Barents Sea Water Input to The Eurasian Basin
Ursula Schauer
Alfred-Wegener-Ins fuer Polar-und Meeresforschung
Postlach 120161, D-27515 Bremerhaven
Tel: 49-471-4831817
Fax: 49-471-4831425
uschauer@awi-bremerhaven.de
E. Fahrbach
Alfred-Wegener-Institut fuer Polar-und Meeresforschung, D-27515 Bremerhaven
B. Rudeis
Finnish Institute of Marine Research, FIN-00931 Helsinki
H. Loeng
Institute of Marine Research, N-5024 Bergen-Nordnes
The ventilation of the interior Arctic Ocean is substantially dependent on the input of cold water from the Barents and Kara Seas. This inflow consists mostly in modified Atlantic water which had passed through the Barents Sea. In addition to the originally saline Atlantic Water, the Norwegian Coastal Current, continuously supplied with continental fresh water, and Arctic Surface Water provide a source of low salinity water to the Barents Sea. During the transit through the Barents Sea, the Atlantic water is cooled, but the salinity increase due to freeing processes is counteracted by mixture with fresh water. The final density and therewith the penetration of shelf water to great depths in the basins is therefore dependant on the subtile balance of the two processes.
The formation of Barents Sea water and its inflow to the deep basins are discussed along hydrographic observations carried out since 1991 and time series of current speed, temperature and salinity.
