Bathymetry and freezing of the Barents Sea

Bathymetry and freezing of the Barents Sea

Does the Barents Sea freeze, what affects the formation of ice and where it is found in the sea.

Ice cover of the Barents Sea

Does the Barents Sea freeze?
The Barents Sea never freezes completely. Every year, about 1/4 of its surface is not covered with ice all year round. This is explained by the influx of warm Atlantic waters into its southwestern part, which do not allow the water to cool to freezing temperatures and serve as a kind of barrier to ice advancing from the north. Due to weak currents from the Kara Sea to the Barents Sea, the flow of ice from there is insignificant. Thus, ice of local origin is observed in the Barents Sea. In the central part and southeast of the sea, this is first-year ice that forms in autumn and winter, and melts in spring and summer.

Only in the far north and northeast, where the spurs of the ocean ice massif descend, are old ice, including the Arctic pack, found.

1 - maximum in February (a) and August (b); 2 - average in February (a) and August (b); 3—minimum in February (a) and August (b); 4—fast ice; 5 - polynyas; 6—border of ice massif spurs; 7 - predominant drift direction

Ice formation in the Barents Sea begins in the north in September, in the central regions in October and in the southeast in November. The Barents Sea is dominated by floating ice, among which there are icebergs. They are usually found near Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen, since 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 Murmansk coast. Icebergs usually 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 Murmansk coast it is found only in the lips. In the southeastern part of the sea and off the western shores of Novaya Zemlya, french polynyas persist throughout the winter. The greatest extent of ice in the Barents Sea is observed in April. This month they cover up to 75% of its area. The thickness of flat sea ice of local origin in most areas does not exceed 0.7-1.0 m. The thickest ice (up to 150 cm) is found in the northeast, in the area of Cape Zhelaniya.

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 eastern shores of Spitsbergen. Ice cover in the Barents Sea varies from year to year, which is associated with different intensities of the North Cape Current, the nature of large-scale atmospheric circulation, and general warming or cooling of the Arctic as a whole.