The Barents Sea is the marginal sea โโof โโthe Arctic Ocean. Its waters washed the coast of Norway and Russia. The Barents Sea is limited to the archipelagos of Novaya Zemlya, Svalbard and Franz Josef. It is located on the continental shelf. The North Atlantic Current does not allow the southwestern part of the sea to freeze in winter.
The water area is of great importance for fishing and shipping. Large ports are located on the Barents Sea: Russian Murmansk and Vardรธ (in Norway). Before World War II, Finland also had access to the waters. The only ice-free port of this country was Petsamo.
The environmental problems of the Barents Sea worry many scientists. The main pollution is associated with the activities of Norwegian plants that process radioactive waste.
It should be said that recently there has been a lot of controversy over the territorial affiliation of the sea shelf in the direction of Svalbard.
It is believed that the Barents Sea was discovered by Willem Barents, although they knew about it in antiquity. Cartographers and sailors in the old days called the sea differently. Most often it was called Murmansk. In 1853, it was renamed the Barents Sea.
It is located within the mainland shallows. However, unlike other similar seas, most of it has a depth of three hundred to four hundred meters. The average depth is 222 meters, the maximum is six hundred meters.
The surface water layer has a salinity of 34.7โ35% in the southwest, up to 33% in the north, and 34% in the east. In spring and summer, in coastal areas this indicator decreases to 32%, and by the end of the winter season it increases to 34-34.5%.
The southwestern part is characterized by relatively high temperature and salinity. This is due to the arrival of warm Atlantic waters. In February-March, the water surface temperature is from three to five degrees. By August, there is an increase to 7-9 degrees.
In the east and north of the Barents Sea, it is rather arctic. This is due to the harsh conditions in these areas. Only the southwestern part remains free of ice in all seasons. The ice cover reaches its greatest distribution by April. At this time, about 75% of the surface is covered with floating ice. In extremely unfavorable years, by the end of winter, they can reach the shores of the Kola Peninsula. At the end of August, the smallest number of ice is noted.
The Barents Sea is inhabited by a variety of fish, animal and plant plankton and benthos. Algae are common in the waters off the southern coast. There are one hundred and fourteen species of fish in the sea, twenty of them are of commercial importance.
Among the valuable species of fish, cod, perch, flounder, catfish, herring, and halibut should be mentioned. Among the mammals that inhabit the coastal territories, one should mention the harp seal, seal, polar bear, and beluga whale. Seabirds are also present in large numbers. Very common on the territory of seagulls, chistiki. In the 20th century, a crab was introduced into the area. He was able to adapt perfectly to the conditions and began intensive reproduction. The bottom of the entire water area is rich in a variety of echinoderms, starfish and hedgehogs.