Do you know where the Barents Sea is? It is located on the outskirts of the Arctic Ocean. Until 1853, it had a different name - the Murmansk Sea. It washes the shores of Norway and Russia. Speaking about where the Barents Sea is located, it should be noted that it is limited by the Novaya Zemlya archipelagos, Franz Josef Land and Svalbard, as well as the northern coast of Europe. Its area is 1424 thousand square meters. km Coordinates: 71 ° C. W., 41 ° in. In some places, the depth of the Barents Sea reaches 600 m.
The reservoir of interest to us is located on the continental shelf. In winter, its southwestern part does not freeze, since the North Atlantic Current impedes this. The Pechora Sea is called its southeastern part. The Barents Sea is very important for fishing and transport. There are large ports - Varde (Norway) and Murmansk. Finland also had access to this sea before the Second World War: its only ice-free port in winter was Petsamo.
Today, the places where the Barents Sea is located are heavily polluted. A serious problem is the radioactive waste falling into it. An important role is played by the activities of the nuclear fleet of our country, as well as the factories of Norway, engaged in the processing of radioactive waste in a reservoir such as the Barents Sea. The boundaries of its affiliation to individual states (the sea shelf) have recently been the subject of territorial disputes in Norway and Russia, as well as some other countries.
History of the study of the sea
We will now tell in more detail about the reservoir of interest to us. Let's start with the historical information about him. From ancient times, people knew where the Barents Sea is located, although its name was different before. Along its shores lived Sami (Lopari) - Finno-Ugric tribes. The first visits to Europeans (first the Vikings, and then the Novgorodians) date back to the end of the 11th century. Gradually they became more frequent. The map shown in the photo below was compiled in 1614.
In 1853, the Barents Sea received its modern name in honor of Willem Barents, the Dutch navigator. The beginning of his scientific study was laid by the expedition of 1821-24, led by F.P. Litke. And at the beginning of the 20th century, N. M. Knipovich compiled his first reliable and complete hydrological characterization.
Geographical position
We will tell you more about where the Barents Sea is located on the map. It is located on the border of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic. It is the outskirts of the first. The Barents Sea on the map is located between the islands of Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya and Vaigach in the east, in the south it is limited by the northern coast of Europe, and in the west - by the Bear Island and Svalbard. The reservoir of interest to us borders on the Norwegian Sea in the west, with the Kara Sea in the east, with the White Sea in the south, and in the north it is bounded by the Arctic Ocean. The Pechora Sea is called its area, located east of about. Kolguyev.
Coastline
Basically, the shores of the Barents Sea are fjord. They are rocky, tall and very rugged. The largest bays of the Barents Sea: Varyazhsky (also known as the Varanger Fjord), Porsanger Fjord, Kola Bay, Motovsky Bay and others. The coastal relief east of the Kanin Nos Peninsula changes dramatically. Its shores become low and mostly weakly indented. There are 3 large shallow bays here: Khaipudyrskaya, Pechora and Czech Bay. In addition, there are several small bays.
Islands, archipelagos, rivers
The islands of the Barents Sea are not numerous. The largest of them is Kolguyev. The sea is bounded from the east, north and west by the archipelagos of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Svalbard. The largest rivers that flow into it are the Indiga and Pechora.
Currents
The cycle formed by surface currents is carried out counterclockwise. The Atlantic waters of the North Cape are moving north and east along the eastern and southern periphery. It is warm because it is one of the branches of the Gulf Stream system. Its influence can be traced back to Novaya Zemlya, its northern shores. The western and northern parts of the cycle are formed by arctic and local waters, which come from the Arctic Ocean and the Kara Sea. In the central part of the Barents Sea, there is a system of intra-circular currents. Under the influence of changes in wind directions, as well as water exchange with nearby water bodies, the circulation of water changes. Tidal currents are of great importance. It is especially great off the coast. The tides of the Barents Sea are semidiurnal. Their largest value is 6.1 m and is observed off the coast of the Kola Peninsula. As for the remaining places, the magnitude of the tides in them is from 0.6 m to 4.7 m.
Water exchange
Of great importance in maintaining the water balance of this sea is water exchange, which is carried out with neighboring seas. Through the straits, about 76 thousand cubic meters enter the reservoir during the year. km of water (the same amount leaves it). This represents about a quarter of the total volume of water. The largest amount (approximately 59 thousand cubic km per year) is brought by the Nordkapp current. It is warm and strongly affects the hydrometeorological indicators of the Barents Sea. About 200 cu km per year is the total river flow.
Salinity
During the year, on the high seas, salinity of the surface layer ranges from 34.7 to 35% in the south-west, from 33 to 34% in the east and from 32 to 33% in the north. In summer and spring in the coastal strip it drops to 30-32%. And towards the end of winter, salinity increases to 34-34.5%.
Geological data
The sea of interest to us is located on the Barents Sea plate. Her age is defined as Proterozoic-Early Cambrian. Syneclise - depression of the bottom, anteclise - its elevation. As for smaller relief forms, at a depth of about 70 and 200 meters are the remains of ancient coastlines. In addition, there are glacial-accumulative and glacial-denudation forms, as well as sand ridges formed by large tidal currents.
Bottom of the Barents Sea
This sea lies within the boundaries of the mainland. However, unlike similar reservoirs, in a rather large part the depth of the Barents Sea is about 300-400 meters. The maximum is 600 meters, and the average is 229. As for the bottom topography, there are elevations (Perseus with a minimum depth of about 63 meters and Central), plains (Central plateau), gutters (Western, the greatest depth of which is 600 meters, and Franz Victoria (about 430 meters), etc.), depressions (maximum depth of the Central Depression is 386 meters). If we talk about the southern part of the bottom, its depth rarely exceeds 200 meters. It has a fairly flat relief.
Soil composition
In the southern part of the sea of interest to us, sand prevails in the cover of bottom sediments. Crushed stone and pebble are sometimes found. On the hills of the northern and central parts - sandy silt, silty sand, and in depressions is silt. Everywhere there is a coarse admixture. This is due to the distribution of ice, as well as to the large distribution of glacial relict deposits. In the middle and northern parts, the thickness of the precipitation is less than 0.5 m. Because of this, ancient glacial deposits on separate hills are located almost on the surface. Precipitation occurs at a slow pace (less than 30 mm per thousand years). This is due to the fact that terrigenous material comes in small quantities. The fact is that due to the peculiarities of the coastal relief, large rivers do not flow into the Barents Sea, with the exception of Pechora, which leaves almost all of the alluvium in the Pechora estuary. In addition, the land coast consists mainly of crystalline rocks, quite strong.
Climate
Now let's talk about the climate of such a reservoir as the Barents Sea. The Atlantic Ocean (warm) and the Arctic (cold) have an impact on its formation. The fact that weather conditions are highly variable is explained by the frequent invasion of arctic cold air and Atlantic warm cyclones. Over the sea in winter mainly south-westerly winds blow, and in summer and spring - north-east winds. Storms come here often. In February, the air temperature averages from -25 ° C (in the northern regions) to -4 ° C in the southwest. Over the sea during the year cloudy weather prevails. The amount of precipitation per year in the northern regions is 250 mm, and in the south-western regions - up to 500 mm.
Iciness
In the east and north of the Barents Sea, climatic conditions are quite severe. This determines its significant ice cover. Only the southwestern part of the sea of interest to us remains year-round without ice. Its cover reaches its greatest distribution in April. About 75% of the entire surface of the Barents Sea is occupied by floating ice this month. At the end of winter, in especially unfavorable years, floating ice reaches the shores of the Kola Peninsula. The smallest number is noted at the end of August. The ice border these days moves beyond 78 ° north latitude. In the northeast and northwest of the sea, ice is usually stored throughout the year. Nevertheless, sometimes the sea is completely freed from them.
Barents Sea Temperature
The relatively high salinity and temperature in the southwestern part of this reservoir are determined by the arrival of Atlantic warm waters. From February to March in these areas, the water temperature on the surface ranges from 3 ° C to 5 ° C. It can reach in August up to 7-9 ° C. In the winter months in the southeastern part, and also north of 74 ° north latitude, the temperature of the Barents Sea on the surface drops below -1 ° C. In the southeast, in summer it is 4-7 ° C, and in the north - about 4 ° C. In the coastal zone in the summer months, the surface layer of water can warm up at a depth of 5 to 8 meters to 11-12 ° C.
Fauna and flora
The Barents Sea is home to many species of fish (there are 114 species). There is a rich animal and plant plankton and benthos. Seaweeds are common off the southern coast. The most important fish species in terms of fishing are herring, haddock, cod, catfish, sea bass, halibut, flounder, and others. Of the mammals, seals, polar bears, white whales, harp seals, and others are represented here. Currently, seals are fished. On the coast there are many bird markets (seagulls, warriors, chistiki, guillemots). In the 20th century, the Kamchatka crab was brought to these territories . He managed to adapt and begin to multiply actively. A lot of sea urchins, various echinoderms, different types of starfish are common along the bottom of the water body of the reservoir of interest to us.
Economic value, industry and shipping
It is very important both for the Russian Federation, and for Norway and a number of other countries of the Barents Sea. Russia is actively using its resources. It is rich in a variety of fish species, animal and plant plankton, as well as benthos. Due to this, fishing is actively conducted in the Barents Sea . Russia also produces hydrocarbons on the shelf of the Arctic. A unique project of our country is Prirazlomnoe. For the first time, hydrocarbon production in the area is carried out from a stationary platform. The platform (MLSP "Prirazlomnaya") allows you to carry out all the necessary technological operations right on the spot. This greatly simplifies the mining process.
The sea route connecting the European part of our country with the ports of eastern (from the 19th century) and western countries (from the 16th century), as well as Siberia (from the 15th century) is also very important. The largest and main port of Russia is Murmansk (pictured below).
Among others, the following stand out: Indiga, Teriberka, Naryan-Mar. Norwegian ports - Kirkenes, Vads and Varde. In the Barents Sea, there is not only the merchant fleet of our country, but also the naval, including nuclear submarines.