Variations in characteristics of the barents branch of the Atlantic Water in the Nansen Basin under the influence of atmospheric circulation over the Barents Sea

Abstract

The thermohaline structure of the Arctic Basin (AB) of the Arctic Ocean (AO) is determined to a great extent by an intermediate water layer existing under ice at a depth varying from 100 to 700–1000 m. The water layer is formed by warm North Atlantic Water (AW), which enters the AB by two ways: through Fram Strait and the Barents Sea (Fig. 1). The AW arriving to the AB via Fram Strait extends further eastward along the continental slope of the Eurasian Arctic region and forms the Fram Branch (FBAW). The Barents Branch of the AW (BBAW) was formed by the North Atlantic Water entering the Barents Sea between the Spitsbergen Archipelago and the Scandinavian Peninsula. Both branches merge in the northern Kara Sea.