Biological resources of the Barents Sea: characteristics, features and description

The Barents Sea is located in the coastal part of the Arctic Ocean and is washed by Norway and Russia. Its name was received in 1853 from Willem Barents, who was a Dutch navigator. The study of this water object began as early as 1821, but the first complete characteristic was compiled only at the beginning of the twentieth century. But what is special about it and what biological resources are in the Barents Sea?

Geographical location

As stated earlier, the Barents Sea is the outskirts of the smallest ocean on the Earth, from which it is separated by islands (Spitsbergen, Vaigach, Franz Josef Land, Bear and New Earth). In addition, it borders on two other seas - the White and the Kara. The southwestern coastline is highly indented, has a number of high cliffs and fjord bays, the highest of which are the Varangian, Porsanger-fjord, Kola and Motovsky. But to the east the situation is changing: the banks become lower and slightly cut. Bays are shallow, the largest of them are the Haipudyr, Czech and Pechora Lips. The Barents Sea is not very rich in the islands. The largest is the island of Kolguev.

Hydrology

The water resources of the Barents Sea are constantly replenished by two large rivers - Indiga and Pechora. Water in the sea itself, namely its surface, is constantly in motion. It flows in a circle counter-clockwise. In the central part of this sea, scientists have discovered a system of currents. Changes in these disturbances can occur under the influence of water exchange with other seas and from changes in the direction of the winds. The greatest influence on the coastal part is the tidal currents. The balance in the Barents Sea is maintained thanks to the waters from the surrounding seas. The total volume of water that is transferred between them per year is ¼ of the total fluid in this pond.

Geological information

The Barents Sea lies on the continental shelf. It differs from similar reservoirs in that it is fairly common to have depths of 300-400 m, but the average is 222 m and the largest is 600 m. The relief of the bottom is varied: here you can see both the plain (Central Plateau) and the basins (Central, The maximum depth is 386 m), and the elevations (Perseus, maximum depth - 63 m), and gutters (Western, 600 m in depth, and Franz-Victoria - 430 m). The cover of the bottom in the southern part is mainly sandy, only occasionally one can find rubble and pebbles. Silt and sand occur in the northern and central parts. In all directions, there is also an admixture of debris, since ancient glacial deposits are widespread here.

Weather

The climate in this area is affected by two opposing ocean temperatures - the Atlantic and the Arctic. Often, warm cyclones are replaced by streams of cold air, which leads to weather instability. This also explains the fact that storms are not uncommon at all. The average temperature is very different in different parts of the sea, for example, in February in the north it can drop to -25, and in the south-west to be only -4 degrees. The same situation occurs in August - in the north - from 0 to +1 degrees, in the south-east - to 10. The weather is almost always overcast, the sun can only leave occasionally, and then for a few hours. Such a climate is a consequence of the high ice cover of the Barents Sea. Only the south-western part is never occupied by snow blocks. In April, freezing reaches its peak, namely 75% of the entire body of water is occupied by floating ice.

Biological resources of the Barents Sea

The diversity of flora and fauna in this pond is very great, all this gives life to benthos and plankton. Benthos are the smallest organisms that live in the sand at the bottom of the sea. It refers to both animals and plants. The zoobenthos include sea stars, rays, scallops, crabs, oysters and others. Phytobenthos includes a variety of algae that have adapted to live without sunlight. Plankton - a variety of small organisms that float freely in the water and are not able to show any resistance to the current. It includes bacteria, small species of algae, mollusks, fish larvae and invertebrates. The vegetation resources of the Barents Sea are in general very poor, as it is located in the Northern Arctic. Rare or endangered species are not found here. Macroalgae of many species (194) live on the Murmansk coast. The scientists found 75 red, 39 green and 80 brown subspecies here.

Marine life

Fish resources of the Barents Sea are quite large. Therefore, fisheries are quite well developed here. Although scientists have counted 114 species, 20 of them are considered to be the most important in terms of fishing. This herring, haddock, catfish, halibut, cod, sea bass, flounder and others, but these fish account for 80% of all the catch of the local "hunters". At spawning they go to the shores of Norway, and already grown fry swim in the sea. Arctic fishes also replenish the natural resources of the Barents Sea. This is navaga, invertebrate herring, polar flounder, black halibut, polar shark and smelt. But they have no special significance in fishing.

Mammals and birds

Biological resources of the Barents Sea are also replenished by mammals. They are divided into three orders: Pinnipeds, Cetaceans and Predatory. The first include the bald, or harp seal, sea hare, walrus, ringed seal, etc. To the second - a white whale, a white dolphin, a narwhal, a bowhead whale, a killer whale, etc. To the third - a polar bear, which in Russia is listed in the Red The book. The resources of the Barents Sea among mammals are also interesting for fishing, namely, catching seals. The coast of this pond is filled with bird bazaars, that is, large colonial nesting. Here you can find a gull-kittiwake, a kairo or a brush.

Ecology

The resources of the Barents Sea and environmental problems are closely related, since excessive human interference in the environment always leads to adverse consequences. Ecologists consider this place to be unique, because such a clear sea near Europe you will not find anymore. But still there is a rather big problem - poaching. Excessive fishing leads to the disappearance of species and the imbalance of the overall balance. Norway and Russia sharply stop such violation of laws, which gives its results. Another richness of the Barents Sea is oil and natural gas. And people could not take advantage of this. Therefore, quite often there are "black gold" emissions into the water masses, which are very harmful to all animals.

Also unique is the landscape of this sea. Therefore, the International Fund for Nature Protection warns that the slightest error in the processes of mining or transportation of fossil fuels can lead to an ecological catastrophe. If such a disaster occurs, even after 30 years of hard work, it will not be possible to completely eliminate all the consequences. After all, the situation is aggravated by the fact that low temperatures do not allow bacteria to multiply, which means that the natural cleaning mechanism simply does not work. It's worth thinking about.

Thus, the Barents Sea is a unique water object that should be protected. This place is rich in fish and natural resources, as well as other natural resources, which gives it even greater importance.