scholarly journals A volumetric census of the Barents Sea in a changing climate

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Watelet ◽  
Øystein Skagseth ◽  
Vidar S. Lien ◽  
Helge Sagen ◽  
Øivind Østensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Volumetric Analysis ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Dense Water Formation ◽  
Norwegian Polar Institute ◽  
User Friendly

Abstract. Due to its location between the Norwegian Sea and the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea is one of the main pathways of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Changes in its water masses potentially affect the thermohaline circulation through the alteration of the dense water formation process. In order to prospect such changes, we present here a seasonal atlas of the Barents Sea including both temperature and salinity for the period 1965–2016. The atlas is built as a compilation of datasets from the World Ocean Database, the Polar Branch of Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, and the Norwegian Polar Institute using the Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis (DIVA) tool. DIVA allows for a minimization of the expected error with respect to the true field. The atlas is used to provide a volumetric analysis of water mass characteristics and an estimation of the ocean heat and freshwater contents. The results show a recent Atlantification of the Barents Sea, i.e. a general increase of both temperature and salinity, while its density remains stable. The atlas is made freely accessible as user-friendly NetCDF files to encourage further research in the Barents Sea physics (https://doi.org/10.21335/NMDC-2058021735, Watelet et al. (2020)).

scholarly journals A volumetric census of the Barents Sea in a changing climate

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 2447-2457
Author(s):  
Sylvain Watelet ◽  
Øystein Skagseth ◽  
Vidar S. Lien ◽  
Helge Sagen ◽  
Øivind Østensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Volumetric Analysis ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Dense Water Formation ◽  
Norwegian Polar Institute

Abstract. The Barents Sea, located between the Norwegian Sea and the Arctic Ocean, is one of the main pathways of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Changes in the water mass transformations in the Barents Sea potentially affect the thermohaline circulation through the alteration of the dense water formation process. In order to investigate such changes, we present here a seasonal atlas of the Barents Sea including both temperature and salinity for the period 1965–2016. The atlas is built as a compilation of datasets from the World Ocean Database, the Polar Branch of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography and the Norwegian Polar Institute using the Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis (DIVA) tool. DIVA allows for a minimization of the expected error with respect to the true field. The atlas is used to provide a volumetric analysis of water mass characteristics and an estimation of the ocean heat and freshwater contents. The results show a recent “Atlantification” of the Barents Sea, that is a general increase in both temperature and salinity, while its density remains stable. The atlas is made freely accessible as user-friendly NetCDF files to encourage further research in the Barents Sea physics (https://doi.org/10.21335/NMDC-2058021735, Watelet et al., 2020).

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 Phylogeography of the Brittle Star Ophiura sarsii Lütken, 1855 (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from the Barents Sea and East Atlantic

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Evgeny Genelt-Yanovskiy ◽  
Yixuan Li ◽  
Ekaterina Stratanenko ◽  
Natalia Zhuravleva ◽  
Natalia Strelkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Haplotype Diversity ◽  
Brittle Star ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
High Genetic Diversity ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
Mitochondrial Coi ◽  
The Barents Sea

Ophiura sarsii is a common brittle star species across the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Ophiurasarsii is among the dominant echinoderms in the Barents Sea. We studied the genetic diversity of O.sarsii by sequencing the 548 bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene. Ophiurasarsii demonstrated high genetic diversity in the Barents Sea. Both major Atlantic mtDNA lineages were present in the Barents Sea and were evenly distributed between the northern waters around Svalbard archipelago and the southern part near Murmansk coast of Kola Peninsula. Both regions, and other parts of the O.sarsii range, were characterized by high haplotype diversity with a significant number of private haplotypes being mostly satellites to the two dominant haplotypes, each belonging to a different mtDNA clade. Demographic analyses indicated that the demographic and spatial expansion of O.sarsii in the Barents Sea most plausibly has started in the Bølling–Allerød interstadial during the deglaciation of the western margin of the Barents Sea.

Arctic Freshwater in CMIP6: Declining Sea Ice, Increasing Ocean Storage and Export

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Zanowski ◽  
Alexandra Jahn ◽  
Marika Holland
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Freshwater Flux ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Late 21St Century ◽  
Freshwater Export

<p>Recently, the Arctic has undergone substantial changes in sea ice cover and the hydrologic cycle, both of which strongly impact the freshwater storage in, and export from, the Arctic Ocean. Here we analyze Arctic freshwater storage and fluxes in 7 climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) and assess their agreement over the historical period (1980-2000) and in two future emissions scenarios, SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5. In the historical simulation, few models agree closely with observations over 1980-2000. In both future scenarios the models show an increase in liquid (ocean) freshwater storage in conjunction with a reduction in solid storage and fluxes through the major Arctic gateways (Bering Strait, Fram Strait, Davis Strait, and the Barents Sea Opening) that is typically larger for SSP5-8.5 than SSP1-2.6. The liquid fluxes through the gateways exhibit a more complex pattern, with models exhibiting a change in sign of the freshwater flux through the Barents Sea Opening and little change in the flux through the Bering Strait in addition to increased export from the remaining straits by the end of the 21st century. A decomposition of the liquid fluxes into their salinity and volume contributions shows that the Barents Sea flux changes are driven by salinity changes, while the Bering Strait flux changes are driven by compensating salinity and volume changes. In the straits west of Greenland (Nares, Barrow, and Davis straits), the models disagree on whether there will be a decrease, increase, or steady liquid freshwater export in the early to mid 21st century, although they mostly show increased liquid freshwater export in the late 21st century. The underlying cause of this is a difference in the magnitude and timing of a simulated decrease in the volume flux through these straits. Although the models broadly agree on the sign of late 21st century storage and flux changes, substantial differences exist between the magnitude of these changes and the models’ Arctic mean states, which shows no fundamental improvement in the models compared to CMIP5.</p>

scholarly journals Suitable habitats of fish species in the Barents Sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bérengère Husson ◽  
Gregoire Certain ◽  
Anatoly Filin ◽  
Benjamin Planque
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Environmental Predictors ◽  
Widespread Species ◽  
Species Response ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Suitable Habitats

AbstractMany marine species are shifting their distribution poleward in response to climate change. The Barents Sea, as a doorstep to the fast-warming Arctic, is experiencing large scale changes in its environment and its communities. This paper aims at understanding what environmental predictors limit fish species habitats in the Barents Sea and discuss their possible evolution in response to the warming of the Arctic.Species distribution models usually aim at predicting the probability of presence or the average abundance of a species, conditional on environmental drivers. A complementary approach is to determine suitable habitats by modelling the upper limit of a species’ response to environmental factors. Using quantile regressions, we model the upper limit of biomass for 33 fish species in the Barents Sea in response to 10 environmental predictors. Boreal species are mainly limited by temperatures and most of them are expected to be able to expand their distribution in the Barents Sea when new thermally suitable habitats become available, in the limit of bathymetric constraints. Artic species are often limited by several predictors, mainly depth, bottom and surface temperature and ice cover, and future habitats are hard to predict qualitatively. Widespread species like the Atlantic cod are not strongly limited by the selected variables at the scale of the study, and current and future suitable habitats are harder to predict. These models can be used as input to integrative tools like end-to-end models on the habitat preference and tolerance at the species scale to inform resource management and conservation.

scholarly journals Assessment of initial seismic impacts on the northern part of the Barents Sea shelf (Novaya Zemlya region) for the purpose of seismic microzoning in the areas of prospective hydrocarbon mining

2019 ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
I. G. Mindel ◽  
B. A. Trifonov ◽  
M. D. Kaurkin ◽  
V. V. Nesynov
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Arctic Shelf ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Russian Arctic ◽  
Seismic Microzoning ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
National Task ◽  
Seismic Impacts

In recent years, in connection with the national task of developing the Arctic territories of Russia and the perspective increase in the hydrocarbon mining on the Arctic shelf, more attention is being paid to the study of seismicity in the Barents Sea shelf. The development of the Russian Arctic shelf with the prospect of increasing hydrocarbon mining is a strategically important issue. Research by B.A. Assinovskaya (1990, 1994) and Ya.V. Konechnaya (2015) allowed the authors to estimate the seismic effects for the northern part of the Barents Sea shelf (Novaya Zemlya region). The paper presents the assessment results of the initial seismic impacts that can be used to solve seismic microzoning problems in the areas of oil and gas infrastructure during the economic development of the Arctic territory.

scholarly journals New species of Scolelepis (Polychaeta, Spionidae) from the Norwegian coast and Barents Sea with a brief review of the genus

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Sikorski ◽  
Lyudmila Pavlova
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Kola Peninsula ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Identification Key ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Atlantic Sector ◽  
Norwegian Coast ◽  
The Barents Sea

<p>The species <em>Scolelepis finmarchicus</em> sp. nov. is described from the Norwegian and Barents Seas along the northern Norwegian coast and Kola peninsula. The occurrence of this species in the Kola Bay could be seen as a sign of climate warming in the area. Taxonomic issues existing in the genus <em>Scolelepis</em> within the area along the Norwegian coast and in the Barents Sea are briefly touched upon. Seven species belonging to <em>Scolelepis</em> have recently been recorded from the Atlantic sector of the Arctic. <em>Scolelepis</em> (<em>S</em>.) <em>matsugae</em> Sikorski, 1994 is newly synonymized with <em>S</em>. (<em>S</em>.) <em>laonicola</em> (Tzetlin, 1985). This article provides a brief review of <em>Scolelepis</em> together with an identification key for the genus from the Atlantic sector of the Arctic</p>

scholarly journals Virio- and bacterioplankton of the Barents Sea in the autumn

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3-2021) ◽  
pp. 45-53
Author(s):  
M.P. Venger ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Quantitative Composition ◽  
Autumn Period ◽  
Late Autumn ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Cell Volumes

In the autumn period 2011, 2015 in the waters of the Barents Sea, the communities of viruses and bacteria were studied, their quantitative composition was determined, and the nature of their distribution was studied. It was shown that the distribution of both virio- and bacterioplankton had pronounced zoning presumably due to increased concentrations of organic matter in more productive coastal and Atlantic waters compared to the Arctic. In September 2011, the number of viruses varied from 0.6 to 46.7 million particles/ml, exceeding the abundance of bacteria by 5 times an average. The quantity of bacterioplankton varied within 0.3–2.9 million cells/ml, biomass – 4.1–35.1 mg C/m3, with a range of mean cell volumes of 0.030–0.115 μm3. In November–December 2015, the abundance of viruses was 0.3–6.4 million particles/ml and quantitatively exceeded their bacterial hosts by 18 times an average. The quantity and biomass of bacteria varied within 0.02–0.3 million cells/ml and 0.3–2.7 mg C/m3, with a range of mean cell volumes of 0.013–0.068 μm3. It was found that the level of development of virio- and bacterioplankton significantly decreased by the late autumn period.

Regularities and features of ice conditions of the Barents Sea in the second half of XX – early XXI century

2021 ◽  
pp. 179-194
Author(s):  
I.O. Dumanskaya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Cycle Period ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Western Border ◽  
Quantitative Changes

The warming of the Arctic, especially intensified at the beginning of the XXI century, is accompanied by a significant decrease in the area of ice cover in the Arctic seas. The article shows the quantitative changes in the ice parameters of the Barents Sea, as well as factors affecting the formation of ice cover in recent years. In the twenty-first century the frequency of occurrence of mild winters has increased by 17%, the frequency of severe winters has decreased by 19%. Significantly increased the temperature at the meteorological station Malye Karmakuly, water temperature at transect "Kola Meridian", atmospheric and oceanic heat fluxes, and speed of sea currents on the Western border of the Barents sea. The duration of the ice period decreased by an average of 2–3 weeks, and the rate of reduction of ice cover was 7.2% for 10 years. This is the highest speed compared to other Arctic seas. The article shows that the variability of the ice cover of the Barents Sea and other parameters of the natural environment in the region has the cyclic character. Presumably, the cycle period is close to 84 years, which corresponds to the orbital period of Uranium. The minimum sea ice extent after 1935–1945 is expected in the period 2019–2029.

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