Today we are going to talk about barents sea. It is part of the Arctic Glacial Ocean and extends over an area with a surface area of 1.4 million square kilometers. This sea is known for its abundance of flora and fauna species and for its economic interest. It was already known in medieval times to the Vikings and Russians. Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you all the characteristics and importance of this sea.
If you want to know more about the Barents Sea, this is your post.
Key features
It is shaped like a rectangle and measures 1300 kilometers in length from north to south. It is situated from the land of Francisco José to the white sea. On the other hand, it has a width of about 1050 kilometers from east to west and goes from the islands of New Zembla to the Norwegian Sea.
It has a depth of only 230 meters on average. This makes it a very shallow sea, but in some areas it can reach up to 600 meters deep. The waters lie between the Finnmark countries of Norway and the Karelian shores of Russia. As we have mentioned before, this sea was known to the Vikings and Russians but they did not call it the Barents Sea, but they called it the Murmean Sea. The name of the Barents Sea emerged on a map drawn in 1653 in honor of the Dutch explorer Willem Barents. This southern coastal waters explorer to search for a boardwalk between Europe and North Asia.
Most of the scientific and territorial discoveries of antiquity were given with a different objective than the one that was achieved. From there to Columbus discovering America. What does characterize this sea is that it has a salinity level above average. More specifically 3,4% salinity. As for the climate, the predominant one in the region is this subarctic type. Being in areas close to the north pole, the average temperatures in winter are -25 degrees in the northernmost area and -8 degrees in the areas closest to the continent. This stays there, but in summer they also have very low temperatures that are around 0 degrees in the northern area and 10 degrees in the continental area.
One of the characteristics that makes this sea special is that there are more northern areas that are permanently frozen. It's like it's part of the North Pole. Because the Gulf Stream carries warm water masses from the west, the southern and western coastal areas of the Barents Sea are ice-free year-round. Regarding rainfall, annual levels are around different values in the northern part and in the southern part. The southern part is more humid with precipitation values of 2500 mm, while in the north there are only values of 1000 mm.
Barents Sea ports
The coast of this sea is full of areas with large cliffs and deep fjords. Above all are the levels of the western part. However, in the east of the Kanin Peninsula, the coast does not have as many cliffs but is lower, presenting more bays and shallower inlets.
The part of the coasts of the northern archipelagos have steep and high mountains with numerous glaciers whose end is the sea. This area is also of commercial interest and the main ports that are free of ice to trade are the following:
- The port of Tromsø and Vardø in Norway near the North Cape.
- The port of Murmansk and Teriberka in Russia, both on the Kola Peninsula.
A large quantity of the world's largest cod is usually traded in these ports. This is because there is a large population of these fish and the fishery has been jointly managed by Russia and Norway since 1976. In order to limit fishing and not damage the populations, a maximum number of catches allowed per year has been established. In this way, the cod reproduction cycle is not interrupted and the existing populations in this sea are not endangered.
On the other hand, Norway began exploration for hydrocarbons in the Barents Sea in 1969. This has led to a real exploitation of the gas and oil exchanges in which the Shtokman gas field stands out, this being the fifth largest deposit in the world. The problem of this exploitation is pollution and the construction of infrastructures in the middle of the sea that causes various impacts on the ecosystem. The surrounding flora and fauna species are damaged by small constant spills that take place in the areas where oil and gas are exploited, as well as by noise.
Remember that many animals have a method of communication based on the waves that are perceived through noise. The excess of machinery in the open sea causes a destabilization in these natural radars of the animals.
Flora and fauna of the Barents Sea
Now we are going to describe the main species that we can find in this sea. Most of the biodiversity is found in the temperate waters of the Gulf Stream and in the cold waters of the Arctic. These organisms that inhabit the most extreme areas are adapted to the conditions of marine habitats.
Phytoplankton serve as food for zooplankton and, in turn, It is the food base of many times such as cod and mammals such as the whale. The whale is one of the most affected by the extraction of hydrocarbons. Other species stand out in this sea such as the Greenland seal and, among the birds, the common murre stands out.
As you can see, this sea has many riches and great biodiversity. I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Barents Sea and the importance of both hydrocarbon exploitation and trade.
