What are they in the Barents Sea? Seas of Russia - Barents Sea

Located on the westernmost part of all Arctic seas. The Barents Sea is located on the North European shelf. The northern and western boundaries of the sea have a conventional line. The western border runs along Cape Yuzhny, Cape Bear, and 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 delimiting 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 occupies one of the first places among its size. 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. In the waters of the Barents Sea there are a large number of islands (Novaya Zemlya Island, Medvezhy Island and others). Small islands are mainly grouped into archipelagos, which are located next to the mainland or large islands. The sea is quite uneven, complicated by various capes, bays and bays. The shores washed by the Barents Sea have different origins and structures. The Scandinavian coastline and mostly abruptly ends towards 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 flow into the sea.

Fishing is widely developed in the Barents Sea. Cod, haddock, sea bass, and herring are obtained from the waters of this sea. There is a power plant near Murmansk that generates energy using. Also in Murmansk is the only ice-free port in 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 very polluted compared to other Arctic seas. But the area where ships actively move is covered with film. The waters of the bays (Kola, Teribersky, Motovsky) are subject to the greatest pollution, mainly from oil products. About 150 million m3 of polluted water enters the Barents Sea. Toxic substances constantly accumulate in the sea soil and can cause secondary pollution.

The Barents 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 is of great importance for transport and fishing - large ports are located here - Murmansk and Vardø (Norway). Before World War II, Finland also had access to the Barents Sea: Petsamo was its only ice-free port. Radioactive pollution of the sea due to the activities of the Soviet/Russian nuclear fleet and Norwegian radioactive waste treatment plants is a serious problem. Recently, the sea shelf of the Barents Sea towards Spitsbergen has become the object of territorial disputes between the Russian Federation and Norway (as well as other states).

The Barents Sea is rich in various species of 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.

Since ancient times, Finno-Ugric tribes - the Sami (Lapps) - have lived along the shores of the Berents Sea. The first visits of non-autochonous Europeans (Vikings, then Novgorodians) probably began at the end of the 11th century, and then intensified. The Barents Sea was named in 1853 in honor of the Dutch navigator Willem Barents. The scientific study of the sea began with the expedition of F. P. Litke of 1821-1824, and the first complete and reliable hydrological characteristics of the sea were compiled by N. M. Knipovich at the beginning of the 20th century.

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.

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.

The shores of the Barents Sea are predominantly fjord, high, rocky, and heavily indented. 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.

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

Surface sea currents 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 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. The largest amount of 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.

The salinity of the surface layer of water in the open sea throughout the year is 34.7-35.0 ppm 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.

The Barents Sea occupies the Barents Sea plate of Proterozoic-Early Cambrian age; elevations of the bottom of the anteclise, depressions - syneclise. Among the smaller landforms are the remains of ancient coastlines, at a depth of about 200 and 70 m, glacial-denudation and glacial-accumulative forms and sand ridges formed by strong tidal currents.

The Barents Sea is located within the continental shallows, but, unlike other similar seas, most of it has a depth of 300-400 m, the average depth is 229 m and the maximum is 600 m. There are plains (Central Plateau), hills (Central, Perseus (minimum depth 63 m)], depressions (Central, maximum depth 386 m) and trenches (Western (maximum depth 600 m) Franz Victoria (430 m) and others). The southern part of the bottom has a depth of mostly less than 200 m and is characterized by a leveled relief.

The bottom sediment cover in the southern part of the Barents Sea is dominated by sand, and in some places by pebbles and crushed stone. At the heights 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 sediments in the northern and middle parts is less than 0.5 m, as a result of which ancient glacial deposits are practically on the surface at some elevations. The slow rate of sedimentation (less than 30 mm per 1 thousand years) is explained by the insignificant supply of terrigenous material - due to the characteristics of the coastal topography, not a single large river flows into the Barents Sea (except for the Pechora, which leaves almost all of its alluvium within the Pechora Estuary), and The shores of the land are composed mainly of durable crystalline rocks.

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.

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 completely free of ice.

The influx of warm Atlantic waters determines the 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 of warm water 5-8 meters thick can warm up to 11-12 °C.

The sea is rich in various species of fish, plant and animal plankton and benthos, therefore the Barents Sea is of great economic importance as an area of ​​intensive fishing. In addition, the 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) is very important. The main and largest port is the ice-free port of Murmansk - the capital of the Murmansk region. Other ports in the Russian Federation are Teriberka, Indiga, Naryan-Mar (Russia); Vardø, Vadsø and Kirkenes (Norway).

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

The Barents Sea is considered a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. Its waters wash the shores of countries such as Russia and Norway. The area of ​​the reservoir is 1.42 million square meters. km. The volume is 282 thousand cubic meters. km. The average depth is 230 meters, and the maximum depth reaches 600 meters. In the west, the reservoir is limited by the Norwegian Sea, and in the northwest by the Spitsbergen archipelago. In the northeast, the border runs along Franz Josef Land and the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the east. This archipelago separates the body of water in question from the Kara Sea.

Historical reference

In former times, this body of water was called the Murmansk Sea. It was designated with this name on maps of the 16th century, in particular on Gerard Mercator’s map of the Arctic, which was published in 1595. The southeastern part of the sea in the area of ​​the Pechora River was known as the Pechora Sea.

The reservoir received its modern name in 1853 in honor of the Dutch navigator Willem Barents (1550-1597). This outstanding navigator made 3 sea expeditions, searching for the northern sea route to the East Indies. During the 3rd expedition he died near Novaya Zemlya.

Mapping of the seabed was completed by Russian geologist Maria Klenova in 1933. During the Second World War, active military operations were carried out in the Barents Sea. Ships from Great Britain to the USSR passed through this body of water. They carried food, weapons, equipment, fulfilling their allied duty. Nazi troops tried to prevent the delivery of goods, which caused military conflicts.

During the Cold War, the Red Banner Northern Fleet of the USSR was based at sea. It was armed with ballistic missile submarines. Today, there is a high concentration of radioactive contamination in the reservoir, which causes environmental concern in both Russia and other countries.

Hydrology

There are 3 types of water masses in the reservoir. This is a warm and salty North Atlantic Current with water temperatures above 3° Celsius and salinity above 35 ppm. Cold Arctic waters come from the north with water temperatures below 0° Celsius and salinity less than 35 ppm. There are also coastal warm and not very salty waters. Their temperature is above 3° Celsius, and their salinity is less than 34.7 ppm. The so-called polar front is formed between the Atlantic and Arctic currents.

Taking into account all these factors, the Barents Sea is completely ice-free only in September. The rest of the time there is no ice only in the southwestern part of the reservoir. The maximum ice cover is recorded in April, when more than 70% of the sea surface is covered with floating ice. In the northwestern and northeastern regions, ice is present all year round.

The surface water temperature in the southwestern regions in the winter months is 3-5° Celsius. In summer it rises to 7-9° Celsius. In other latitudes, in summer the water temperature reaches 4° Celsius, in winter it drops to -1° Celsius. Coastal waters in summer warm up to 10-12° Celsius. The largest rivers flowing into the Barents Sea are the Pechora and Indiga.

Climate

The climate is formed as a result of the North Atlantic Current and cold Arctic waters. Therefore, warm Atlantic cyclones alternate with cold Arctic air. In winter, mainly south-west winds blow over the sea surface, and in summer north-east winds dominate. Variable weather conditions cause frequent storms.

The air temperature in winter in the southwestern part of the reservoir is -4° Celsius, and in the north it drops to -25° Celsius. In summer, the air temperature in the southwest rises to 10° Celsius, and in the north to 1° Celsius. The average annual precipitation is 400 mm.

Barents Sea on the map

Coastline and islands

In the southwestern part the shores are high and rocky. They are heavily indented and form a whole system of fjords. From Cape Kanin Nos to the east, the coastline changes dramatically, as the shores become low and slightly indented. There are 3 large bays here. These are the Czech Bay with a length of 110 km and a width of 130 km, Pechora Bay with a length of 100 km and a width from 40 to 120 km. The last one in the east is Khaypudyr Bay with a length of 46 km and a width of 15 km.

There are few islands in the Barents Sea. The largest of them is Kolguev Island, separated from the mainland by the Pomeranian Strait. Its area is 3.5 thousand square meters. km. The island is low and its topography is only slightly hilly. The maximum height is 80 meters above sea level. Belongs to the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Russia). About 450 people live on the island.

Spitsbergen Archipelago belongs to Norway. On the island of Western Spitsbergen there are settlements that belong to Russia. In total there are 3 large islands, 7 small ones and groups of small islands and skerries. The total area of ​​the archipelago is 621 square meters. km. The administrative center is the city of Longyearbyen with a population of just over 2 thousand people.

Franz Josef Land belongs to Russia and is part of the Arkhangelsk region. It has 192 islands with a total area of ​​16.13 thousand square meters. km. There is no permanent population on this archipelago.

Archipelago Novaya Zemlya belongs to the Arkhangelsk region of Russia. It consists of 2 large islands, North and South, separated by the Matochkin Shar Strait. Its width is 3 km. In addition, there are small islands. The largest of them is Mezhdusharsky Island. The total area of ​​the archipelago is 83 thousand square meters. km, and the length is 925 km. Novaya Zemlya is separated from Vaygach Island by the Kara Gate Strait. And the island is separated from the Yugorsky Peninsula by the Yugorsky Shar Strait.

Seaport in Murmansk

The Barents Sea is an area with intensive fishing. Along it there are sea routes connecting Russia with Europe and Siberia. The main and largest port is the city of Murmansk. It doesn't freeze all year round. Other ports include Indiga and Naryan-Mar, which belong to Russia, and Kirkenes, Vardø and Vadso, which belong to Norway.

Political status

For decades there has been a dispute between Norway and Russia over the position of the borders in the Barents Sea. The Norwegians advocated the median line defined by the 1958 Geneva Convention. The USSR advocated the line that was determined by the decision of the Soviet government in 1926.

This led to the emergence of a neutral zone with an area of ​​175 thousand square meters. km, which accounted for 12% of the total area of ​​the reservoir. In 1974, negotiations were resumed to revise the position of the border. In 2010, Russia and Norway signed an agreement that provided for equal border distances. The agreement was ratified and entered into force on July 7, 2011. This contributed to the fact that the previously closed neutral zone became available for hydrocarbon exploration.

The Barents Sea is located in the westernmost part of the Eurasian shelf. The area of ​​the Barents Sea is 1,300,000 km2. According to the International Hydrographic Bureau, the Barents Sea is separated from the Arctic basin by the Spitsbergen archipelago, the Bely and Victoria islands and the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

In the east, its border with the Kara Sea runs from Graham Bell Island to Cape Zhelaniya and along the straits of Matochkin Shar (Novaya Zemlya Island), Kara Gates (between the islands of Novaya Zemlya and Vaigach) and Yugorsky Shar (between Vaigach Island and the mainland).
In the south, the Barents Sea is limited by the coast of Norway, the Kola Peninsula and the Kanin Peninsula. To the east is the Czech Bay. To the west of the Kanin Peninsula is the Gorlo Strait of the White Sea.

In the southeast, the Barents Sea is limited by the Pechora Lowland and the northern end of the Pai-Khoi ridge (a branch of the Ural ridge in the north). In the west, the Barents Sea opens wide into the Norwegian Sea and therefore into the Atlantic Ocean.

Temperature and salinity of the Barents Sea

The temperature of Atlantic waters is 4-12 ° C, salinity is approximately 35 ppm. When moving north and east, Atlantic waters cool and mix with local waters. The salinity of the surface layer drops to 32-33 ppm, and the temperature at the bottom to -1.9 ° C. Small flows of Atlantic waters through deep straits between the islands enter the Barents Sea from the Arctic basin at a depth of 150-200 m. Cold surface waters from the Arctic The basin is brought by polar waters. The waters of the Barents Sea are carried out by a cold current running south from Bear Island.

Ice conditions in the Barents Sea

In summer, floating ice usually melts and only in the coldest years remains in the middle and northern parts of the sea and near Novaya Zemlya.

Chemical composition of the waters of the Barents Sea

Due to the low temperature, the deep layers are enriched with carbon dioxide. In the Barents Sea, at the junction of cold Arctic and warm Atlantic waters, there is the so-called “polar front”. It is characterized by the rise of deep waters with a high content of nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, etc.), which determines the abundance of phytoplankton and organic life in general.

Tides in the Barents Sea

Climate of the Barents Sea

Bottom topography and geological structure

The flat island of Kolguev, located northeast of the Kanin Peninsula, consists of horizontally occurring Quaternary sediments. in the west, in the region of Cape Mordkap, Proterozoic sediments are cut off by the Caledonian structures of Norway. They extend northeast along the western edge of the Fenno-Scandinavian shield. The Caledonides of the same submeridional strike form the western part of Spitsbergen. The Medvezhinsko-Spitsbergen shallow waters, the Central Upland, as well as the Novaya Zemlya fold system and adjacent banks can be traced in the same direction.

Novaya Zemlya is composed of folds of Paleozoic rocks: phyllites, shales, limestones, sandstones. Manifestations of Caledonian movements are found along the western coast, and it can be assumed that here Caledonian structures are partially buried by young sediments and hidden under the seabed. The Vaigach-Novaya Zemlya fold system of Hercynian age is S-shaped and probably bends around massifs of ancient rocks or crystalline basement. The Central Basin, the Northeast Basin, the Franz Victoria Trench to the west of Franz Josef Land and the St. Anna Trench (the Gulf of the Arctic Basin) to the east of it have the same submeridional strike with an S-shaped bend. The same direction is inherent in the deep straits of Franz Josef Land and the underwater valleys located in their extension to the north into the Arctic basin and south to the north of the Barents Sea plateau.

The islands in the northern part of the Barents Sea are platform in nature and are composed predominantly of sedimentary rocks that lie slightly inclined or almost horizontally. On Bear Island it is the Upper Paleozoic and Triassic, on Franz Josef Land it is Jurassic and Cretaceous, in the eastern part of Western Spitsbergen it is Mesozoic and Tertiary. The rocks are clastic, sometimes weakly carbonate; in the late Mesozoic they were intruded by basalts.

Do you know where the Barents Sea is? It is located on the edge 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 archipelagos of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen, as well as the northern coast of Europe. Its area is 1424 thousand square meters. km. Coordinates: 71° N. latitude, 41° east. d. In some places, the depth of the Barents Sea reaches 600 m.

The reservoir we are interested in is located on the In winter, its southwestern part does not freeze, as the North Atlantic Current prevents this. Its southeastern part is called the Pechora Sea. The Barents Sea is very important for fishing and transport. There are major ports here - Varde (Norway) and Murmansk. Before World War II, Finland also had access to this sea: its only port that did not freeze in winter was Petsamo.

Today, the places where the Barents Sea is located are highly polluted. A serious problem is the radioactive waste entering it. A large role in this is played by the activities of our country’s nuclear fleet, as well as Norwegian plants involved in the processing of radioactive waste in a body of water such as the Barents Sea. The boundaries of its belonging to individual states (sea shelf) have recently been the subject of territorial disputes between Norway and Russia, as well as some other countries.

History of sea exploration

Let us now tell you in more detail about the body of water that interests us. Let's start with historical information about him. Since ancient times, people knew where the Barents Sea was, although its name used to be different. The Sami (Lapps) - Finno-Ugric tribes - lived along its shores. The first visits by Europeans (first the Vikings, and then the Novgorodians) date back to the end of the 11th century. Gradually they became more and more frequent. The map shown in the photo below was drawn in 1614.

In 1853, the Barents Sea received its modern name in honor of the Dutch navigator. Its scientific study began with the expedition of 1821-24, led by F. P. Litke. And at the beginning of the 20th century, N.M. Knipovich compiled the first reliable and complete hydrological characteristics of it.

Geographical position

Let's tell you in more detail about where the Barents Sea is located on the map. It is located on the border of the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic. It is the outlying water area of ​​the first. The Barents Sea on the map is located between the islands of Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya and Vaygach in the east, in the south it is limited by the northern coast of Europe, and in the west - Bear Island and Spitsbergen. The body of water we are interested in is bordered in the west by the Norwegian Sea, in the east by the Kara Sea, in the south by the White Sea, and in the north it is limited by the Arctic Ocean. The Pechora Sea is the name of its area located east of the island. Kolguev.

Coastline

Mostly the shores of the Barents Sea are fjords. They are rocky, high and heavily rugged. The largest bays of the Barents (also known as the Kola Bay, Motovsky Bay, etc. The coastal topography east of Nos changes sharply. Its shores become low and mostly slightly indented. There are 3 large shallow bays here: Khaypudyrskaya, Pechora and Cheshskaya Bay. In addition , there are several small bays.

Islands, archipelagos, rivers

The islands of the Barents Sea are few in number. The largest of them is Kolguev. The sea is limited on the east, north and west by the archipelagos of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen. The largest rivers that flow into it are Indiga and Pechora.

Currents

The circulation formed by surface currents occurs counterclockwise. The Atlantic waters of the North Cape Current move 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 all the way to Novaya Zemlya and its northern shores. The western and northern parts of the gyre are formed by Arctic and local waters that come from the Arctic Ocean and the Kara Sea. In the central part of the Barents Sea there is a system of intracircular currents. Under the influence of changes in wind directions, as well as water exchange with nearby reservoirs, water circulation changes. Tidal currents are of great importance. It is especially large near 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 other places, the tides in them range from 0.6 m to 4.7 m.

Water exchange

Water exchange that occurs with neighboring seas is important in maintaining the water balance of this sea. About 76 thousand cubic meters enter the reservoir through the straits throughout the year. km of water (the same amount comes out of it). This represents about a quarter of the total water volume. The largest amount of it (approximately 59 thousand cubic km per year) is brought by the North Cape Current. It is warm and greatly influences the hydrometeorological indicators of the Barents Sea. About 200 cu.m. km per year is the total river flow.

Salinity

During the year in the open sea, surface salinity ranges from 34.7 to 35% in the southwest, from 33 to 34% in the east and from 32 to 33% in the north. In summer and spring in the coastal zone it drops to 30-32%. And towards the end of winter, salinity increases to 34-34.5%.

Geological data

The sea we are interested in is located on the Barents Sea Plate. Its age is determined as Proterozoic-Early Cambrian. Syneclises are depressions of the bottom, anteclises are its elevations. As for the shallower landforms, at depths of about 70 and 200 meters there are remnants 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 is located within the boundaries of the continental shallows. However, unlike similar reservoirs, in a fairly 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 hills (Persea with a minimum depth of about 63 meters and Central), plains (Central Plateau), trenches (Western, the greatest depth of which is 600 meters, and Franz Victoria (about 430 meters), etc.), depressions (the 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 leveled relief.

Soil composition

In the southern part of the sea of ​​interest to us, the cover of bottom sediments is dominated by sand. Sometimes there is crushed stone and pebbles. On the elevations of the northern and central parts there is sandy silt, silty sand, and in depressions there is silt. There is coarse clastic admixture everywhere. This is due to the spread of ice, as well as the large distribution of glacial relict deposits. In the middle and northern parts, the thickness of sediments is less than 0.5 m. Because of this, ancient glacial deposits on some hills are located almost on the surface. Sedimentation occurs at a slow rate (less than 30 mm per thousand years). This is explained by the fact that terrigenous material is supplied in small quantities. The fact is that due to the peculiarities of the coastal topography, no large rivers flow into the Barents Sea, with the exception of the Pechora, which leaves almost all alluvium in the Pechora estuary. In addition, the shores of the land consist mainly of crystalline rocks, which are quite durable.

Climate

Let's now talk about the climate of such a body of water as the Barents Sea. The Atlantic (warm) and Arctic (cold) oceans influence its formation. The fact that weather conditions are very variable is explained by the frequent invasion of Arctic cold air and Atlantic warm cyclones. Over the sea, mainly south-west winds blow in winter, and north-east winds blow in summer and spring. Storms happen here often. In February, the air temperature averages from -25 °C (in the northern regions) to -4 °C in the southwestern regions. Cloudy weather prevails over the sea throughout the year. The amount of precipitation per year in the northern regions is 250 mm, and in the southwestern regions - up to 500 mm.

Ice cover

In the east and north of the Barents Sea, climatic conditions are quite harsh. This determines its significant ice coverage. Only the southwestern part of the sea of ​​interest to us remains ice-free all year round. Its cover reaches its greatest extent in April. This month, approximately 75% of the entire surface of the Barents Sea is occupied by floating ice. At the end of winter, in particularly unfavorable years, floating ice reaches the shores of the Kola Peninsula. Their smallest number is observed at the end of August. The ice boundary these days moves beyond 78° north latitude. In the northeast and northwest of the sea, ice usually remains throughout the year. Nevertheless, sometimes the sea is completely free of them.

Barents Sea temperature

The relatively high salinity and temperature in the southwestern part of this reservoir determines the flow of Atlantic warm waters here. From February to March, surface water temperatures in these areas range from 3°C to 5°C. It can reach up to 7-9 °C in August. During the winter months in the southeastern part, as well as north of 74°N latitude, the surface temperature of the Barents Sea drops below -1°C. In the southeast in summer it is 4-7 °C, and in the north it is 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 rich animal and plant plankton and benthos. Seaweed is common along the southern coast. The most important commercial fish species are herring, haddock, cod, catfish, sea bass, halibut, flounder, etc. Mammals here include seal, polar bear, beluga whale, etc. Currently, the fishery is for seal. On the coasts there are many bird colonies (swimming gulls, guillemots, guillemots). In the 20th century, they were brought to these territories. They managed to adapt and begin to actively reproduce. Many sea urchins, various echinoderms, different species of starfish are distributed along the bottom of the water area of ​​the reservoir of interest to us.

Economic importance, industry and shipping

The Barents Sea is very important both for the Russian Federation and for Norway and a number of other countries. Russia is actively using its resources. It is rich in various species of fish, animal and plant plankton, as well as benthos. Thanks to this, Russia is actively extracting hydrocarbons on the Arctic shelf in the Barents Sea. Prirazlomnoye is a unique project in our country. For the first time, hydrocarbon production is being carried out from a stationary platform in this area. The platform (OIRFP Prirazlomnaya) allows all necessary technological operations to be carried out directly on site. This greatly simplifies the mining process.

The sea route connecting the European part of our country with the ports of eastern (since the 19th century) and western countries (since the 16th century), as well as Siberia (since the 15th century) is also very important. The largest and main port in Russia is Murmansk (pictured below).

Among others, the following stand out: Indiga, Teriberka, Naryan-Mar. Norwegian ports are Kirkenes, Vadso and Varde. In the Barents Sea there is not only the merchant fleet of our country, but also the naval fleet, including nuclear submarines.