The White Sea, which in different centuries was called Studeny, Northern, Solovetsky and Calm, belongs to the Arctic Ocean in the European part of Russia. In ancient times, the Vikings called him Gandvik, which translated means "Gulf of Snakes."
Discovery story
The sea basin was still known from the maps of the 11th century. At that time for Novgorodians it was of great importance in terms of navigation of trade routes. The fact is that in the surrounding forests there were many fur animals. Soon, villages of hunters began to appear on the coast, who immediately sold the skin and meat of prey to merchants who came from afar. In the early 1490s, by order of Tsar Ivan III, a whole merchant fleet and an international port were built. Most ships went to the shores of Denmark and back.
Soon, English and Dutch ships began to sail along the White Sea. These were both merchant ships and expeditionary ships. One of them was the ship "Edward Bonaventure" under the patronage of King Edward VI of Britain . In the mid-1550s, close trade relations began in Moscow and London. A few years later, the White Sea became one of the main market centers of Russia. The Dutch, British and Danes regularly made long voyages to the shores of a new settlement called Kholmogory. Later this city was renamed Arkhangelsk.
While foreign merchants were bribed by cheap furs, scientists and researchers are interested in the extremely low salinity of the White Sea. Nevertheless, frequent expeditions for most of the year were complicated by strong ice drift.
Description of the water area
The average depth of the White Sea varies from 50 to 200 meters. Shallow water is observed in Onega and Dvina bays in the northern part of the basin. The deepest point is 340 meters. It is noteworthy that the White Sea has the smallest area among the basins washing Russia. The territory that it covers is limited to only 90 thousand square kilometers. Moreover, in the water area there are many medium-sized islands, for example, the Solovetsky Islands.
The largest rivers flowing into the White Sea are represented by Mezen, Ponoi, Kemyu, Onega and the Northern Dvina. The boundary line is considered the dividing line of the Kanin and Kola Peninsulas . The main ports are Belomorsk, Arkhangelsk, Kem, Onega, Kandalaksha, Mezen and Severodvinsk. The snake bay belongs to the territorial waters of Russia.
The basin is represented by the Gorlo Strait, Onega and Dvina Bay,
Kandalaksha Bay.Each part of the coast has its own name: Tersky, Karelian, Summer, Kaninsky, Winter, Abramovsky, Lyamitsky, Konushinsky and other areas.
Pool temperature and salinity
The water in the White Sea is always cold, so it is not recommended to swim in it without special preparation and equipment. The temperature on the surface varies from -1 to +14 degrees.
The white sea in winter is mostly covered with a thick layer of ice. An increase in water temperature is observed only from May to August. In the summer, indicators in the central part of the pool rise to +16 degrees. At a depth of 50 meters, the temperature is kept in the region of zero.
The salinity of the White Sea is associated with a specific hydrological regime. Due to the large influx of river and groundwater and the minimum level of exchange with the waters of the Barents Bay, the desalination of the basin is significantly exceeded. So, the salinity of the White Sea is about 26 ppm. In some places, this figure does not exceed the mark of 18 ppm. At a depth of 100 meters, the salinity of the White Sea reaches 31 ppm. The reason for the stagnation and desalination of water by specialists is also called the annular flow of the pool.
Hydrological and climatic indicators
The tides of the White Sea are directly affected by an increase in the water level in the Barents basin, which has a semi-daily character. The most noticeable is the influx at the mouth of the Salzha River and the Mezen Bay. There, the water level rises to 7 meters. The average tide in the White Sea varies from 0.6 to 3 m.
There are frequent storms in the pool. In the autumn period, the wave height can reach 6 meters. At different times of the year, east and south-west winds occur over the sea, but most often there are north winds with strong gusts. The value of overtaking phenomena in autumn reaches a value of 1 meter.
Most of the year the sea is covered with ice. Melting takes place from May to June, and only at the end of July and in August the temperature of the water allows you to quickly swim or calmly ride on a boat. Nevertheless, even in summer, floating ice up to 40 cm thick remains in the northern part of the water area.
Pool Resources
The White Sea is rich in fish products and algae. Recently, the production of amphibian mammals has been established. There are a lot of herring, navaga, whitefish, salmon, flounder, smelt and cod in the water area. Of the mammals, licensed hunting for seals, seals and beluga whales is permitted. In the northern part of the pool, locals shoot bows and gulls. From expensive algae, fucus and kelp can be distinguished. Bivalve mollusks also live here .
What attracts the White Sea from an industrial point of view? Resources are primarily represented by minerals such as sand, gravel, shell rock and pebbles. More recently, geologists have discovered valuable ferromanganese nodules at the bottom of the sea.