The average annual water temperature in the Barents. Seas of Russia - Barents Sea

- one of the many seas of the great. It is located in the westernmost part of the ocean and is located in the North European shelf. This is the largest sea in Russia, its area is 1424 thousand square kilometers, 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 - on the Kara Sea, in the north - on the Arctic Ocean, and on the White Sea in the south. The area of ​​the sea in the southeast is sometimes called the Pechora Sea.
Islands in the Barents Sea few, among them the largest is Kolguev Island.
The shores of the sea are mostly rocky and high. The coastline is uneven, indented with bays, bays, the largest of which are Motovskaya Bay, Varyazhsky, Kola, etc. Bottom of the Barents Sea has a complex relief, where hills are replaced by troughs and valleys.
Climate in the Barents Sea is influenced by the currents of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. In general, it corresponds to the polar maritime climate: long winters, cold summers, 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 fish species (114 species), animal and plant plankton and benthos. The south coast is rich in seaweed. Of the fish species, the most important industrially are: herring, cod, haddock, halibut, etc. Polar bears, seals, white whales, seals, etc. are found off the coast of the Barents Sea. Seashores are places for bird colonies. The permanent inhabitants of these places are kittiwakes, guillemots, and guillemots. Also, the king crab, which was introduced in the 20th century, has 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.

From time immemorial, thunderstorms have captured the imagination of man. Thunderstorms terrified our ancestors, poorly protected from bad weather. Fires and death from lightning strikes have made and will continue to make a strong, amazing 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 formidable and majestic phenomenon in the atmosphere than a thunderstorm.

Hydrological regime of the Barents Sea - Temperature map of the Barents Sea

The hydrological regime of the Barents Sea is very diverse and is formed as a result of the circulation of waters of various origins and with different properties: 1. warm waters coming from the North Atlantic Ocean; 2. warm waters of river origin; 3. relatively cold local waters 4. cold polar waters.

In the previous section, it was shown that thermohaline conditions in the Barents Sea are formed under the influence of both heat advection by currents and radiation factors. Some elements of this influence determine the stability of the climatic characteristics of temperature and salinity, while others (for example, the nonstationarity of currents and ice conditions) form their spatial and temporal variability.

Let us consider the structure of the temperature and salinity fields in their annual course, as well as the main processes that determine their distribution.

6.1. Water temperature. In the Barents Sea, the water temperature to a much greater extent than in other Arctic seas determines all processes associated with the density structure of water (convection, formation of a shock layer, etc.). In addition, in the Barents Sea, water temperature is the main indicator characterizing the distribution of warm Atlantic waters, which, in turn, determine the ice conditions and climate of the Atlantic sector of the Arctic.

The thermal regime of the Barents Sea is formed under the influence of a number of processes, of which the leading ones are autumn-winter convection, which equalizes the temperature from the surface to the bottom, and summer heating of the surface layer, which causes the emergence of a seasonal thermocline.

A large influx of warm Atlantic waters makes the Barents Sea one of the warmest in the Arctic Ocean. A significant part of the sea from the coast to 75°N. It does not freeze all year round and has positive surface temperatures. The influence of the advection of the heat of the Atlantic waters is especially noticeable in the southwestern part of the sea and insignificant in the southeast due to shallow depths in this area. here it reaches 8°C.

In the surface layer, the maximum temperature is observed in the southwestern part of the sea (9°C in June-September), the minimum (0°C) is at the ice edge. From July to October, the region of maximum temperatures also extends to the southeastern part of the sea, the position of the isotherms becomes close to the latitudinal one (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Average long-term surface water temperature in summer and winter.

The seasonal change in water temperature is generally small, in the southwest and in the northern part of the sea it does not exceed 5-6°C and only in the southeast does it reach 10°C. In the Atlantic water mass in the extreme southwest of the sea, the surface water temperature in winter does not fall below 3°C and does not exceed 6°C, in summer it lies in the range from 7 to 13°C. In areas where ice is likely to occur, the absolute minimum is limited to a freezing point of -1.8°C. Summer maximum temperatures in the surface layer reach 4-7°C in the northwestern part of the sea, 15°C in the southeast in the open part of the sea, and 20-23 in the Pechora Bay.

With depth, fluctuations in water temperature decrease. IN southeastern parts of the sea at a 50 m horizon, they are about 2/3 of their value on the surface.

The distribution of water temperature on the underlying horizons reflects the development of convection processes (in winter) and summer heating in the sea. IN summer period a seasonal thermocline is formed, which begins with the transition of the heat balance of the sea surface to positive values ​​and continues until August-September, when the depth of the shock layer reaches such values ​​at which mixing in the surface layer can no longer significantly affect the conditions in the thermocline layer. In most of the water area of ​​the Barents Sea, the thickness of the quasi-homogeneous layer and the depth of the upper boundary of the thermocline reach 30 m by this time, and the largest gradients fall on the 30-50 m layer.

On southwest sea, the maximum water temperature gradients do not exceed 0.1°C/m, and in the rest of its deep water area they reach 0.2°C/m; in the southeastern part of the sea and in coastal areas, the maximum gradients fall on the layer 10-25 and 0-10 m and amount to 0.4°С/m

To a large extent, the temperature distribution in the water column of the Barents Sea depends on the penetration of warm Atlantic waters, on winter cooling and on the bottom topography. Therefore, the change in water temperature along the vertical occurs unequally.

In the southwestern part, which is most affected by Atlantic waters, the temperature gradually and within small limits decreases with depth, remaining positive to the very bottom. In the north-east of the sea in winter, the negative temperature extends to the horizon of 100-200 m, deeper it rises to +1°C. In summer, the sea surface has a low temperature, which quickly drops to 25-50 m, where the low temperatures (-1.5°С) achieved during winter cooling are preserved. Below, in the layer of 50-100 m, not affected by the winter vertical circulation, the temperature increased to -1°C. Thus, between 50 and 100 m there is a cold intermediate layer. In those depressions where warm waters do not penetrate and strong cooling occurs, for example, the Novaya Zemlya Trench, the Central Basin, etc., the water temperature is uniform throughout the thickness in winter, and in summer it drops from small positive values ​​​​on the surface to -1.75 ° C at the bottom .

Underwater heights serve as obstacles to the movement of Atlantic waters, so the latter flow around them. In places of flow around elevations low temperatures rise close to the surface of the water. In addition, above the hills and on their slopes, the water cools more. As a result, "cold water caps" characteristic of the banks of the Barents Sea are formed.

In the Central Highlands in winter, the water temperature is equally low from the surface to the bottom. In summer it decreases with depth and in the layer of 50-100 m has the minimum values. Below, the temperature rises again, but remains negative all the way to the bottom. Thus, here, too, there is an intermediate layer of cold water, but it is not underlain by warm Atlantic waters. In the southeastern part of the sea, temperature changes with depth have a pronounced seasonal course.

In winter, the temperature of the entire water column is negative. In spring, the upper 10-12-meter layer is covered with heating, below its temperature drops sharply to the bottom. In summer, the warming of the surface layer reaches its greatest values; therefore, the decrease in temperature between the horizons of 10 and 25 m occurs with a sharp jump. In autumn, cooling equalizes the temperature throughout the layer, which becomes almost vertically uniform by winter.

Figure 4 shows the vertical profiles of water temperature in four regions (western, northern, near Novaya Zemlya and northeastern Fig. 3), characterizing the period of formation and destruction of the thermocline (May-November). It can be seen from them that despite the significant differences in the hydrological regime of the regions, they are characterized by a number of common patterns, in particular, the delay in the annual maximum of water temperature with increasing depth and a slower drop in temperature in autumn compared to spring growth. Under real conditions, these generalized water temperature distribution profiles are complicated by the existence of diurnal and synoptic thermoclines, uneven heat advection, internal waves, the influence of river runoff, and ice melting. For example, in the southeastern part of the sea in July, at a horizon of 10 and 20 m, a significant decrease in water temperature is observed, due to the fact that in June-July this area is characterized by a pronounced density stratification, due to the inflow of a large volume of river waters.
In summer, changes in water temperature in layers with different vertical gradients are practically unrelated. The exceptions are the wind mixing layer (0-10 m) and the seasonal thermocline layer (20-30 or 30-50 m), there is no connection between these layers.

The characteristic values ​​of water temperature fluctuations due to tidal variability are 0.2–0.5°C in a uniform

The Barents Sea - washes the northern coast of the Scandinavian and Kola Peninsulas, Norway and Russia. It is a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean.

From the north it is bounded by archipelagos and Franz Josef Land, from the east by the archipelago New Earth.

The area of ​​the Barents Sea is 1424 thousand sq. km. Volume - 282 thousand cubic meters. km. Depth: average - 220 m. maximum - 600 m. Borders: in the west with the Norwegian Sea, in the south with the White Sea, in the east with.

Silver Baren... Oil from the bottom... Diving in Bar...

The northern seas have long attracted Russian people with their riches. The abundance of fish, marine animals and birds, despite the icy water, long and cold winter, made this region quite suitable for a well-fed living. And when a person is full, then he does not care about the cold.

In ancient times, the Barents Sea was called the Arctic, then Siver or Northern, sometimes it was called Pechora, Russian, Moscow, but more often Murmansk, according to old name Pomorsky (Murmansk) edge of the earth. It is believed that the first Russian boats sailed in the waters of the Barents Sea as early as the 11th century. Around the same time, Viking boats also began to swim here. And then trading settlements began to appear in the north of Rus', and fishing began to develop.

Until Russia acquires a full-fledged fleet capable of overcoming the expanses of the northern seas, the northernmost Russian city was Arkhangelsk. Founded by decree of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1583-1584 near the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery, the small town became the main Russian port where foreign ships began to call. An English colony even settled there.

This city, located at the mouth of the Northern Dvina, which flows into Peter I, took a good look at it, and over time it became the Northern Gates of Rus'. It was Arkhangelsk that had the honor to play a leading role in the creation of the Russian merchant and navy. In 1693, Peter founded the Admiralty in the city, and on the island of Solombala laid the foundation of a shipyard.

Already in 1694, the St. Pavel ship, the first merchant ship of the Russian Northern Fleet, launched from this shipyard. "Saint Pavel" had 24 guns on board, which Peter personally cast at the factory in Olonets. To rig the first ship, Peter himself machined the rigging blocks. The launching of the "St. Paul" was carried out under the direct supervision of Peter. "St. Paul" was issued a "travel charter" for the right to trade abroad. The ship "Saint Paul" was the first of six three-deck merchant ships launched from the sovereign's shipyard from 1694 to 1701. Since then, Arkhangelsk has become the center of all foreign trade activities. Russian state. It was from here that the Russian North began to develop.

Of course, even before the time of Peter the Great, there were sailing directions for the mouth of the Northern Dvina, the White Sea and the coastal part of the Siver Sea, which were inherited by local pilots. But under Peter, these maps were refined and allowed fairly large ships to navigate without fear of running aground or a reef, of which there are a great many in these waters.

These places were very attractive for navigation because of their peculiarity, because the sea did not freeze here, thanks to the Gulf Stream, whose warm waters reached these northern shores. This made it possible for ships to pass west into the waters of the Atlantic and further south to the shores of America, Africa, and India. But the absence of sea ships, and a short time navigation hindered the development of the waters of the North Sea. Only rare ships of brave sailors reached the shores of Svalbard and Franz Josef Land, which separated the North Sea from the vast expanses of the Arctic Ocean.

The beginning of the study of the Barents Sea took place in the 16th-17th centuries, during the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Looking for trade routes, European navigators tried to go east in order to bypass Asia to get to China, but they could not go far due to the fact that most of it was covered with ice hummocks that did not melt even during the short northern summer. The Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz scouted the waters of the North Sea very carefully in search of northern trade routes.

He discovered the Orange Islands, Bear Island, explored Svalbard. And in 1597 his ship was frozen in the ice for a long time. Barents and his crew left the ship frozen in the ice and began to make their way to the shore on two boats. And although the expedition reached the shores, Willem Barents himself died. Since 1853, this harsh North Sea has been called the Barents Sea in his honor, although before that it was officially listed on the maps as Murmansk.

Scientific exploration of the Barents Sea began much later. 1821-1824 Several sea expeditions were undertaken to study the Barents Sea. They were headed by the future president of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, an honorary member of many Russian and foreign scientific institutions, a tireless navigator, Admiral Fyodor Petrovich Litke. On the sixteen-gun brig Novaya Zemlya, he went 4 times to the shores of Novaya Zemlya, explored and described it in detail.

He investigated the depths of the fairway and the dangerous shallows of the White and Barents Seas, as well as the geographical definitions of the islands. His book "Four-fold trip to the Arctic Ocean on the military brig" Novaya Zemlya "in 1821-1824" published in 1828 brought him worldwide scientific fame and recognition. A complete thorough study and hydrological characteristics of the Barents Sea were compiled during a scientific expedition in 1898-1901. headed by the Russian scientific hydrologist Nikolai Mikhailovich Knipovich.

The efforts of these expeditions were not in vain, as a result, the rapid development of navigation in the northern seas began. In 1910-1915. a hydrographic expedition of the Arctic Ocean was organized. The purpose of the expedition was to develop the Northern Sea Route, which would allow Russian ships to pass by the shortest route along the northern coast of Asia in Pacific Ocean to the eastern shores of the Russian Empire. The expedition consisting of two icebreaking ships - "Vaigach" and "Taimyr" under the leadership of Boris Andreevich Vilkitsky covered the entire northern route from Chukotka to the Barents Sea, wintering near the Taimyr Peninsula.

This expedition collected data on sea currents and climate, on the ice conditions and magnetic phenomena of these regions. A. V. Kolchak and F. A. Matisen took an active part in the development of the expedition plan. The ships were manned by combat naval officers and sailors. As a result of the expedition, a sea route was opened connecting the European part of Russia with the Far East.

At the beginning of the 20th century, measures were taken to equip the first port beyond the Arctic Circle. Murmansk became such a port. A very good place was chosen for the future port on the right bank of the Kola Bay. In 1915, during the First World War, Murmansk was upset and received the status of a city. The creation of this port city made it possible Russian fleet get access to the Arctic Ocean through an ice-free bay. Russia was able to receive military supplies from the allies, despite the blockade of the Baltic and Black Seas.

In Soviet times, Murmansk became the main base of the Northern Navy, which played a huge role in the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany and the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The ships and submarines of the Northern Fleet became the only force that managed in the most difficult conditions to ensure the passage of convoys that delivered military supplies and food for the Soviet Union from the allies.

During the war, the Severomorstsy destroyed more than 200 warships and auxiliary vessels, more than 400 transports and 1300 aircraft of Nazi Germany. They provided escort for 76 allied convoys, including 1463 transports and 1152 escort ships.

And now the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy is based on bases located in the bays of the Barents Sea. The main one is Severomorsk, located 25 km from Murmansk. Severomorsk arose on the site of the tiny village of Vaenga, in which only 13 people lived in 1917. Now Severomorsk with a population of about 50 thousand people is the main stronghold of the northern borders of Russia.

The best ships of the Russian Navy serve in the Northern Fleet. Such as the aircraft-carrying anti-submarine cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov"

Nuclear submarines capable of floating right at the North Pole

The water area of ​​the Barents Sea also served to develop the military potential of the USSR. An atomic test site was created on Novaya Zemlya, and in 1961 a super-powerful 50-megaton hydrogen bomb was tested there. Of course, the entire Novaya Zemlya and the territory adjacent to it are strongly and long years suffered, but the Soviet Union for many years received priority in atomic weapons, which remains to this day.

For a long time, the entire water area of ​​the Arctic Ocean was controlled by the Soviet Navy. But after the collapse of the Union, most of the bases were abandoned. All and sundry have reached out to the Arctic. And after the discovery of the largest oil fields on the Arctic shelf, the question arose of protecting the Russian northern possessions, which have strategic raw materials. Therefore, since 2014, Russia has been resuming its military presence in the Arctic. For this, bases are now being defrosted on Novaya Zemlya, on Kotelny Island, which is part of the New Siberian Islands, on the land of Franz Josef and. Modern military camps are being built, airfields are being restored.

Since time immemorial, a lot of all kinds of fish have been caught in the Barents Sea. It was almost the main food of the Pomors. Yes, and carts with fish were constantly going to the mainland. There are still quite a few of them in these northern waters, about 114 species. But mainly the types of commercial fish are cod, flounder, sea bass, herring and haddock. The population of the rest is falling.

This is the result of an ownerless attitude to fish stocks. Lately fish were caught more than it was reproduced. Moreover, the artificial breeding of Far Eastern crabs in the Barents Sea had a negative impact on the restoration of the fish mass. Crabs began to multiply so quickly that there was a threat of disruption of the natural biosystem of this region.

But nevertheless, in the waters of the Barents Sea, you can still find both a variety of fish and marine animals such as seals, seals, whales, dolphins, and sometimes.

In pursuit of new oil and gas fields, oil-producing countries began to strenuously move north. So the waters of the Barents Sea became the site of the conflict between Russia and Norway. And although in 2010 Norway and Russia signed an agreement on the division of borders in the Barents Sea, disputes still do not subside. This year, the Russian "Gazprom" began commercial oil production on the Arctic shelf. About 300,000 tons of oil will be produced per year. By 2020, it is planned to reach the production level of 6 million tons of oil per year.

The return of the Russian Armed Forces to the Arctic can serve as a settlement of these disputes. The Russian Arctic is the property of our people and it should be fully used for the benefit of the people and well protected from those who like to profit at someone else's expense.

Despite the fact that the Barents Sea is the Arctic, in last years this region is becoming increasingly popular for tourists, especially those who are fond of diving, fishing and hunting. Such an extreme type of recreation as ice diving is very interesting. The beauty of the under-ice world can surprise even experienced swimmers. For example, the range of claws of king crabs that have bred in the local waters sometimes exceeds 2 meters. But you need to keep in mind that diving under the ice is an activity for experienced scuba divers.

And hunting on the islands of the Barents Sea for seals, seals or birds, which are apparently not visible here, will not leave indifferent any seasoned hunter.

Any diver, fisherman, hunter or just a tourist who has ever visited the Barents Sea will still strive to get here to see these northern beauties that are impossible to forget.

Video: Barents Sea:...

BARENTS SEA, marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean, between the coasts Northwestern Europe, the Vaigach Islands, the archipelagos of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Svalbard and the Bear Islands. Washes the coast of Norway and Russia. It has natural boundaries in the south (from Cape North Cape along the coast of the mainland and along the line of Cape Svyatoy Nos - Cape Kanin Nos, separating the Barents Sea from the White Sea, further to the Yugorsky Shar Strait) and partly in the east, where it is limited by the western coasts of Vaigach Island and the Novaya Archipelago Land, then by the line Cape Desire - Cape Kolzat (Graham Bell Island). In other directions, the borders are conditional lines drawn from Cape Sörkapp of Sörkappøya Island at the southern tip of the island of West Spitsbergen: in the west - through Bear Island to Cape North Cape, in the north - along the southeastern shores of the islands of the Spitsbergen archipelago to Cape Lee Smith on Severo Island - Vostochnaya Zemlya, then through the Bely and Victoria Islands to Cape Mary-Kharms ort (Alexandra Land Island) and along the northern outskirts of the islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. It borders the Norwegian Sea in the west, the White Sea in the south, the Kara Sea in the east, and the Arctic Ocean in the north. The southeastern part of the Barents Sea, into which the Pechora River flows, is often called the Pechora Sea because of the unique hydrological conditions. The area is 1424 thousand km 2 (the largest in terms of area in the Arctic Ocean), the volume is 316 thousand km 3. The greatest depth is 600 m. The largest bays are: Varanger Fjord, Kola Bay, Motovsky Bay, Pechora Bay, Porsanger Fjord, Czech Bay. There are many islands along the borders of the Barents Sea, especially in the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the largest in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The coastline is complex, heavily indented, with numerous capes, bays, coves and fjords. The shores of the Barents Sea are predominantly abrasion, less often accumulative and icy. The shores of the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Svalbard archipelagos and Franz Josef Land are high, rocky, fjord-like, steeply dropping to the sea; on the Kola Peninsula - less dissected; parts of the glaciers go straight to the sea.

Relief and geological structure of the bottom.

The Barents Sea is located within the shelf, but, unlike other similar seas, most of it has depths of 300–400 m. South Barents-Timan fold system. It is a complexly dissected underwater plain with a slight slope from east to west, characterized by an alternation of underwater heights and trenches of various directions, terrace-like ledges have formed on the slopes at depths of 200 and 70 m. The deepest areas are located in the west, near the border with the Norwegian Sea. Extensive shallow banks are characteristic: the Central Rise (minimum depth 64 m), Perseus Rise (minimum depth 51 m), Goose Bank, separated by the Central Depression (maximum depth 386 m) and Western Trench (maximum depth 600 m), Franz Victoria (430 m), etc. The southern part of the bottom has a depth of mostly less than 200 m and is distinguished by a leveled relief. Smaller landforms reveal remnants of ancient coastlines, glacial-denudation and glacial-accumulative forms, and sand ridges formed by strong tidal currents.

At depths of less than 100 m, especially in the southern part of the Barents Sea, bottom sediments are represented by sands, often with an admixture of pebbles, gravel, and shells; on the slopes, the sands extend to great depths. In the shallow waters of the uplands of the central and northern parts of the sea - silty sand, sandy silt, in depressions - silt. An admixture of coarse clastic material is noticeable everywhere, which is associated with ice rafting and the wide distribution of relict glacial deposits. The thickness of precipitation in the northern and middle parts is less than 0.5 m, as a result of which ancient glacial deposits practically on the surface. slow pace sedimentation (less than 30 mm per 1000 years) is explained by the insignificant input of terrigenous material. Not a single large river flows into the Barents Sea (except for the Pechora, which leaves almost all of its solid runoff within the Pechora Bay), and the land shores are composed mainly of solid crystalline rocks.

Climate. The Barents Sea is characterized by a polar maritime climate, with changeable weather, which is influenced by the warm Atlantic and cold Arctic oceans and is generally characterized by a small amplitude of annual fluctuations in air temperature, short cold summers and long, relatively warm winters for these latitudes. strong winds and high relative humidity. The climate of the southwestern part of the sea softens considerably under the influence of the North Cape branch of the warm North Atlantic Current. The arctic atmospheric front passes over the waters of the Barents Sea between the cold arctic air and the warm air of temperate latitudes. The shift of the Arctic front to the south or north causes a corresponding shift in the trajectories of the Atlantic cyclones, which carry heat and moisture from the North Atlantic, which explains the frequent weather variability over the Barents Sea. In winter, cyclonic activity intensifies, southwest winds prevail over the central part of the Barents Sea (speed up to 16 m/s). Frequent storms. average temperature The air temperature of the coldest month of March varies from -22 °С on the islands of the Svalbard archipelago, -14 °С near Kolguev Island to -2 °С in the southwestern part of the sea. Summer is characterized by cool and cloudy weather with weak northeasterly winds. The average temperature of August in the western and central parts is up to 9 °С, in the southeast 7 °С, in the north 4-6 °С. The annual amount of precipitation is from 300 mm in the north to 500 mm in the southwest. Cloudy weather prevails over the sea during the year.

Hydrological regime. The river runoff is relatively small, flows mainly into the southeastern part of the sea and averages about 163 km per year. The largest rivers are: Pechora (130 km 3 per year), Indiga, Voronya, Teriberka. Features of the hydrological regime are due to the position of the sea between Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Basin. Water exchange with neighboring seas is of great importance in the water balance of the Barents Sea. During the year, about 74 thousand km 3 of water enters the Barents Sea (and the same amount leaves it), which is about a quarter of the total volume of water in the sea. The largest amount of water (59 thousand km 3 per year) is carried by the warm North Cape current.

Four water masses are distinguished in the structure of the waters of the Barents Sea: Atlantic, warm and salty; arctic, with negative temperature and low salinity; coastal, with high temperature and low salinity in summer and arctic water mass characteristics in winter; Barents Sea, formed in the sea itself under the influence of local conditions, with low temperature and high salinity. IN winter time from the surface to the bottom in the north-east dominated by the Barents Sea water mass, and in the southwest - the Atlantic. In summer, the Arctic water mass dominates in the northern part of the Barents Sea, the Atlantic water mass in the central part, and the coastal water mass in the southern part.

The surface currents of the Barents Sea form a counter-clockwise circulation. Along the southern and western periphery, in the east along the coast (Coastal Current) and in the north (Northern Current), the waters of the North Cape Current move, the influence of which can be traced to the northern shores of Novaya Zemlya. The northern and eastern parts of the gyre are formed by own and arctic waters coming from Kara Sea and the Arctic Ocean. In the central part of the sea there is a system of closed circulations. Velocities in the Coastal Current reach 40 cm/s, in the Northern Current - 13 cm/s. The circulation of the waters of the Barents Sea changes under the influence of winds and water exchange with adjacent seas.

Of great importance, especially near the coast, are tidal currents. The tides are regular semi-diurnal, their greatest value is 6.1 m near the coast of the Kola Peninsula, in other places 0.6-4.7 m.

The inflow of warm Atlantic waters determines the relatively high temperature and salinity in the southwestern part of the sea. Here, in February - March, the water temperature on the surface is 3-5 °C, in August it rises to 7-9 °C. To the north of 74° north latitude and in the southeastern part of the sea, in winter the water temperature on the surface is below -1 °С, and in summer in the north 4-0 °С, in the southeast 4-7 °С. The salinity of the surface layer of water in the open sea during 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 rises to 34.0-34.5‰.

Severe climatic conditions in the north and east of the Barents Sea determine its large ice cover. In all seasons of the year, only the southwestern part of the sea remains free of ice. The ice cover reaches its greatest distribution in April, when about 75% of the sea surface is occupied by floating ice. In extremely 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° north latitude. In the northwest and northeast of the sea, ice usually stays all year round, but in favorable years in August - September, the sea is completely free of ice.

Research History. The Barents Sea is named after the Dutch navigator V. Barents. The first to explore the Barents Sea were the Russian Pomors, who came to its shores as early as the 11th century. Conducting sea crafts, they discovered the islands of Kolguev and Vaygach, Novaya Zemlya, the Yugorsky Shar and Kara Gates straits long before European navigators. They were also the first to reach the shores of the Bear Islands, Nadezhda and eastern Spitsbergen, which they called Grumant. The scientific study of the sea was started by the expedition of F.P. Litke 1821-24, the first complete hydrological description of the sea was compiled by N. M. Knipovich at the beginning of the 20th century. The longest continuous series of hydrological observations in the world (since 1901) has been carried out at the Kola open-pit mine. IN Soviet time Research in the Barents Sea was carried out by: the Floating Marine Research Institute on the Perseus ship (since 1922), the Polar Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (Murmansk, since 1934), the Murmansk Hydrometeorological Service (since 1938), the State Oceanographic Institute (since 1943), the Institute of Oceanology named after P. P. Shirshov of the Russian Academy of Sciences (since 1946), Murmansk Branch of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institutes (since 1972). These and other research and production institutions continue the study of the Barents Sea at the beginning of the 21st century.

Economic use. The Barents Sea is a productive area. The benthic fauna includes over 1,500 species, mainly echinoderms, mollusks, polychaetes, crustaceans, sponges, etc. Seaweeds are common along the southern coast. Of the 114 species of fish living in the Barents Sea, 20 species are the most important for commercial purposes: cod, haddock, herring, sea bass, catfish, flounder, halibut, etc. Mammals are found: seal, harp seal, sea hare, harbor porpoise, white whale, killer whale, etc. Bird markets abound on the coasts, there are more than 25 species of birds, the most common are guillemots, guillemots, kittiwake gulls (there are 84 bird colonies on the coast of the Kola Peninsula). Large oil and gas fields have been discovered and are being developed (in Russia - Shtokmanovskoye, Prirazlomnoye, etc.). The Barents Sea has a large economic importance as an area of ​​intensive fishing and a sea route connecting the European part of Russia with Siberia and Western Europe. The main port of the Barents Sea is the ice-free port of Murmansk; other ports: Teriberka, Indiga, Naryan-Mar (Russia), Vardø (Norway).

Ecological state. In the bays, in the places where the fleet is concentrated and the development of gas and oil fields, there is an increased content of oil products and heavy metals, the situation is especially unfavorable in the Kola Bay. However, the content of metals in fish tissues is much lower than the MPC.

Lit .: Esipov VK Commercial fish of the Barents Sea. L.; M., 1937; Vize V.Yu. Seas of the Soviet Arctic. 3rd ed. M.; L., 1948; Hydrometeorological conditions of the shelf zone of the seas of the USSR. L., 1984-1985. T. 6. Issue. 1-3; Hydrometeorology and hydrochemistry of the seas of the USSR. SPb., 1992. T. 1. Issue. 2; Ecological monitoring of the seas of the Western Arctic. Murmansk, 1997; Climate of Murmansk. Murmansk, 1998; Zalogin B. S., Kosarev A. N. Morya. M., 1999.

It is located on the westernmost part of all Arctic seas. The Barents Sea is located in the North European shelf. The northern and western boundaries of the sea have a conditional line. The western border runs along Cape South, Bear, Cape North Cape. Northern - along the outskirts of the islands of the archipelago, then along a number of other islands. From the southern part, the sea is limited by the mainland and a small strait that delimits the Barents Sea from. The eastern border runs along the Vaygach Islands, and some others. The Barents Sea is a continental marginal sea.

The Barents Sea in its size occupies one of the first places among. Its area is 1 million 424 thousand km2. The volume of water reaches 316 thousand km3. The average depth is 222 m, the greatest depth is 600 m. There are a large number of islands in the water expanses of the Barents Sea (Novaya Zemlya, Medvezhiy and others). Small islands are mostly united in archipelagos, which are located next to the mainland or to large islands. the sea is rather uneven, complicated by various capes, bays and bays. The shores washed by the Barents Sea have a different origin and structure. The coast is Scandinavian and predominantly abruptly ending to the sea. The western coast of the island of Novaya Zemlya has. And the northern part of the island is in contact with, some of which enter the sea.

Fishing is widely developed in the Barents Sea. From the waters of this sea, cod, haddock, sea ​​bass, herring. Near Murmansk there is a power plant that generates energy at the expense of. Also in Murmansk is the only non-freezing port of our country, which is located in the polar zone. Thus, the Barents Sea is an important sea route connecting Russia with other countries.

The open part of the Barents Sea is not heavily polluted compared to other Arctic seas. But the area where ships are actively moving is covered with a film. The waters of the bays (Kola, Teribersky, Motovsky) are subject to the greatest pollution, mainly by oil products. About 150 million m3 of polluted water enters the Barents Sea. Poisonous substances constantly accumulate in the sea soil and can cause secondary pollution.