Where is the Barents Sea. Where is the Barents Sea located? Coordinates, description, depth and resources

It washes the northern coasts of Russia and Norway and is located on the northern continental shelf. The average depth is 220 meters. It is the most westerly relative to the rest of the seas of the Arctic. In addition, the Barents Sea is separated from the White Sea by a narrow strait. The boundaries of the sea pass along the northern coasts of Europe, the archipelagos of Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. In winter, almost the entire sea freezes, with the exception of its southwestern part due to the North Atlantic Current. The sea is a strategic object for navigation and fishing.

The largest and economically important seaports are Murmansk and Norwegian - Vardø. Now a serious problem is the pollution of the sea with radioactive substances that come here from Norwegian factories.

Importance of the sea for the economy of Russia and Norway

The seas have always been the most valuable natural objects for the development of the economy, trade, and defense of any country. The Barents Sea is no exception, which is of great strategic importance for coastal states. Naturally, the waters of this northern sea provide an excellent platform for the development of maritime trade routes, as well as for military vessels. The Barents Sea is a real treasure for Russia and Norway, as it is home to hundreds of species of fish. That is why the fishing industry is very developed in the region. If you do not know, then read about it on our website.

The most valuable and expensive species of fish caught from this sea are: sea bass, cod, haddock and herring. Another important facility is a modern power plant in Murmansk, which generates electricity using the tidal power of the Barents Sea.

The only ice-free polar port in Russia is the port of Murmansk. Through the waters of this sea pass important sea routes for many countries, followed by merchant ships. Interesting northern animals live near the Barents Sea, for example: polar white bear, seals, seals, beluga whales. The Kamchatka crab was artificially imported, which took root well here.

Holidays on the Barents Sea

It is interesting, but lately it has become fashionable to prefer an extraordinary vacation in exotic places, which at first glance seem completely unsuitable for a long-awaited vacation. Travel lovers began to wonder where else, besides tourist-filled places, you can go and at the same time get a lot of pleasure and impressions. You may be a little surprised, but one of these places is the Barents Sea.

Of course, in order to bask in the sun and sunbathe on the beach, a trip to this northern sea, for obvious reasons, is not justified.

But there are other interesting things to do in this region. For example, diving is very popular. The water temperature, especially in July-August, is quite acceptable for diving in a wetsuit. The waters here are home to an amazing variety of marine life. If you have never seen live kelp, holothurians and huge king crabs (they look pretty awesome), then be sure to go to this place. You will discover many new sensations and get vivid impressions. Yachting is another favorite activity of tourists coming to these parts. You can rent a yacht right on the coast. Take care of your clothes, they should be warm and waterproof. There are various yachting routes in the Barents Sea, but the direction to the Seven Islands is especially popular. There you will see large colonies of northern birds that build their nests on the shores of the islands. By the way, they are accustomed to people and are not afraid of them. In winter, drifting blocks of ice can be seen in the distance.

Cities on the Barents Sea

Several large cities are located along the coastline of the Barents Sea: Russian Murmansk and Norwegian Kirkenes and Svalbard. A lot of sights are collected in Murmansk. For many, a trip to the oceanarium will be a very interesting and memorable event, where you can see many types of fish and other unusual inhabitants of the seas. Be sure to visit the main square of Murmansk - the Five Corners Square, as well as the monument to the defenders of the Soviet Arctic. We recommend going to the picturesque Semyonovskoye Lake.

In Norwegian Kirkenes, very informative and exciting excursions are held at the World War II Museum. Nearby is a beautiful monument dedicated to the soldiers of the Red Army. From natural sites, visit the impressive Andersgrot Cave.

Svalbard will surprise you with magnificent nature reserves and national parks, where you can see amazing natural beauty, as well as the highest point of the archipelago - Mount Newton (1712 meters high).

The Barents Sea - washes the northern coast of the Scandinavian and Kola Peninsulas, Norway and Russia. It is a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean.

From the north it is bounded by the archipelagos and Franz Josef Land, from the east by the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

The area of ​​the Barents Sea is 1424 thousand sq. km. Volume - 282 thousand cubic meters. km. Depth: average - 220 m. maximum - 600 m. Borders: in the west with the Norwegian Sea, in the south with the White Sea, in the east with.

Silver Baren...

Oil from the bottom...

Diving in Bar...

The northern seas have long attracted Russian people with their riches. The abundance of fish, marine animals and birds, despite the icy water, long and cold winter, made this region quite suitable for a well-fed living. And when a person is full, then he does not care about the cold.

In ancient times, the Barents Sea was called the Arctic, then Siver or Northern, sometimes it was called Pechora, Russian, Moscow, but more often Murmansk, after the ancient name of the Pomeranian (Murmansk) edge of the earth. It is believed that the first Russian boats sailed in the waters of the Barents Sea as early as the 11th century. Around the same time, Viking boats also began to swim here. And then trading settlements began to appear in the north of Rus', and fishing began to develop.

Before Russia acquired a full-fledged fleet capable of overcoming the expanses of the northern seas, Arkhangelsk was the northernmost Russian city. Founded by decree of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1583-1584 near the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery, the small town became the main Russian port where foreign ships began to call. An English colony even settled there.

This city, located at the mouth of the Northern Dvina, which flows into Peter I, took a good look at it, and over time it became the Northern Gates of Rus'. It was Arkhangelsk that had the honor to play a leading role in the creation of the Russian merchant and navy. In 1693, Peter founded the Admiralty in the city, and on the island of Solombala laid the foundation of a shipyard.

Already in 1694, the St. Pavel ship, the first merchant ship of the Russian Northern Fleet, launched from this shipyard. "Saint Pavel" had 24 guns on board, which Peter personally cast at the factory in Olonets. To rig the first ship, Peter himself machined the rigging blocks. The launching of the "St. Paul" was carried out under the direct supervision of Peter. "St. Paul" was issued a "travel charter" for the right to trade abroad. The ship "Saint Paul" was the first of six three-deck merchant ships launched from the sovereign's shipyard from 1694 to 1701. Since then, Arkhangelsk has become the center of all foreign trade activities of the Russian state. It was from here that the Russian North began to develop.

Of course, even before the time of Peter the Great, there were sailing directions for the mouth of the Northern Dvina, the White Sea and the coastal part of the Siver Sea, which were inherited by local pilots. But under Peter, these maps were refined and allowed fairly large ships to navigate without fear of running aground or a reef, of which there are a great many in these waters.

These places were very attractive for navigation because of their peculiarity, because the sea did not freeze here, thanks to the Gulf Stream, whose warm waters reached these northern shores. This made it possible for ships to pass west into the waters of the Atlantic and further south to the shores of America, Africa, and India. But the absence of sea ships, and a short navigation time prevented the development of the waters of the North Sea. Only rare ships of brave sailors reached the shores of Svalbard and Franz Josef Land, which separated the North Sea from the vast expanses of the Arctic Ocean.

The beginning of the study of the Barents Sea took place in the 16th-17th centuries, during the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Looking for trade routes, European navigators tried to go east in order to bypass Asia to get to China, but they could not go far due to the fact that most of it was covered with ice hummocks that did not melt even during the short northern summer. The Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz scouted the waters of the North Sea very carefully in search of northern trade routes.

He discovered the Orange Islands, Bear Island, explored Svalbard. And in 1597 his ship was frozen in the ice for a long time. Barents and his crew left the ship frozen in the ice and began to make their way to the shore on two boats. And although the expedition reached the shores, Willem Barents himself died. Since 1853, this harsh North Sea has been called the Barents Sea in his honor, although before that it was officially listed on the maps as Murmansk.

Scientific exploration of the Barents Sea began much later. 1821-1824 Several sea expeditions were undertaken to study the Barents Sea. They were headed by the future president of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, an honorary member of many Russian and foreign scientific institutions, a tireless navigator, Admiral Fyodor Petrovich Litke. On the sixteen-gun brig Novaya Zemlya, he went 4 times to the shores of Novaya Zemlya, explored and described it in detail.

He investigated the depths of the fairway and the dangerous shallows of the White and Barents Seas, as well as the geographical definitions of the islands. His book "Four-fold trip to the Arctic Ocean on the military brig" Novaya Zemlya "in 1821-1824" published in 1828 brought him worldwide scientific fame and recognition. A complete thorough study and hydrological characteristics of the Barents Sea were compiled during a scientific expedition in 1898-1901. headed by the Russian scientific hydrologist Nikolai Mikhailovich Knipovich.

The efforts of these expeditions were not in vain, as a result, the rapid development of navigation in the northern seas began. In 1910-1915. a hydrographic expedition of the Arctic Ocean was organized. The purpose of the expedition was to develop the Northern Sea Route, which would allow Russian ships to pass by the shortest route along the northern coast of Asia to the Pacific Ocean to the eastern shores of the Russian Empire. The expedition consisting of two icebreaking ships - "Vaigach" and "Taimyr" under the leadership of Boris Andreevich Vilkitsky covered the entire northern route from Chukotka to the Barents Sea, wintering near the Taimyr Peninsula.

This expedition collected data on sea currents and climate, on the ice conditions and magnetic phenomena of these regions. A. V. Kolchak and F. A. Matisen took an active part in the development of the expedition plan. The ships were manned by combat naval officers and sailors. As a result of the expedition, a sea route was opened connecting the European part of Russia with the Far East.

At the beginning of the 20th century, measures were taken to equip the first port beyond the Arctic Circle. Murmansk became such a port. A very good place was chosen for the future port on the right bank of the Kola Bay. In 1915, during the First World War, Murmansk was upset and received the status of a city. The creation of this port city made it possible for the Russian fleet to get access to the Arctic Ocean through an ice-free bay. Russia was able to receive military supplies from the allies, despite the blockade of the Baltic and Black Seas.

In Soviet times, Murmansk became the main base of the Northern Navy, which played a huge role in the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany and the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The ships and submarines of the Northern Fleet became the only force that managed in the most difficult conditions to ensure the passage of convoys that delivered military supplies and food for the Soviet Union from the allies.

During the war, the Severomorstsy destroyed more than 200 warships and auxiliary vessels, more than 400 transports and 1300 aircraft of Nazi Germany. They provided escort for 76 allied convoys, including 1463 transports and 1152 escort ships.

And now the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy is based on bases located in the bays of the Barents Sea. The main one is Severomorsk, located 25 km from Murmansk. Severomorsk arose on the site of the tiny village of Vaenga, in which only 13 people lived in 1917. Now Severomorsk with a population of about 50 thousand people is the main stronghold of the northern borders of Russia.

The best ships of the Russian Navy serve in the Northern Fleet. Such as the aircraft-carrying anti-submarine cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov"

Nuclear submarines capable of floating right at the North Pole

The water area of ​​the Barents Sea also served to develop the military potential of the USSR. An atomic test site was created on Novaya Zemlya, and in 1961 a super-powerful 50-megaton hydrogen bomb was tested there. Of course, the whole of Novaya Zemlya and the territory adjacent to it suffered greatly and for many years, but the Soviet Union received priority in atomic weapons for many years, which is preserved even now.

For a long time, the entire water area of ​​the Arctic Ocean was controlled by the Soviet Navy. But after the collapse of the Union, most of the bases were abandoned. All and sundry have reached out to the Arctic. And after the discovery of the largest oil fields on the Arctic shelf, the question arose of protecting the Russian northern possessions, which have strategic raw materials. Therefore, since 2014, Russia has been resuming its military presence in the Arctic. For this, bases are now being defrosted on Novaya Zemlya, on Kotelny Island, which is part of the New Siberian Islands, on the land of Franz Josef and. Modern military camps are being built, airfields are being restored.

Since time immemorial, a lot of all kinds of fish have been caught in the Barents Sea. It was almost the main food of the Pomors. Yes, and carts with fish were constantly going to the mainland. There are still quite a few of them in these northern waters, about 114 species. But mainly the types of commercial fish are cod, flounder, sea bass, herring and haddock. The population of the rest is falling.

This is the result of an ownerless attitude to fish stocks. Recently, fish have been caught more than it was reproduced. Moreover, the artificial breeding of Far Eastern crabs in the Barents Sea had a negative impact on the restoration of the fish mass. Crabs began to multiply so quickly that there was a threat of disruption of the natural biosystem of this region.

But nevertheless, in the waters of the Barents Sea, you can still find both a variety of fish and marine animals such as seals, seals, whales, dolphins, and sometimes.

In pursuit of new oil and gas fields, oil-producing countries began to strenuously move north. So the waters of the Barents Sea became the site of the conflict between Russia and Norway. And although in 2010 Norway and Russia signed an agreement on the division of borders in the Barents Sea, disputes still do not subside. This year, the Russian "Gazprom" began commercial oil production on the Arctic shelf. About 300,000 tons of oil will be produced per year. By 2020, it is planned to reach the production level of 6 million tons of oil per year.

The return of the Russian Armed Forces to the Arctic can serve as a settlement of these disputes. The Russian Arctic is the property of our people and it should be fully used for the benefit of the people and well protected from those who like to profit at someone else's expense.

Despite the fact that the Barents Sea is the Arctic, in recent years this region has become increasingly popular for tourists, especially those who are fond of diving, fishing and hunting. Such an extreme type of recreation as ice diving is very interesting. The beauty of the under-ice world can surprise even experienced swimmers. For example, the range of claws of king crabs that have bred in the local waters sometimes exceeds 2 meters. But you need to keep in mind that diving under the ice is an activity for experienced scuba divers.

And hunting on the islands of the Barents Sea for seals, seals or birds, which are apparently not visible here, will not leave indifferent any seasoned hunter.

Any diver, fisherman, hunter or just a tourist who has ever visited the Barents Sea will still strive to get here to see these northern beauties that are impossible to forget.

Video: Barents Sea:...

The Barents Sea is considered the marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. Its waters wash the shores of such countries 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 bounded by the Norwegian Sea, and in the northwest by the Svalbard archipelago. In the northeast, the border runs along Franz Josef Land and along the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the east. This archipelago separates the reservoir in question from the Kara Sea.

Historical reference

In former times, this reservoir was called the Murmansk Sea. With this name, it was designated on maps of the 16th century, in particular on the map of the Arctic by Gerard Mercator, which was published in 1595. The southeastern part of the sea near 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.

Seabed mapping was completed by the Russian geologist Maria Klenova in 1933. During the Second World War, active military operations were carried out in the Barents Sea. Vessels from Great Britain to the USSR went through this reservoir. They carried food, weapons, equipment, fulfilling their allied duty. The 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 in the sea. It was armed with ballistic missile submarines. Today, a high concentration of radioactive contamination is observed in the reservoir, which causes environmental concern both in Russia and in 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 salinity is less than 34.7 ppm. Between the Atlantic and Arctic currents, the so-called polar front is formed.

Taking into account all these factors, the Barents Sea is completely free of ice 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 the month of 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 during the winter months is 3-5° Celsius. In summer it rises to 7-9 ° Celsius. In other latitudes, the water temperature in summer reaches 4° Celsius, in winter it drops to -1° Celsius. Coastal waters warm up to 10-12° Celsius in summer. The largest rivers flowing into the Barents Sea are the Pechora and the 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 southwest winds blow over the sea surface, and northeast winds dominate in summer. Changeable 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 to the north to 1° Celsius. The average annual rainfall is 400 mm.

Barents Sea on the map

Coastline and islands

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

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 relief 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.

Svalbard Archipelago belongs to Norway. On the island of Western Svalbard there are settlements belonging to Russia. In total there are 3 large islands, 7 small ones and a group of small islets and skerries. The total area of ​​the archipelago is 621 sq. 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 in this archipelago.

Archipelago Novaya Zemlya belongs to the Arkhangelsk region of Russia. It consists of 2 large islands of the 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.

Sea port in Murmansk

The Barents Sea is an area with intensive fisheries. Sea routes link Russia with Europe and Siberia along it. The main and largest port is the city of Murmansk. It does not freeze all year round. Other ports include Indiga and Naryan-Mar belonging to Russia and Kirkenes, Vardø and Vadsø belonging 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 were in favor of the median line defined by the 1958 Geneva Convention. The USSR stood for 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 an equal border distance. 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.

Barencevo sea.

The Barents Sea (Norwegian: Barentshavet), until 1853 The Murmansk Sea is a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. It washes the shores of Russia and Norway. The sea is limited by the northern coast of Europe and the archipelagos of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. The area of ​​the sea is 1424 thousand sq. km, the depth is up to 600 m. The 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 for 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. A serious problem is the radioactive contamination of the sea due to the activities of the Soviet / Russian nuclear fleet and Norwegian radioactive waste processing plants. Recently, the sea shelf of the Barents Sea in the direction of Svalbard has become the object of territorial disputes between the Russian Federation and Norway (as well as other states).

History of research.

Finno-Ugric tribes, the Saami (Lapps), have lived off the coast of the Barents Sea since ancient times. The first visits of non-autochthonous Europeans (Vikings, then Novgorodians) began, probably, 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 was started by the expedition of F. P. Litke 1821-1824, and the first complete and reliable hydrological description of the sea was compiled by N. M. Knipovich at the beginning of the 20th century.

Geographical position.

The Barents Sea is the 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 Vaigach, Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land in the east, Svalbard and Bear Island in the west.

Maritime borders.

In the West it borders on the Norwegian Sea basin, in the south - on the White Sea, in the east - on the Kara Sea, in the north - on the Arctic Ocean. The area of ​​the Barents Sea, located to the east of Kolguev Island, is called the Pechora Sea.

Coastline.

The shores of the Barents Sea are predominantly fjord-like, high, rocky, and heavily indented. The largest bays: Porsanger Fjord, Varangian Bay (also known as Varanger Fjord), Motovsky Bay, Kola Bay, etc. East of the Kanin Nos Peninsula, the coastal relief changes dramatically - the coasts are mostly low and slightly indented. There are 3 large shallow bays here: (Cheshskaya Bay, Pechora Bay, Khaipudyrskaya Bay), as well as several small bays.

archipelagos and islands.

There are few islands within the Barents Sea. The largest of them is Kolguev Island. From the west, north and east, the sea is bounded by the Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos.

Hydrography.

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

currents.

The surface currents of the sea 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 circulation 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. Of great importance, especially near the coast, are tidal currents. The tides are semi-diurnal, their greatest value is 6.1 m near the coast of the Kola Peninsula, in other places 0.6-4.7 m.

Water exchange.

Water exchange with neighboring seas is of great importance in the water balance of the Barents Sea. During the year, about 76,000 cubic kilometers 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 cubic meters per year) is carried by the warm North Cape current, which has an exceptionally great influence on the hydrometeorological regime of the sea. The total river runoff into the sea is on average 200 km3 per year.

Salinity.

The salinity of the surface layer of water in the open sea during the year is 34.7-35.0% 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 decreases to 30-32%, by the end of winter it increases to 34.0-34.5%.

Geology.

The Barents Sea occupies the Barents Sea Plate of the Proterozoic-Early Cambrian age; anteclise bottom elevations, depressions - syneclises. Of the shallower landforms, there are remnants of ancient coastlines, at depths of about 200 and 70 m, glacial-denudation and glacial-accumulative forms, and sand ridges formed by strong tidal currents.

Bottom relief.

The Barents Sea is located within the continental shallows, but, unlike other similar seas, most of it has a depth of 300-400 m, an average depth of 229 m and a maximum depth of 600 m. 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 distinguished by a leveled relief.

Soils.

From the cover of bottom sediments in the southern part of the Barents Sea, sand prevails, in some places - pebbles and crushed stone. On 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 on some hills. The slow rate of sedimentation (less than 30 mm in 1 thousand years) is explained by the insignificant influx of terrigenous material - due to the features of the coastal relief, 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 coasts of the land are composed mainly of strong crystalline rocks.

Climate.

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 the great variability of weather conditions. In winter, southwest winds prevail over the sea, in spring and summer - northeast winds. Frequent storms. 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 during the year. Annual rainfall varies from 250 mm in the north to 500 mm in the southwest.

Ice cover.

Severe climatic conditions in the north and east of the Barents Sea determine its large ice cover. In all seasons of the year, only the southwestern part of the sea remains free of ice. The ice cover reaches its greatest distribution in April, when about 75% of the sea surface is occupied by floating ice. In extremely 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. sh. In the northwest and northeast of the sea, ice usually stays all year round, but in some favorable years the sea is completely free of ice.

Temperature.

The inflow of warm Atlantic waters determines the relatively high temperature and salinity in the southwestern part of the sea. Here, in February - March, the water temperature on the surface is 3 °C, 5 °C, in August it rises to 7 °C, 9 °C. North of 74° N. sh. and in the southeastern part of the sea in winter the surface water temperature is below -1 °C, and in 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.

Flora and fauna.

The Barents Sea is rich in various fish species, plant and animal plankton and benthos. Seaweeds are common off the south coast. Of the 114 species of fish living in the Barents Sea, 20 species are the most important for commercial purposes: cod, haddock, herring, sea bass, catfish, flounder, halibut, etc. Mammals are found: polar bear, seal, harp seal, beluga whale, etc. The seal is being hunted. Bird colonies abound on the coasts (guillemots, guillemots, kittiwakes). In the 20th century, the king crab was introduced, which was able to adapt to new conditions and begin to multiply intensively. Many different echinoderms, sea urchins and starfish of different species are distributed along the bottom of the entire water area of ​​the sea.