scholarly journals MAIN AREAS AND RESULTS OF THE BENTHOS RESEARCH IN THE BARENTS SEA BY THE MURMANSK MARINE BIOLOGICAL INSTITUTE IN 2015–2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 109-134
Author(s):  
L.V. Pavlova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Bottom Fauna ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Biological Institute ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Diversity Structure

The results of five-year studies (2015–2019) of the laboratory of zoobenthos MMBI RAS on the impact of environmental factors, climate change and pollution on the species diversity, structure and abundance of bottom fauna in the Barents Sea were considered. The abundance and diversity of bottom communities and taxocenoses were higher in the most warm Atlantic water masses. The warming of the Arctic contributes to increased diversity of the Barents Sea benthos, increased biological invasion in the northern seas, and maintenance of diversity in the polluted ecosystem of the Kola Bay. The technology of biomonitoring of climate change using littoral populations of invertebrates is proposed.

Early Holocene ocean conditions off the Zachariæ Isstrøm, Northeast Greenland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Davies ◽  
Anders Møller Mathiasen ◽  
Kristiane Kristensen ◽  
Christof Pearce ◽  
Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Outlet Glacier ◽  
The Impact

<p>The polar regions exhibit some of the most visible signs of climate change globally; annual mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) has quadrupled in recent decades, from 51 ± 65 Gt yr<sup>−1</sup> (1992-2001) to 211 ± 37 Gt yr<sup>−1</sup> (2002-2011). This can partly be attributed to the widespread retreat and speed-up of marine-terminating glaciers. The Zachariae Isstrøm (ZI) is an outlet glacier of the Northeast Greenland Ice Steam (NEGIS), one of the largest ice streams of the GrIS (700km), draining approximately 12% of the ice sheet interior. Observations show that the ZI began accelerating in 2000, resulting in the collapse of the floating ice shelf between 2002 and 2003. By 2014, the ice shelf extended over an area of 52km<sup>2</sup>, a 95% decrease in area since 2002, where it extended over 1040km<sup>2</sup>. Paleo-reconstructions provide an opportunity to extend observational records in order to understand the oceanic and climatic processes governing the position of the grounding zone of marine terminating glaciers and the extent of floating ice shelves. Such datasets are thus necessary if we are to constrain the impact of future climate change projections on the Arctic cryosphere.</p><p>A multi-proxy approach, involving grain size, geochemical, foraminiferal and sedimentary analysis was applied to marine sediment core DA17-NG-ST8-92G, collected offshore of the ZI, on  the Northeast Greenland Shelf. The aim was to reconstruct changes in the extent of the ZI and the palaeoceanographic conditions throughout the Early to Mid Holocene (c.a. 12,500-5,000 cal. yrs. BP). Evidence from the analysis of these datasets indicates that whilst there has been no grounded ice at the site over the last 12,500 years, the ice shelf of the ZI extended as a floating ice shelf over the site between 12,500 and 9,200 cal. yrs. BP, with the grounding line further inland from our study site. This was followed by a retreat in the ice shelf extent during the Holocene Thermal Maximum; this was likely to have been governed, in part, by basal melting driven by Atlantic Water (AW) recirculated from Svalbard or from the Arctic Ocean. Evidence from benthic foraminifera suggest that there was a shift from the dominance of AW to Polar Water at around 7,500 cal. yrs. BP, although the ice shelf did not expand again despite of this cooling of subsurface waters.</p>

A satellite-based Lagrangian perspective on Atlantic Water fractionation in the Nordic Seas

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léon Chafik ◽  
Sara Broomé
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Bottom Topography ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
Nordic Seas ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Outer Branch

<p>The Arctic Ocean has been receiving more of the warm and saline Atlantic Water in the past decades. This water mass enters the Arctic Ocean via two Arctic gateways: the Barents Sea Opening and the Fram Strait. Here, we focus on the fractionation of Atlantic Water at these two gateways using a Lagrangian approach based on satellite-derived geostrophic velocities. Simulated particles are released at 70N at the inner and outer branch of the North Atlantic current system in the Nordic Seas. The trajectories toward the Fram Strait and Barents Sea Opening are found to be largely steered by the bottom topography and there is an indication of an anti-phase relationship in the number of particles reaching the gateways. There is, however, a significant cross-over of particles from the outer branch to the inner branch and into the Barents Sea, which is found to be related to high eddy kinetic energy between the branches. This cross-over may be important for Arctic climate variability.</p>

Transformation of Atlantic Water in the Barents Sea in winter: overview of “Transarctika-2019” cruise results

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Ivanov ◽  
Ivan Frolov ◽  
Kirill Filchuk
Keyword(s):  
Characteristic Feature ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

<p>In the recent few years the topic of accelerated sea ice loss, and related changes in the vertical structure of water masses in the East-Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean, including the Barents Sea and the western part of the Nansen Basin, has been in the foci of multiple studies. This region even earned the name the “Arctic warming hotspot”, due to the extreme retreat of sea ice and clear signs of change in the vertical hydrographic structure from the Arctic type to the sub-Arctic one. A gradual increase in temperature and salinity in this area has been observed since the mid-2000s. This trend is hypothetically associated with a general decrease in the volume of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, which leads to a decrease of ice import in the Barents Sea, salinization, weakening of density stratification, intensification of vertical mixing and an increase of heat and salt fluxes from the deep to the upper mixed layer. The result of such changes is a further reduction of sea ice, i.e. implementation of positive feedback, which is conventionally refereed as the “atlantification. Due to the fact that the Barents Sea is a relatively shallow basin, the process of atlantification might develop here much faster than in the deep Nansen Basin. Thus, theoretically, the hydrographic regime in the northern part of the Barents Sea may rapidly transform to a “Nordic Seas – wise”, a characteristic feature of which is the year-round absence of the ice cover with debatable consequences for the climate and ecosystem of the region and adjacent land areas. Due to the obvious reasons, historical observations in the Barents Sea mostly cover the summer season. Here we present a rare oceanographic data, collected during the late winter - early spring in 2019. Measurements were occupied at four sequential oceanographic surveys from the boundary between the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea – the so called Barents Sea opening to the boundary between the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea. Completed hydrological sections allowed us to estimate the contribution of the winter processes in the Atlantic Water transformation at the end of the winter season. Characteristic feature of the observed transformation is the homogenization of the near-to-bottom part of the water column with remaining stratification in the upper part. A probable explanation of such changes is the dominance of shelf convection and cascading of dense water over the open sea convection. In this case, complete homogenization of the water column does not occur, since convection in the open sea is impeded by salinity and density stratification, which is maintained by melting of the imported sea ice in the relatively warm water. The study was supported by RFBR grant # 18-05-60083.</p>

Impact of Atlantic water inflow on winter cyclone activity in the Barents Sea: Insights from coupled regional climate model simulations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirseid Akperov ◽  
Vladimir A. Semenov ◽  
Igor I. Mokhov ◽  
Wolfgang Dorn ◽  
Annette Rinke
Keyword(s):  
Climate Model ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Static Stability ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Water Inflow ◽  
Cyclone Activity ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
The Impact

<p>The impact of the Atlantic water inflow (AW inflow) into the Barents Sea on the regional cyclone activity in winter is analyzed in 10 ensemble simulations with the coupled Arctic atmosphere-ocean-sea ice model HIRHAM-NAOSIM for the 1979–2016 period. The model shows a statistically robust connection between AW inflow and climate variability in the Barents Sea. The analysis reveals that anomalously high AW inflow leads to changed baroclinicity in the lower troposphere via changed static stability and wind shear, and thus favorable conditions for cyclogenesis in the Barents/Kara Seas. The frequency of occurrence of cyclones, but particularly of intense cyclones, is increased over the Barents Sea. Furthermore, the cyclones in the Barents Sea become larger (increased radius) and stronger (increased intensity) in response to an increased AW inflow into the Barents Sea, compared to years of anomalously low AW inflow.</p><p>The authors acknowledge the support by the Russian-German project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany and Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (grant 05.616.21.0109 (RFMEFI61619X0109)).</p>

First assessment of biomass and abundance of cephalopods Rossia palpebrosa and Gonatus fabricii in the Barents Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (8) ◽  
pp. 1605-1616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey V. Golikov ◽  
Rushan M. Sabirov ◽  
Pavel A. Lubin
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Quantitative Distribution ◽  
Maximum Biomass ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
The Impact

Studies on the quantitative distribution of cephalopods in the Arctic are limited, and almost completely absent for the Barents Sea. It is known that the most abundant cephalopods in the Arctic are Rossia palpebrosa and Gonatus fabricii. Their biomass and abundance have been assessed for the first time in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters. The maximum biomass of R. palpebrosa in the Barents Sea was 6.216–6.454 thousand tonnes with an abundance of 521.5 million specimens. Increased densities of biomass were annually registered in the north-eastern parts of the Barents Sea. The maximum biomass of G. fabricii in the Barents Sea was 24.797 thousand tonnes with an abundance of 1.705 billion specimens. The areas with increased density of biomass (higher than 100 kg km−2) and abundance (more than 10,000 specimens km−2) were concentrated in deep-water troughs in the marginal parts of the Barents Sea and in adjacent deep-water areas. The biomass and abundance of R. palpebrosa and G. fabricii in the Barents Sea were much lower than those of major taxa of invertebrates and fish and than those of cephalopods in other parts of the World Ocean. It has been suggested that the importance of cephalopods in the Arctic ecosystems, at least in terms of quantitative distribution, could be somewhat lower than in the Antarctic or the tropics. Despite the impact of ongoing warming of the Arctic on the distribution of cephalopods being described repeatedly already, no impact of the current year's climate on the studied species was found. The only exception was the abundance of R. palpebrosa, which correlated with the current year's climate conditions.

scholarly journals HEAVY METALS IN ZOOPLANKTON ORGANISMS OF THE BARENTS SEA

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 62-75
Author(s):  
L. L. Demina ◽  
A. S. Solomatina ◽  
G. A. Abyzova
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Phytoplankton Production ◽  
Arctic Water ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Geochemical Parameters

Zooplankton plays a Central role in the transfer of matter and energy from primary producers to high trophic organisms, and zooplankton serves as an essential component of sedimentary material that supplies organic matter to the bottom of marine basins. The paper presents new data on the distribution of a number of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb) and As in the Calanus zooplankton collected in July–August 2017 in the North-Eastern, Eastern and Central parts of the Barents Sea. It is shown that the spatial distribution of metals in zooplankton organisms is influenced by both biotic ecosystem factors associated with bioproductivity and hydrological and geochemical parameters of the habitat (North Polar Front). In the zooplankton of the Arctic water mass to the South-East of Franz Josef Land, there was an increased content of essential heavy metals Cu, Zn and Cr in comparison with the coastal and Atlantic water masses. Zooplankton from the Central part of the sea (Atlantic water mass), where phytoplankton production is reduced, is characterized by the lowest concentrations of most elements (Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb). The highest concentrations were found for both essential heavy metals (Zn and Cu) and toxic metalloid As, which may indicate non-selective bioaccumulation of trace elements by copepods.

Relationships between wintertime sea ice cover in the Barents Sea and ocean temperature anomalies in the era of satellite observations

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-65
Author(s):  
Pawel Schlichtholz
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Ocean Temperature ◽  
Temperature Anomalies ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Skill Scores

AbstractInvestigation of the predictability of sea ice cover in the Barents Sea is of paramount importance since sea ice changes in this part of the Arctic not only affect local marine ecosystems and human activities but may also influence weather and climate in northern mid-latitudes. Here, observational data from the period 1981-2018 are used to identify statistical linkages of wintertime sea ice cover in the Barents Sea region to preceding sea surface temperature (SST) and Atlantic water temperature anomalies in that region. We find that the ocean temperature anomalies formed by local air-sea interactions during the winter-to-spring season are a significant source of predictability for sea ice area (SIA) in the Barents Sea region the following winter. Optimal areas for constructing SST predictors of Barents Sea SIA and skill scores from retrospective statistical forecasts are shown to differ between the periods to and since the onset of rapid sea ice decline in the region. In the EARLY period (1982-2003), springtime SSTs in the western Barents Sea predicted 44% of the variance of the following winter Barents Sea SIA. In the LATE period (2003-2017), springtime SSTs in the southern Barents Sea predicted 70% of the variance of the following winter Barents Sea SIA. Regression analysis suggests that feedbacks from anomalous winds may be important for the predictability of wintertime sea ice cover in the Barents Sea region.

Postglacial paleoceanography and paleoenvironments in the northwestern Barents Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 430-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Ivanova ◽  
Ivar Murdmaa ◽  
Anne de Vernal ◽  
Bjørg Risebrobakken ◽  
Alexander Peyve ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Surface Warming ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Suitable Location

AbstractThe Barents Sea offers a suitable location for documenting advection of warm and saline Atlantic Water (AW) into the Arctic and its impact on deglaciation and postglacial conditions. We investigate the timing, succession, and mechanisms of the transition from proximal glaciomarine to marine environment in the northwestern Barents Sea. Two studied sediment cores demonstrate diachronous retreat of the grounded ice sheet from the Kvitøya Trough (core S2528) to Erik Eriksen Trough (core S2519). Oxygen isotope records from core S2528 depict a two-step pattern, with lower δ18O values prior to the Younger Dryas (YD), and higher values afterward because of advection of the more saline, 18O-enriched AW. At this location, subsurface AW penetration increased during the Allerød and YD/Preboreal transition. In the study area, foraminiferal and dinocyst data from the YD interval suggest cold conditions, extensive sea-ice cover, and brine formation, along with the flow of chilled AW at subsurface and the development of a high-productivity polynya in the Erik Eriksen Trough. Dense winter sea-ice cover with seasonal productivity persisted in the Kvitøya Trough area during the early Holocene, whereas surface warming seems to have occurred during the middle Holocene interval.

scholarly journals The Barents Sea frontal zones and water masses variability (1980–2011)

Ocean Science ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Oziel ◽  
J. Sirven ◽  
J.-C. Gascard
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Water ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Frontal Zones

Abstract. The polar front separates the warm and saline Atlantic Water entering the southern Barents Sea from the cold and fresh Arctic Water located in the north. These water masses can mix together (mainly in the center of the Barents Sea), be cooled by the atmosphere and receive salt because of brine release; these processes generate dense water in winter, which then cascades into the Arctic Ocean to form the Arctic Intermediate Water. To study the interannual variability and evolution of the frontal zones and the corresponding variations of the water masses, we have merged data from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and have built a new database, which covers the 1980–2011 period. The summer data were interpolated on a regular grid. A probability density function is used to show that the polar front splits into two branches east of 32° E where the topographic constraint weakens. Two fronts can then be identified: the Northern Front is associated with strong salinity gradients and the Southern Front with temperature gradients. Both fronts enclose the denser Barents Sea Water. The interannual variability of the water masses is apparent in the observed data and is linked to that of the ice cover. The frontal zones variability is found by using data from a general circulation model. The link with the atmospheric variability, represented here by the Arctic Oscillation, is not clear. However, model results suggest that such a link could be validated if winter data were taken into account. A strong trend appears: the Atlantic Water (Arctic Water) occupies a larger (smaller) volume of the Barents Sea. This trend amplifies during the last decade and the model study suggests that this could be accompanied by a northwards displacement of the Southern Front in the eastern part of the Barents Sea. The results are less clear for the Northern Front. The observations show that the volume of the Barents Sea Water remains nearly unchanged, which suggests a northwards shift of the Northern Front to compensate for the northward shift of the Southern Front. Lastly, we noticed that the seasonal variability of the position of the front is small.

scholarly journals Figure Influence of the Barents Sea Frontal Zones on Chlorophyll Concentration in Spring

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Makarevich ◽  
Veronika Vodopianova ◽  
Aleksandra Bulavina ◽  
Olga Kalinka
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Chlorophyll Concentration ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Water ◽  
Chl A ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Frontal Zones ◽  
The Impact

In spring of 2016, 2018 and 2019, chlorophyll a (Chl a) content was studied in the 0-50 m layer on the vast Barents Sea area - to the north of 75∘ N. Standard sampling was carried out at 11 oceanographic transects, including 52 stations. Due to the negative ice anomalies and the high-latitude position of the ice edge, original data on Chl a concentration for spring period were obtained in hard-to-reach and previously unexplored areas of the Barents Sea. The investigation area covered the Marginal Ice Arctic zone, as well as the area where the Polar Front was located quasi-stationary. The effect of the Marginal Ice Arctic and Polar frontal zones on the distribution of Chl a concentration was revealed. The strongest factor influencing the distribution of chlorophyll was the Polar Front. It divided mainly Arctic and Atlantic waters. The highest pigment concentrations corresponded to the Arctic water mass and exceeded the content of pigment in water of Atlantic origin by an order of magnitude. The impact of the Marginal Ice Arctic Front was not so obvious - the content of Chl a in waters of various genesis differed, but not more than by a factor of 2.

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