian anticyclone collapses. Above Barents Sea a stable anticyclone is formed. As a result, the weather here is relatively stable, cool and cloudy with weak, predominantly north-eastern winds.

In the warmest months - July and August - in the western and central parts of the sea the average monthly air temperature is 8-9°, in the south-eastern region it is slightly lower - about 7° and in the north it drops to 4-6°. The usual summer weather is disrupted by the invasion of air masses from Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, the wind changes direction to the southwest and intensifies to 10-12 m/s. Such incursions occur mainly in the western and central parts of the sea, while relatively stable weather continues to prevail in the north.

During the transition seasons (spring and autumn), a restructuring of pressure fields occurs, so unstable cloudy weather with strong and variable winds prevails over the Barents Sea. In spring, precipitation occurs in bursts, and the air temperature rises quickly. In autumn, the temperature decreases slowly.
Water temperature and salinity

The river flow in relation to the area and volume of the sea is small and averages about 163 km3/year. 90% of it is concentrated in the southeastern part of the sea. The largest rivers of the Barents Sea basin carry their waters to this area. Pechora discharges about 130 km3 of water in an average year, which is approximately 70% of the total coastal runoff into the sea per year. Several small rivers also flow here. The northern coast of Norway and the coast of the Kola Peninsula account for only about 10% of the flow. Here small mountain rivers flow into the sea.

The maximum continental runoff is observed in spring, the minimum in autumn and winter. River flow significantly affects the hydrological conditions only of the southeastern, shallowest part of the sea, which is sometimes called the Pechora Sea (more precisely, the Pechora sea basin).

The determining influence on the nature of the Barents Sea is exerted by water exchange with neighboring seas, and mainly with warm Atlantic waters. The annual inflow of these waters is approximately 74 thousand km3. They bring about 177·1012 kcal of heat to the sea. Of this amount, only 12% is absorbed during the exchange of waters of the Barents Sea with other seas. The rest of the heat is spent in the Barents Sea, so it is one of the most warm seas Arctic Ocean. Over large areas of this sea from the European shores to 75° N. latitude. all year round There is a positive water temperature on the surface, and this area does not freeze.

There are four different water masses in the structure of the Barents Sea waters.

1. Atlantic waters (from the surface to the bottom), coming from the southwest, from the north and northeast from the Arctic basin (from 100-150 m to the bottom). These are warm and salty waters.

2. Arctic waters, included in the form surface currents from North. They have negative temperature and reduced salinity.

3. Coastal waters coming with continental runoff from the White Sea and with the coastal current along the coast of Norway from the Norwegian Sea. In summer these waters are characterized by high temperature and low salinity, in winter by low temperature and salinity. The characteristics of winter coastal waters are close to those of the Arctic.

4. The Barents Sea waters are formed in the sea itself as a result of transformation Atlantic waters influenced by local conditions. These waters are characterized by low temperature and high salinity. In winter, the entire northeastern part of the sea from surface to bottom is filled with Barents Sea waters, and the southwestern part is filled with Atlantic waters. Traces of coastal waters are found only in surface horizons. There are no Arctic waters. Thanks to intensive mixing, the water entering the sea is quite quickly transformed into Barents Sea water.

In summer, the entire northern part of the Barents Sea is filled with Arctic waters, the central part with Atlantic waters, and the southern part with coastal waters. At the same time, Arctic and coastal waters occupy surface horizons. At depths in the northern part of the sea there are Barents Sea waters, and in the southern part there are Atlantic waters. Surface water temperatures generally decrease from southwest to northeast.

In winter, in the south and southwest the temperature on the water surface is 4-5°, in the central regions 0-3°, and in the northern and northeastern parts it is close to freezing temperature.

In summer, the temperature on the surface of the water and the air temperature are close. In the south of the sea, the surface temperature is 8-9°, in the central part 3-5°, and in the north it drops to negative values. In transition seasons (especially in spring), the distribution and values ​​of water temperature on the surface differ little from winter, and in autumn - from summer.

The distribution of temperature in the water column largely depends on the distribution of warm Atlantic waters, on winter cooling, which extends to a significant depth, and on the bottom topography. In this regard, the change in water temperature with depth occurs in different areas seas in different ways.

In the southwestern part, which is most exposed to the influence of Atlantic waters, the temperature gradually and relatively weakly decreases with depth to the bottom.

Atlantic waters spread east along trenches, the water temperature in them decreases from the surface to a horizon of 100-150 m, and then slightly increases towards the bottom. In the northeast of the sea in winter low temperature extends to a horizon of 100-200 m, deeper it increases to 1°. In summer, the low surface temperature drops to 25-50 m, where its lowest (–1.5°) winter values ​​remain. Deeper, in the layer of 50-100 m, not affected by winter vertical circulation, the temperature rises slightly and is about –1°. Atlantic waters pass through the underlying horizons, and the temperature here rises to 1°. Thus, between 50-100 m there is a cold intermediate layer. In basins where warm waters do not penetrate, strong cooling occurs, for example in the Novaya Zemlya Trench, Central Basin, etc. The water temperature is quite uniform throughout the entire thickness in winter, and in summer it drops from small positive values ​​on the surface to approximately -1.7 ° at the bottom.

Underwater hills impede the movement of Atlantic waters. In this regard, above the rises in the bottom, low water temperatures are observed at horizons close to the surface. In addition, longer and more intense cooling occurs over the hills and on their slopes than in deep areas. As a result, “caps” are formed at the bottom of the hill cold water", characteristic of the banks of the Barents Sea. In the Central Highlands region in winter, very low water temperatures can be traced from the surface to the bottom. In summer it decreases with depth and reaches minimum values in the layer 50-100 m, and deeper again it rises slightly. During this season, a cold intermediate layer is observed here, the lower boundary of which is formed not by the warm Atlantic, but by the local Barents Sea waters.

In the shallow south-eastern part of the sea seasonal changes Water temperatures are well defined from surface to bottom. In winter, low water temperatures are observed throughout the entire thickness. Spring heating extends to horizons of 10-12 m, from where the temperature drops sharply towards the bottom. In summer, the thickness of the upper heated layer increases to 15-18 m, and the temperature decreases with depth.

In autumn, the temperature of the upper layer of water begins to level out, and the distribution of temperature with depth follows the pattern of seas of temperate latitudes. In most of the Barents Sea, the vertical distribution of temperature is oceanic in nature.

Due to the good connection with the ocean and the small continental runoff, the salinity of the Barents Sea differs little from the average salinity of the ocean.

The highest salinity on the sea surface (35‰) is observed in the southwestern part, in the area of ​​the North Cape Trench, where salty Atlantic waters flow and there is no ice. To the north and south, salinity drops to 34.5‰ due to melting ice. The waters are even more desalinated (up to 32-33‰) in the southeastern part of the sea, where the ice melts and where fresh water flows from the land. Salinity on the sea surface changes from season to season. In winter, throughout the sea, salinity is quite high - about 35‰, and in the southeastern part - 32.5-33‰, since at this time of year the influx of Atlantic waters increases, continental runoff decreases and intensive ice formation occurs.

In spring they persist almost everywhere high values salinity. Only in a narrow coastal strip near the Murmansk coast and in the Kanin-Kolguevsky region, salinity is low.

In summer, the influx of Atlantic waters decreases, ice melts, river water spreads, so salinity decreases everywhere. In the southwestern part the salinity is 34.5‰, in the southeastern part it is 29‰, and sometimes 25‰.

In autumn, at the beginning of the season, salinity remains low throughout the sea, but later, due to a decrease in continental runoff and the onset of ice formation, it increases and reaches winter values.

The change in salinity in the water column is associated with the bottom topography and the influx of Atlantic and river waters. Mostly it increases from 34‰ at the surface to 35.1‰ at the bottom. The vertical salinity changes to a lesser extent over underwater elevations.

Seasonal changes in the vertical distribution of salinity over most of the sea are rather weakly expressed. In summer, the surface layer is desalinated, and from horizons of 25-30 m, a sharp increase in salinity with depth begins. In winter, the jump in salinity at these horizons is somewhat smoothed out. Salinity values ​​change more noticeably with depth in the southeastern part of the sea. The difference in salinity on the surface and at the bottom here can reach several ppm.

In winter, salinity is almost equalized throughout the entire water column, and in spring, river waters desalinate the surface layer. In summer, its freshening is also enhanced by melted ice, so between the horizons of 10 and 25 m a sharp jump in salinity is formed.

In winter, the densest waters on the surface of the Barents Sea are in the northern part. In summer, increased density is observed in the central regions of the sea. In the north, its decrease is associated with the desalination of surface waters due to melting ice, in the south - with their warming.

In winter, in shallow water areas, the density from the surface to the bottom increases slightly. Density increases noticeably with depth in areas of deep Atlantic waters. In spring and especially in summer, under the influence of desalination of surface layers, the vertical density stratification of waters is quite clearly expressed throughout the sea. As a result of autumn cooling, density values ​​equalize with depth.

Relatively weak density stratification with usually strong winds determines the intensive development of wind mixing in the Barents Sea. It covers a layer here of up to 15-20 m in the spring-summer time and penetrates to horizons of 25-30 m in the autumn-winter season. Only in the southeastern part of the sea, where the vertical interlayering of waters is pronounced, does the wind mix only the uppermost layers up to horizons of 10-12 m. In autumn and winter, convective mixing is also added to the wind mixing.

In the north of the sea, due to cooling and ice formation, convection penetrates up to 50-75 m. But it rarely extends to the bottom, since the melting of ice, which occurs here in the summer, creates large density gradients, which prevents the development of vertical circulation.

On the bottom elevations located to the south - the Central Upland, Goose Bank, etc. - the winter vertical circulation reaches the bottom, since in these areas the density is quite uniform throughout the entire water column. As a result, very cold and heavy waters form over the Central Highlands. From here they gradually slide down the slopes into the depressions surrounding the upland, in particular into the Central Basin, where cold bottom waters are formed.
Bottom relief

The bottom of the Barents Sea is a complexly dissected underwater plain, slightly inclined to the west and northeast. The deepest areas, including the maximum depth of the sea, are located in the western part of the sea. The bottom topography as a whole is characterized by the alternation of large structural elements- underwater hills and trenches with different directions, as well as the existence of numerous small (3-5 m) irregularities at depths of less than 200 m and terrace-like ledges on the slopes. The difference in depths in the open part of the sea reaches 400 m. The rugged bottom topography significantly affects the hydrological conditions of the sea.

Bottom topography and currents of the Barents Sea
Currents

The general circulation of waters in the Barents Sea is formed under the influence of the influx of water from neighboring basins, bottom topography and other factors. As in neighboring seas of the northern hemisphere, the general movement of surface waters is counterclockwise.

The most powerful and stable flow, which largely determines the hydrological conditions of the sea, forms the warm North Cape Current. It enters the sea from the southwest and moves east to coastal zone with a speed of about 25 cm/s; further seaward its speed decreases to 5-10 cm/s. Approximately 25°E this current is divided into the Coastal Murmansk and Murmansk currents. The first of them, 40-50 km wide, spreads to the southeast along the coast of the Kola Peninsula, penetrates into the Throat of the White Sea, where it meets the outlet White Sea Current and moves east at a speed of 15-20 cm/s. Kolguev Island divides the Coastal Murmansk Current into the Kanin Current, which goes to the south-eastern part of the sea and further to the Kara Gate and Yugorsky Shar straits, and the Kolguev Current, which goes first to the east and then to the north-east, to the coast of Novaya Zemlya. The Murmansk Current, about 100 km wide, with a speed of about 5 cm/s, extends significantly more seaward than the Coastal Murmansk Current. Near the meridian 40°E, having encountered an increase in the bottom, it turns to the northeast and gives rise to the Western Novaya Zemlya Current, which, together with part of the Kolguev Current and the cold Litke Current entering through the Kara Gates, forms the eastern periphery of the cyclonic circulation common to the Barents Sea . In addition to the branched system of the warm North Cape Current, cold currents are clearly visible in the Barents Sea. Along the Perseus Upland, from northeast to southwest, along the Medvezhinsky shallow waters, the Perseus Current runs. Merging with the cold waters of the island. Hope, it forms the Medvezhinsky Current, the speed of which is approximately 50 cm/s.

Currents in the Barents Sea are significantly influenced by large-scale pressure fields. Thus, when the Polar Anticyclone is localized off the coast of Alaska and Canada and with the Icelandic Low located relatively western, the West Novaya Zemlya Current penetrates far to the north, and part of its waters goes into the Kara Sea. Another part of this current deviates to the west and is strengthened by waters coming from the Arctic Basin (east of Franz Josef Land). The influx of surface Arctic waters brought by the East Spitsbergen Current is increasing.

With the significant development of the Siberian High and at the same time the more northern location of the Icelandic Low, the outflow of water from the Barents Sea through the straits between Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, as well as between Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen, prevails.

The general picture of currents is complicated by local cyclonic and anticyclonic gyres.

Tides in the Barents Sea are caused mainly by the Atlantic tidal wave, which enters the sea from the southwest, between the North Cape and Spitsbergen, and moves east. Near the entrance to Matochkin Shar, it turns partly to the northwest, partly to the southeast.

The northern edges of the sea are influenced by another tidal wave coming from the Arctic Ocean. As a result, interference of the Atlantic and northern waves occurs off the northeastern coast of Spitsbergen and near Franz Josef Land. The tides of the Barents Sea almost everywhere have a regular semidiurnal character, as do the currents they cause, but the change in the directions of tidal currents occurs differently in different areas of the sea.

Along the Murmansk coast, in the Czech Bay, in the west of the Pechora Sea, tidal currents close to reversible. In open parts of the sea, the direction of currents in most cases changes clockwise, and on some banks - counterclockwise. Changes in the directions of tidal currents occur simultaneously throughout the entire layer from the surface to the bottom.

The highest speed of tidal currents (about 150 cm/s) is observed in the surface layer. Tidal currents are characterized by high speeds along the Murmansk coast, at the entrance to the White Sea Funnel, in the Kanin-Kolguevsky region and in the South Spitsbergen shallow waters. In addition to strong currents, tides cause significant changes in the level of the Barents Sea. The tide height off the coast of the Kola Peninsula reaches 3 m. In the north and northeast, the tides become smaller and off the coast of Spitsbergen it is 1-2 m, and off the southern coast of Franz Josef Land it is only 40-50 cm. This is due to the peculiarities bottom topography, coastal configuration and interference of tidal waves coming from the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

In addition to tidal fluctuations, seasonal level changes can also be observed in the Barents Sea, caused mainly by the influence of atmospheric pressure and winds. The difference between the maximum and minimum positions of the average level in Murmansk can reach 40-50 cm.

Strong and prolonged winds cause surge level fluctuations. They are most significant (up to 3 m) off the Kola coast and off Spitsbergen (about 1 m), smaller values ​​(up to 0.5 m) are observed off the coast of Novaya Zemlya and in the southeastern part of the sea.

Large spaces clean water, frequent and strong stable winds favor the development of waves in the Barents Sea. Particularly strong waves are observed in winter, when with long-term (at least 16-18 hours) western and south-western winds (up to 20-25 m/s) in the central regions of the sea, the most developed waves can reach a height of 10-11 m. In the coastal zone there are fewer waves. With prolonged northwestern storm winds, the wave height reaches 7-8 m. Starting from April, the intensity of the waves decreases. Waves with a height of 5 m or more are rare. The sea is calmest in the summer months; the frequency of storm waves with a height of 5-6 m does not exceed 1-3%. In autumn, the intensity of waves increases and in November approaches winter levels.
Ice cover

The Barents Sea is one of the Arctic seas, but it is the only Arctic sea that, due to the influx of warm Atlantic waters into its southwestern part, never completely freezes. Due to weak currents from the Kara Sea to the Barents Sea, ice practically does not flow from there.

Thus, ice of local origin is observed in the Barents Sea. In the central and southeastern parts of the sea it is first-year ice, which form in autumn and winter, and melt in spring and summer. Only in the far north and northeast is old ice found, including sometimes arctic pack.

Ice formation in the sea begins in the north in September, in the central regions in October and in the southeast in November. The sea is dominated by floating ice, among which there are icebergs. They are usually concentrated near Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen. Icebergs are formed from glaciers descending to the sea from these islands. Occasionally, icebergs are carried by currents far to the south, right up to the coast of the Kola Peninsula. Typically, Barents Sea icebergs do not exceed 25 m in height and 600 m in length.

Fast ice in the Barents Sea is poorly developed. It occupies relatively small areas in the Kaninsko-Pechora region and near Novaya Zemlya, and off the coast of the Kola Peninsula it is found only in the bays.

In the southeastern part of the sea and off the western shores of Novaya Zemlya, french polynyas persist throughout the winter. Sea ice is most widespread in April, when it covers up to 75% of its area. The thickness of flat sea ice of local origin in most areas does not exceed 1 m. The thickest ice (up to 150 cm) is found in the north and northeast.

In spring and summer, first-year ice melts quickly. In May, the southern and southeastern regions are free of ice, and by the end of summer almost the entire sea is cleared of ice (with the exception of areas adjacent to Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and the southeastern shores of Spitsbergen).

The ice cover of the Barents Sea varies from year to year, which is due to the varying intensity of the North Cape Current, the nature of large-scale atmospheric circulation and the general warming or cooling of the Arctic as a whole.
Economic importance

- one of the many seas of the great. It is located in the westernmost part of the ocean and is located on the North European shelf. This is the largest sea in Russia, its area is 1424 thousand sq. km, the average depth is 228 m, the maximum does not exceed 600 m.
Waters of the Barents Sea wash the shores of Russia and Norway. In the West, the sea borders on, in the east - the Kara Sea, in the north - the Arctic Ocean, and the White Sea in the south. The sea area in the southeast is sometimes called the Pechora Sea.
Islands in the Barents Sea few, among them the largest is Kolguev Island.
The seashores are mostly rocky and high. The coastline is uneven, indented by bays and bays, the largest of which are Motovsky Bay, Varyazhsky Bay, Kola Bay, etc. Bottom of the Barents Sea has a complex topography, where hills give way to trenches and valleys.
Climate on the Barents Sea is influenced by the currents of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. In general, it corresponds to a polar marine climate: long winter, cold summer, high humidity. But due to the warm current, the climate is subject to sudden temperature changes.
The waters of the Barents Sea are rich in numerous species of fish (114 species), animal and plant plankton and benthos. The southern coast is rich in seaweed. Of the fish species, the most industrially important are: herring, cod, haddock, halibut, etc. Along the coast of the Barents Sea, there are polar bears, seals, beluga whales, seals, etc. The seashores are places of bird colonies. The permanent inhabitants of these places are kittiwake gulls, guillemots, and guillemots. The Kamchatka crab, which was introduced in the 20th century, has also taken root in the sea.
IN Barents Sea Fishing is widely developed, and the sea is also an important sea route between Russia and Europe.

Thunderstorms have long captured the imagination of man. Thunderstorms terrified our ancestors, who were poorly protected from the weather. Fires and death from lightning strikes have made and will continue to make a strong, stunning impression on people. The ancient Slavs honored the god Perun - the creator of lightning, the ancient Greeks - Zeus the Thunderer. There seems to be no more menacing and majestic phenomenon in the atmosphere than a thunderstorm.

The famous northern sea, which is rightfully considered one of the largest in Russia, is literally dotted with islands. Cold and harsh, it was once the Murmansk and even the Russian Sea.

The last name can be justified by the persistent nature of the water. The water area completely borders the Arctic Ocean, and the highest temperature in summer barely reaches even 8° C in the relatively warmest place off the coast, the average year-round water surface temperature is 2-4° C.

Borders of Russia Barents Sea

Occupying the western position among all the northern seas, the Barents Sea, as is often the case among European possessions, for a very long time remained a disputed water area of ​​three states at once: Russia, Finland and Norway. After World War II, Finland was deprived of the right to operate its ports here. It’s surprising, considering the fact that initially the Finno-Ugrians, the ancestors of those same Finns, lived in the nearby territories.

It is fair to note that the Barents Sea is not only the largest among the northern seas, but one of the largest in the world. Its area covers 1,424,000 sq. km. The depth reaches 600 meters. Due to the fact that the South-Eastern part of the sea is located closer to warm currents, in summer it practically does not freeze and sometimes even stands out as a water area called the Pechora Sea.

Fishing in the Barents Sea

The Barents Sea is not a very calm sea, there are constantly storms on it, and even if the waves are not calm and a little stormy, ( as in the illustration above), then among sailors this is considered quite good weather. However, work in the Barents Sea is not easy, but important for the country’s economy and fisheries.

Despite the fact that the Barents Sea suffers greatly from constant radioactive contamination from Norwegian processing plants, it still continues to maintain a leading position among the fishing regions of Russia. Cod, pollock, crabs and huge amount other types of fish. The Russian ports of Murmansk, as well as Teriberka, Indiga and Naryan-Mar, are constantly operating. Important sea routes pass through them, connecting the European part of Russia with Siberia, as well as western and eastern ports.

The headquarters of the Russian Navy is constantly operating in the Barents Sea, and nuclear submarines are stored. They are monitored with special responsibility, because the sea is rich in hydrocarbon reserves, as well as Arctic oil.

Cities on the Barents Sea

(Murmansk, non-freezing in winter, sea freight port)

In addition to Russian ports, Norwegian cities are located on the shores of the Barents Sea - Vardø, Vadso and Kirkenes. Compared to domestic ports, they do not have the same scale and are not the dominant administrative units in their region. It is enough to simply compare the population of Murmansk - 300,000, and Vadsø - 6186 people.

It should be noted that in Russia the sea is monitored much more closely. Norway has repeatedly been persecuted by GreenPeace due to its unwillingness to stop the release of sewage into the waters of the Barents Sea. We can only hope that in the future the situation will not worsen and that the largest northern sea will also receive the title of the cleanest in the world.

Salinity and water exchange of the Barents Sea - Barents Sea salinity map

Salinity and water exchange. The salinity of the Barents Sea is determined primarily by the intensity of its water exchange with the surrounding basins, since the volume of these waters is more than two orders of magnitude greater than the other components of the freshwater balance. Atlantic waters have a particularly strong influence. Their influx on the western border is, according to various estimates, from 49 to 74 thousand km3/year. On the northern and northeastern border, the incoming and outgoing components of water exchange are the least reliable and, according to work /6/, amount to 5-10 thousand km3/year; their resulting amount, equal to 500 km3/year, is directed into the Barents Sea; in the Kara Gate Strait it is directed from the Barents Sea to the Kara Sea and amounts to 20 thousand km3/year. As a result, 2/3 of the sea area is under the influence of Atlantic waters, and even on the sea surface the water salinity exceeds 34‰, amounting to 35‰ in the core (73o N, 20-35o E). In the rest of the sea, salinity fluctuates between 32-34 ‰ (Fig. 5). The greatest values ​​of desalination occur in the southeast of the sea, where desalinated White Sea waters are carried out (31-33 ‰) and the bulk of continental waters enter.

Figure 5. Average long-term salinity of surface water in summer and winter.

The maximum salinity on the sea surface (35‰) is observed in its southwestern part (the North Cape Trench), where salty Atlantic waters pass and where ice does not form or melt. To the north and south, salinity drops to 34.5‰ due to melting ice. The waters are even more desalinated (32-33‰). southeast parts of the sea where melting ice is combined with a powerful influx fresh water from sushi.

Changes in salinity at the sea surface occur not only from place to place, but also from season to season. In winter, the salinity throughout the sea is about 35‰, in the southeastern part - 32.5 - 33‰, since at this time of year the influx of Atlantic waters increases and intensive ice formation occurs. In spring, high salinity values ​​remain almost everywhere. Only a narrow coastal strip near the Murmansk coast and in the Kanin-Kolguevsky region has low salinity: desalination here is caused by a gradually increasing continental runoff. In summer, the influx of Atlantic waters decreases, the ice melts, river water spreads far into the sea, so salinity decreases everywhere. In the second half of the season it drops below 35‰ everywhere. In the southwestern part, salinity is 34.5‰, and in the southeastern part it is 29‰, and sometimes 25‰. In autumn, salinity remains low throughout the sea for some time. But due to a decrease in river flow and the onset of ice formation, the salinity increases.

Salinity off the coast of Novaya Zemlya in winter and spring is 34.5‰, in summer and autumn it drops to 33.5-34.0‰ or less, which can be explained by both a general summer decrease in salinity in the southeast of the Barents Sea and a significant influx of highly desalinated waters of the Kara Sea with the current Litke.

In the northern part of the sea, the water mass has a salinity similar to the Arctic water mass(32-34 ‰); In summer, its salinity decreases further due to melting ice. Note that ice processes are reflected only in seasonal changes in salinity; average annual salinity values ​​do not depend on ice, because There is no obvious annual runoff or influx of ice at the sea's boundaries. Salinization during ice formation does not lead to a noticeable increase in salinity at the surface, because Ice formation is accompanied by intense convection.

The annual variability of salinity in the sea occurs mainly in the surface layer. In the seasonal thermocline and below it is practically absent. In the Atlantic water mass, the standard deviation of average monthly salinity values ​​is 0.1 ‰, in the southeast of the sea in the surface layer -1.0 ‰. Seasonal fluctuations in salinity in the Atlantic water mass occur due to a summer decrease in salinity when precipitation exceeds evaporation; in other areas of the sea they are additionally caused by ice melting, and in the southeast of the sea, mainly by river runoff and the White Sea drainage current. The latter area is distinguished by a special salinity regime: a vast zone of desalinated waters is formed here, concentrated in a thin layer (0-10 m), as a result of which the vertical salinity gradient in the summer months exceeds 1.0% / m and a jump layer is formed; a seasonal halocline arises, similar to the seasonal thermocline and enhancing the density stratification of waters. With a decrease in river flow and an increase in wind mixing (in August-November), the water salinity quickly increases and, therefore, summer freshening has less of an impact on ice processes than, for example, in the Kara Sea, where the salinity of surface waters is lower at the time of ice formation.

Salinity is distributed differently with depth, which is associated with the bottom topography and the influx of Atlantic and river waters. In most areas of the Barents Sea, salinity increases from 34‰ at the surface to 35.1‰ at the bottom. Over underwater elevations, the vertical changes in salinity are even smaller. The distribution of salinity in depth varies little from season to season. In summer, the surface layer is desalinated, and an increase begins from a horizon of 25-30 m. In winter, the jump smoothes out. Salinity values ​​vary within significantly larger limits with depth in the southeastern part of the sea. The difference in salinity on the surface and at the bottom can reach several ppm. Seasonal changes in the vertical distribution of salinity are also clearly visible in this area. In winter, salinity is almost equalized throughout the entire water column. In spring, river waters begin to desalinate the surface layer. In summer, its desalination increases due to melted ice, so between the horizons of 10 and 25 m a sharp jump in salinity is formed. In autumn, a reduction in runoff and ice formation cause an increase in salinity and its equalization in depth.

Features of the vertical distribution of salinity in the western, northern, Novaya Zemlya and northeastern regions are presented in Fig. 6.

In contrast to seasonal variability, interannual variability in salinity depends more on fluctuations in river flow than on other components of the freshwater balance.

BARENCEVO SEA(Norwegian Barentshavet, until 1853 Murmansk Sea, Murman) - a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. It washes the shores of Russia and Norway. The sea is limited to the northern coast of Europe and the archipelagos of Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. The sea area is 1,424 thousand km², depth is up to 600 m. The sea is located on the continental shelf. The southwestern part of the sea does not freeze in winter due to the influence of the North Atlantic Current. The southeastern part of the sea is called the Pechora Sea. The Barents Sea has great importance for transport and fishing - here are located major ports- Murmansk and Vardø (Norway).

Boundary of the White and Barents Seas. The Barents Sea is a marginal water area of ​​the Arctic Ocean on the border with the Atlantic Ocean, between the northern coast of Europe in the south and the islands of Vaygach, Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land in the east, Spitsbergen and Bear Island in the west.

Maritime boundaries . In the west it borders with the Norwegian Sea basin, in the south with the White Sea, in the east with the Kara Sea, and in the north with the Arctic Ocean. The area of ​​the Barents Sea located east of Kolguev Island is called the Pechora Sea.

Coastline. The southwestern shores of the Barents Sea are predominantly fjord, high, rocky, and heavily rugged. The largest bays are: Porsanger Fjord, Varangian Bay (also known as Varanger Fjord), Motovsky Bay, Kola Bay, etc. East of the Kanin Nos Peninsula, the coastal topography changes dramatically - the shores are predominantly low and slightly indented. There are 3 large shallow bays: (Czechskaya Bay, Pechora Bay, Khaypudyrskaya Bay), as well as several small bays.

Archipelagos and islands. There are few islands within the Barents Sea. The largest of them is Kolguev Island. From the west, north and east, the sea is limited by the archipelagos of Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya.

Hydrography. The largest rivers flowing into the Barents Sea are Pechora and Indiga.

Currents.Surface currents of the sea form a counterclockwise circulation. Along the southern and eastern periphery, the Atlantic waters of the warm North Cape Current (a branch of the Gulf Stream system) move east and north, the influence of which can be traced to the northern shores of Novaya Zemlya. The northern and western parts of the cycle are formed by local and Arctic waters coming from the Kara Sea and the Arctic Ocean. In the central part of the sea there is a system of intracircular currents. The circulation of sea waters changes under the influence of changes in winds and water exchange with adjacent seas. Tidal currents are of great importance, especially near the coast. The tides are semidiurnal, their greatest value is 6.1 m off the coast of the Kola Peninsula, in other places 0.6-4.7 m.

Water exchange. Water exchange with neighboring seas is of great importance in the water balance of the Barents Sea. During the year, about 76,000 km³ of water enters the sea through the straits (and the same amount leaves it), which is approximately 1/4 of the total volume of sea water. Largest quantity water (59,000 km³ per year) is carried by the warm North Cape Current, which has an extremely large influence on the hydrometeorological regime of the sea. The total river flow into the sea averages 200 km³ per year.

Salinity. The salinity of the surface layer of water in the open sea throughout the year is 34.7-35.0‰ in the southwest, 33.0-34.0‰ in the east, and 32.0-33.0‰ in the north. In the coastal strip of the sea in spring and summer, salinity drops to 30-32 ‰, and by the end of winter it increases to 34.0-34.5 ‰.

Climate.The climate of the Barents Sea is influenced by the warm Atlantic Ocean and the cold Arctic Ocean. Frequent intrusions of warm Atlantic cyclones and cold Arctic air determine great variability of weather conditions. In winter, southwestern winds prevail over the sea, and in spring and summer, northeastern winds. Storms are frequent. The average air temperature in February varies from −25 °C in the north to −4 °C in the southwest. The average temperature in August is 0 °C, 1 °C in the north, 10 °C in the southwest. Cloudy weather prevails over the sea throughout the year. Annual precipitation ranges from 250 mm in the north to 500 mm in the southwest.

Ice cover. The harsh climatic conditions in the north and east of the Barents Sea determine its high ice cover. In all seasons of the year, only the southwestern part of the sea remains ice-free. The ice cover reaches its greatest extent in April, when about 75% of the sea surface is occupied by floating ice. In exceptionally unfavorable years at the end of winter, floating ice comes directly to the shores of the Kola Peninsula. The least amount of ice occurs at the end of August. At this time, the ice boundary moves beyond 78° N. w. In the northwest and northeast of the sea, ice usually remains all year round, but in some favorable years the sea is almost completely or even completely free of ice.

Temperature. The influx of warm Atlantic waters determines relatively high temperature and salinity in the southwestern part of the sea. Here in February - March the surface water temperature is 3 °C, 5 °C, in August it rises to 7 °C, 9 °C. North of 74° N. w. and in the southeastern part of the sea in winter the water temperature on the surface is below −1 °C, and in the summer in the north 4 °C, 0 °C, in the southeast 4 °C, 7 °C. In summer, in the coastal zone, the surface layer warm water 5-8 meters thick can warm up to 11-12 °C.

Flora and fauna. The Barents Sea is rich various types fish, plant and animal plankton and benthos. Seaweed is common along the southern coast. Of the 114 species of fish living in the Barents Sea, 20 species are the most commercially important: cod, haddock, herring, sea bass, catfish, flounder, halibut, etc. Mammals include: polar bear, seal, harp seal, beluga whale, etc. Seal fishing is underway. Bird colonies abound on the coasts (guillemots, guillemots, kittiwake gulls). In the 20th century, the Kamchatka crab was introduced, which was able to adapt to new conditions and begin to reproduce intensively. There are many different echinoderms distributed along the bottom of the entire sea area, sea ​​urchins and starfish, different types.

Economic importance. The Barents Sea has a huge economic importance as for Russian Federation, and for Norway and other countries.

Food industry and shipping. The sea is rich in various species of fish, plant and animal plankton and benthos, therefore the Barents Sea is an area of ​​intensive fishing. In addition, it is very important sea ​​route, connecting the European part of Russia (especially the European North) with the ports of western (since the 16th century) and eastern countries (since the 19th century), as well as Siberia (since the 15th century). Main and largest port is the ice-free port of Murmansk - the capital Murmansk region. Other ports in the Russian Federation are Teriberka, Indiga, Naryan-Mar (Russia); Vardø, Vadsø and Kirkenes (Norway).

Naval potential. The Barents Sea is a region where not only the commercial fleet, but also the Russian Navy, including nuclear submarines, are deployed.

WHITE SEA(until the 17th century Studenoe, Solovetskoe, Severnoe, Calm, White Bay) - an inland sea in the north of the European part of Russia, belongs to the Arctic Ocean.

Among the seas washing Russia, the White Sea is one of the smallest (only the Sea of ​​Azov is smaller). Its surface area is 90 thousand km² (with numerous small islands, among which the Solovetsky Islands are the most famous - 90.8 thousand km²), that is, 1/16 of the area of ​​the Barents Sea, the volume is only 4.4 thousand km³. The greatest length of the White Sea from Cape Kanin Nos to Kem is 600 km.

Greatest depth sea ​​340 meters, average - 67 meters.

The border between the White and Barents Seas is considered to be a line drawn from Cape Svyatoy Nos (Kola Peninsula) to Cape Kanin Nos (Kanin Peninsula).

The large rivers Kem, Mezen, Onega, Ponoi, Northern Dvina and many small rivers flow into the White Sea.

Main ports: Arkhangelsk, Belomorsk, Kandalaksha, Kem, Mezen, Onega, Severodvinsk.

The White Sea-Baltic Canal connects the White Sea with the Baltic and Volga-Baltic waterways.

The entire White Sea is inland waters Russia.

The water area of ​​the White Sea is divided into several parts: Basin, Throat (the strait connecting the White Sea with the Barents Sea; the Throat of the White Sea is called “Girlo” by the Pomors, this word is used in exactly this vowel in his story “Sealed Glory” by B.V. Shergin), Funnel, Onega Bay, Dvina Bay, Mezen Bay, Kandalaksha Bay. The shores of the White Sea have their own names and are traditionally divided (in counterclockwise order from the coast of the Kola Peninsula) into Tersky, Kandalaksha, Karelian, Pomorsky, Onega, Letniy, Zimny, Mezensky and Kaninsky; sometimes the Mezen coast is divided into the Abramovsky and Konushinsky banks, and part of the Onega coast is called the Lyamitsky coast.

The seashores (Onega and Kandalaksha bays) are indented by numerous lips and bays. The western banks are steep, the eastern banks are low-lying.

On hydrological regime seas are influenced by climatic conditions, water exchange with the Barents Sea, tidal phenomena, river flow and bottom topography.

The tidal wave from the Barents Sea has a semidiurnal character. The average height of spring tides ranges from 0.6 (Zimnyaya Zolotitsa) to 3 meters, in some narrow bays it reaches 7 meters (7.7 meters in Mezen Bay, the mouth of the Semzha River). The tidal wave penetrates upstream the rivers flowing into the sea (on the Northern Dvina at a distance of up to 120 kilometers).

Despite the small surface area of ​​the sea, storm activity is developed on it, especially in the fall, when during storms the wave height reaches 6 meters.

During the cold season, surge phenomena at sea reach a value of 75-90 centimeters.

Every year the sea is covered with ice for 6-7 months. Fast ice forms near the coast and in bays; the central part of the sea is usually covered with floating ice, reaching a thickness of 35-40 centimeters, and in severe winters - up to one and a half meters.

Temperature The surface layer of sea water varies greatly depending on the season in different parts seas. IN summer period surface water bays and the central part of the sea warm up to 15-16 °C, while in Onega Bay and Gorlo - no higher than 9 °C. In winter, the temperature of surface waters drops to −1.3…-1.7 °C in the center and north of the sea, in the bays - to −0.5…-0.7 °C.

Deep water layers (below a depth of 50 meters) have a constant temperature, regardless of the season, from −1.0 °C to +1.5 °C, while in Gorlo, due to intense tidal turbulent mixing, the vertical temperature distribution is uniform.

Salinity sea ​​water associated with the hydrological regime. The large influx of river water and insignificant exchange with the Barents Sea have led to a relatively low salinity of the surface waters of the sea (26 ppm and below). The salinity of deep waters is much higher - up to 31 ppm. Desalinated surface waters move along the eastern shores of the sea and flow through the Gorlo into the Barents Sea, from where saltier waters enter the White Sea along the western shores. In the center of the sea there is a ring-shaped counterclockwise current.

Flora and fauna. The fauna of the White Sea is dominated by Arctic species, which are clearly visible already in the lower horizon of the sublittoral zone (45-150 m). There is almost constant water salinity, low temperature and little light. In sparsely scattered rocky areas, red algae are still found, for example Odonthalia, Polysiphonia, Ahnfeltia with all their inherent biocenoses, groups of hydroids, bryozoans, and sponges. But basically this area is occupied by soft soils, on which cold-loving forms settle, such as the mollusks Ioldia northern, cardium, macoma, astarte northern and oval, many polychaetes, starfish and brittle stars.

Starting from 150 m and further into the depths, the White Sea pseudo-abyssal zone stretches. It is characterized by the absence of light and vegetation, constant temperature and salinity of water. Here, in the semi-liquid silts, the predominant forms are the mollusks Portlandia arcticum and icea. From the sublittoral zone, sea stars of the genus Asterias and ophiura ophiacantha bitooth descend here. In addition, this area is characterized by such deep-sea White Sea species as the sessile jellyfish alfalfa, the transparent sea squirt eugura, the molluscs Lionsia and Modiolaria, the crustacean Acanthostefera and high-Arctic fish species, such as Leptagon and the Arctic Sea chanterelle - Ultsina.

Among the inhabitants of the Vola strata, the most common forms of Arctic origin are the planktonic crustaceans Calanus and Mitridia. the pterygopod Klione, and among mammals - harp seals, sea hares and beluga whales. Cold-water species also include the main commercial fish of the sea, such as cod, cod, navaga, and flounder.