Ocean–Atmosphere Interactions in the Barents Sea from Reanalyses Data

Abstract

In this study we detail the mechanism of positive feedback linking variability of the oceanic heat flux in the Barents Sea, the sea-ice area and the atmospheric circulation over the region using oceanic and atmospheric reanalyses. The results show that an increase in the oceanic heat flux through the western boundary of the Barents Sea goes much faster than in the Norwegian Atlantic Slope Current in the eastern Norwegian Sea. With an increase in the oceanic heat flux in the Barents Sea, the ice edge retreats and the total vertical ocean–atmosphere heat fluxes weaken in the southwestern part of the sea and increase west of Novaya Zemlya and in the northern part of the sea. The latter is due to the increased ice-free area in the sea. The increased heat fluxes into the Barents Sea are also accompanied by a winter growth of the sea-surface atmospheric pressure over the sea with maximum changes in the southeastern Barents Sea. This leads to a localization of the cyclonic circulation in the northwestern Barents Sea, a growth in the atmospheric heat transport across the southern boundary, and a decrease of the atmospheric heat transport across the northern boundary. The convergence of atmospheric heat flux in the given region increases near the sea surface (1000–975 hPa), but decreases at higher levels (975–100 hPa).