scholarly journals A lithosphere-scale structural model of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea region

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 1579-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Klitzke ◽  
J. I. Faleide ◽  
M. Scheck-Wenderoth ◽  
J. Sippel
Keyword(s):  
Structural Model ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
High Density ◽  
The South ◽  
The West ◽  
Density Anomaly ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Early Cenozoic ◽  
Oceanic Domain

Abstract. The Barents Sea and Kara Sea region as part of the European Arctic shelf, is geologically situated between the Proterozoic East-European Craton in the south and early Cenozoic passive margins in the north and the west. Proven and inferred hydrocarbon resources encouraged numerous industrial and academic studies in the last decades which brought along a wide spectrum of geological and geophysical data. By evaluating all available interpreted seismic refraction and reflection data, geological maps and previously published 3-D-models, we were able to develop a new lithosphere-scale 3-D-structural model for the greater Barents Sea and Kara Sea region. The sedimentary part of the model resolves four major megasequence boundaries (earliest Eocene, mid-Cretaceous, mid-Jurassic and mid-Permian). Downwards, the 3-D-structural model is complemented by the top crystalline crust, the Moho and a newly calculated lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB). The thickness distribution of the main megasequences delineates five major subdomains differentiating the region (the northern Kara Sea, the southern Kara Sea, the eastern Barents Sea, the western Barents Sea and the oceanic domain comprising the Norwegian-Greenland Sea and the Eurasia Basin). The vertical resolution of five sedimentary megasequences allows comparing for the first time the subsidence history of these domains directly. Relating the sedimentary structures with the deeper crustal/lithospheric configuration sheds some light on possible causative basin forming mechanisms that we discuss. The newly calculated LAB deepens from the typically shallow oceanic domain in three major steps beneath the Barents and Kara shelves towards the West-Siberian Basin in the east. Thereby, we relate the shallow continental LAB and slow/hot mantle beneath the southwestern Barents Sea with the formation of deep Paleozoic/Mesozoic rift basins. Thinnest continental lithosphere is observed beneath Svalbard and the NW Barents Sea where no Mesozoic/early Cenozoic rifting has occurred but strongest Cenozoic uplift and volcanism since Miocene times. The East Barents Sea Basin is underlain by a LAB at moderate depths and a high-density anomaly in the lithospheric mantle which follows the basin geometry and a domain where the least amount of late Cenozoic uplift/erosion is observed. Strikingly, this high-density anomaly is not present beneath the adjacent southern Kara Sea. Both basins share a strong Mesozoic subsidence phase whereby the main subsidence phase is younger in the South Kara Sea Basin.

scholarly journals A lithosphere-scale structural model of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea region

Solid Earth ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Klitzke ◽  
J. I. Faleide ◽  
M. Scheck-Wenderoth ◽  
J. Sippel
Keyword(s):  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Lithospheric Mantle ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Crystalline Crust

Abstract. We introduce a regional 3-D structural model of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea region which is the first to combine information on the sediments and the crystalline crust as well as the configuration of the lithospheric mantle. Therefore, we have integrated all available geological and geophysical data, including interpreted seismic refraction and reflection data, seismological data, geological maps and previously published 3-D models into one consistent model. This model resolves four major megasequence boundaries (earliest Eocene, mid-Cretaceous, mid-Jurassic and mid-Permian) the top crystalline crust, the Moho and a newly calculated lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB). The thickness distributions of the corresponding main megasequences delineate five major subdomains (the northern Kara Sea, the southern Kara Sea, the eastern Barents Sea, the western Barents Sea and the oceanic domain comprising the Norwegian–Greenland Sea and the Eurasia Basin). Relating the subsidence histories of these subdomains to the structure of the deeper crust and lithosphere sheds new light on possible causative basin forming mechanisms that we discuss. The depth configuration of the newly calculated LAB and the seismic velocity configuration of the upper mantle correlate with the younger history of this region. The western Barents Sea is underlain by a thinned lithosphere (80 km) resulting from multiple Phanerozoic rifting phases and/or the opening of the NE Atlantic from Paleocene/Eocene times on. Notably, the northwestern Barents Sea and Svalbard are underlain by thinnest continental lithosphere (60 km) and a low-velocity/hot upper mantle that correlates spatially with a region where late Cenozoic uplift was strongest. As opposed to this, the eastern Barents Sea is underlain by a thicker lithosphere (~ 110–150 km) and a high-velocity/density anomaly in the lithospheric mantle. This anomaly, in turn, correlates with an area where only little late Cenozoic uplift/erosion was observed.

scholarly journals Combining data from different sampling methods to study the development of an alien crab Chionoecetes opilio invasion in the remote and pristine Arctic Kara Sea

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7952
Author(s):  
Anna K. Zalota ◽  
Olga L. Zimina ◽  
Vassily A. Spiridonov
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
High Density ◽  
Yamal Peninsula ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Crab Population ◽  
Size Groups

Data obtained using three different types of sampling gear is compared and combined to assess the size composition and density of a non-indigenous snow crab population Chionoecetes opilio in the previously free of alien species Kara Sea benthos. The Sigsbee trawl has small mesh and catches even recently settled crabs. The large bottom trawl is able to catch large crabs, but does not retain younger crabs, due to its large mesh. Video sampling allows the observation of larger crabs, although some smaller crabs can also be spotted. The combined use of such gear could provide full scope data of the existing size groups in a population. The density of the crabs was calculated from the video footage. The highest figures were in Blagopoluchiya Bay at 0.87 crabs/m2, where the settlement seems to be reaching its first peak of population growth after the introduction. High density in the Kara Gates Strait at 0.55 crabs/m2, could be due to the close proximity of the Barents Sea from where the crabs can enter by both larval dispersal and active adult migration. All size groups have been present in most sampled areas, which suggest successful settlement and growth of crabs over a number of years. Again, this was not the case in Blagopoluchiya Bay with high density of small crabs (<30 mm CW), which confirms its recent population growth. Male to female ratio was strikingly different between the bays of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and west of the Yamal Peninsula (0.8 and 3.8 respectively). Seventy five ovigerous females were caught in 2016, which confirms the presence of a reproducing population in the Kara Sea. The spatial structure of the snow crab population in the Kara Sea is still in the process of formation. The presented data indicates that this process may lead to a complex system, which is based on local recruitment and transport of larvae from the Barents Sea and across the western Kara shelf; formation of nursery grounds; active migration of adults and their concentration in the areas of the shelf with appropriate feeding conditions.

scholarly journals Satellite ice extent, sea surface temperature, and atmospheric methane trends in the Barents and Kara Seas

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ira Leifer ◽  
F. Robert Chen ◽  
Thomas McClimans ◽  
Frank Muller Karger ◽  
Leonid Yurganov
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Mixed Layer Depth ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The South ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Barents And Kara Seas

Abstract. Over a decade (2003–2015) of satellite data of sea-ice extent, sea surface temperature (SST), and methane (CH4) concentrations in lower troposphere over 10 focus areas within the Barents and Kara Seas (BKS) were analyzed for anomalies and trends relative to the Barents Sea. Large positive CH4 anomalies were discovered around Franz Josef Land (FJL) and offshore west Novaya Zemlya in early fall. Far smaller CH4 enhancement was found around Svalbard, downstream and north of known seabed seepage. SST increased in all focus areas at rates from 0.0018 to 0.15 °C yr−1, CH4 growth spanned 3.06 to 3.49 ppb yr−1. The strongest SST increase was observed each year in the southeast Barents Sea in June due to strengthening of the warm Murman Current (MC), and in the south Kara Sea in September. The southeast Barents Sea, the south Kara Sea and coastal areas around FJL exhibited the strongest CH4 growth over the observation period. Likely sources are CH4 seepage from subsea permafrost and hydrate thawing and the petroleum reservoirs underlying the central and east Barents Sea and the Kara Sea. The spatial pattern was poorly related to seabed depth. However, the increase in CH4 emissions over time may be explained by a process of shoaling of strengthening warm ocean currents that would also advect the CH4 to areas where seasonal deepening of the surface ocean mixed layer depth leads to ventilation of these water masses. Continued strengthening of the MC will further increase heat transfer to the BKS, with the Barents Sea ice-free in ~ 15 years. We thus expect marine CH4 flux to the atmosphere from this region to continue increasing.

scholarly journals Climate change impacts on sea–air fluxes of CO<sub>2</sub> in three Arctic seas: a sensitivity study using Earth observation

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 8109-8128 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Land ◽  
J. D. Shutler ◽  
R. D. Cowling ◽  
D. K. Woolf ◽  
P. Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Co2 Sink ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract. We applied coincident Earth observation data collected during 2008 and 2009 from multiple sensors (RA2, AATSR and MERIS, mounted on the European Space Agency satellite Envisat) to characterise environmental conditions and integrated sea–air fluxes of CO2 in three Arctic seas (Greenland, Barents, Kara). We assessed net CO2 sink sensitivity due to changes in temperature, salinity and sea ice duration arising from future climate scenarios. During the study period the Greenland and Barents seas were net sinks for atmospheric CO2, with integrated sea–air fluxes of −36 ± 14 and −11 ± 5 Tg C yr−1, respectively, and the Kara Sea was a weak net CO2 source with an integrated sea–air flux of +2.2 ± 1.4 Tg C yr−1. The combined integrated CO2 sea–air flux from all three was −45 ± 18 Tg C yr−1. In a sensitivity analysis we varied temperature, salinity and sea ice duration. Variations in temperature and salinity led to modification of the transfer velocity, solubility and partial pressure of CO2 taking into account the resultant variations in alkalinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Our results showed that warming had a strong positive effect on the annual integrated sea–air flux of CO2 (i.e. reducing the sink), freshening had a strong negative effect and reduced sea ice duration had a small but measurable positive effect. In the climate change scenario examined, the effects of warming in just over a decade of climate change up to 2020 outweighed the combined effects of freshening and reduced sea ice duration. Collectively these effects gave an integrated sea–air flux change of +4.0 Tg C in the Greenland Sea, +6.0 Tg C in the Barents Sea and +1.7 Tg C in the Kara Sea, reducing the Greenland and Barents sinks by 11% and 53%, respectively, and increasing the weak Kara Sea source by 81%. Overall, the regional integrated flux changed by +11.7 Tg C, which is a 26% reduction in the regional sink. In terms of CO2 sink strength, we conclude that the Barents Sea is the most susceptible of the three regions to the climate changes examined. Our results imply that the region will cease to be a net CO2 sink in the 2050s.

scholarly journals Climate change impacts on sea-air fluxes of CO<sub>2</sub> in three Arctic seas: a sensitivity study using earth observation

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 12377-12432 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Land ◽  
J. D. Shutler ◽  
R. D. Cowling ◽  
D. K. Woolf ◽  
P. Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Co2 Sink ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract. During 2008 and 2009 we applied coincident Earth observation data collected from multiple sensors (RA2, AATSR and MERIS, mounted on the European Space Agency satellite Envisat) to characterise environmental conditions and net sea-air fluxes of CO2 in three Arctic seas (Greenland, Barents, Kara) to assess net CO2 sink sensitivity due to changes in temperature, salinity and sea ice duration arising from future climate scenarios. During the study period the Greenland and Barents Seas were net sinks for atmospheric CO2, with sea-air fluxes of −34±13 and −13±6 Tg C yr−1, respectively and the Kara Sea was a weak net CO2 source with a sea-air flux of +1.5±1.1 Tg C yr−1. The combined net CO2 sea-air flux from all three was −45±18 Tg C yr−1. In a sensitivity analysis we varied temperature, salinity and sea ice duration. Variations in temperature and salinity led to modification of the transfer velocity, solubility and partial pressure of CO2 taking into account the resultant variations in alkalinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Our results showed that warming had a strong positive effect on the annual net sea-air flux of CO2 (i.e. reducing the sink), freshening had a strong negative effect and reduced sea ice duration had a small but measurable positive effect. In the climate change scenario examined, the effects of warming in just over a decade of climate change up to 2020 outweighed the combined effects of freshening and reduced sea ice duration. Collectively these effects gave a net sea-air flux change of +3.5 Tg C in the Greenland Sea, +5.5 Tg C in the Barents Sea and +1.4 Tg C in the Kara Sea, reducing the Greenland and Barents sinks by 10% and 50% respectively, and increasing the weak Kara Sea source by 64%. Overall, the regional flux changed by +10.4 Tg C, reducing the regional sink by 23%. In terms of CO2 sink strength we conclude that the Barents Sea is the most susceptible of the three regions to the climate changes examined. Our results imply that the region will cease to be a net CO2 sink by 2060.

A 3D gravity and thermal model for the Barents Sea and Kara Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 684 ◽  
pp. 131-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Klitzke ◽  
Judith Sippel ◽  
Jan Inge Faleide ◽  
Magdalena Scheck-Wenderoth
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Model ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
3D Gravity

Aleksandr Stepanovich Kuchin: the Russian who went south with Amundsen

Polar Record ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 22 (139) ◽  
pp. 401-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Barr
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
South Pole ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Northern Sea Route ◽  
Océanographic Survey ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Southern Atlantic Ocean

AbstractAleksandr Stepanovich Kuchin (1888–1912) was already an experienced mariner and oceanographer when Amundsen invited him to join the Fram expedition of 1910–12. Expecting a voyage through the Barents Sea, Kuchin found himself on an expedition to the Antarctic. While Amundsen's sledging parties sought the South Pole, Kuchin remained with the ship, completing an excellent oceanographic survey of the southern Atlantic Ocean. Returning to Russia in 1912 he was recruited, by the geologist and explorer V. A. Rusinov to join a scientific expedition to Svalbard. As deputy leader of the party and captain of Gerkules, the expedition ship, Kuchin played an important role in the Svalbard survey. Then once again found himself heading in an unexpected direction: on completing the Svalbard work, Rusanov decided to attempt the Northern Sea Route to the Bering Strait. Gerkules disappeared and was never seen again; her loss, presumably in the Kara Sea, brought to an untimely end the career of a promising young polar explorer.

scholarly journals Conditions of formation and forecast of natural reservoirs in clinoform complex of the Lower Cretaceous of the Barents-Kara shelf

Georesursy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-79
Author(s):  
Alina V. Mordasova ◽  
Antonina V. Stoupakova ◽  
Anna A. Suslova ◽  
Daria K. Ershova ◽  
Svetlana A. Sidorenko
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Geological Model ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Gas Potential ◽  
Cretaceous Deposits

Unique Leningradsky and Rusanovsky gascondensate fields in the Barrem-Cenomanian layer are discovered in the Kara Sea. Non-industrial accumulations of oil and gas have been discovered in the Lower Cretaceous sediments of the western part of the Barents Sea shelf. However, the structure and oil and gas potential of the Lower Cretaceous sediments of the Barents-Kara shelf remain unexplored. Based on the seismic-stratigraphic and cyclostratigraphic analysis, a regional geological model of the Lower Cretaceous deposits of the Barents-Kara shelf was created, the distribution area and the main stages of the accumulation of clinoforms were identified. As a result of a detailed analysis of the morphology of clinoform bodies, paleogeographic conditions were restored in the Early Cretaceous and a forecast of the distribution of sandy reservoirs was given

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