Streams of the Arctic Ocean. The waters of the Arctic Ocean. Flow chart

The Arctic Ocean has the smallest area of water in the area among all the other basins of the Earth - 14.75 million square meters. Km. It is located between the American and Eurasian continents. It is completely in the northern hemisphere. The greatest depth of the basin is represented in the Greenland Sea - 5527 meters. The total volume of water is about 18 million cubic meters. Km.

The main features of the Arctic Ocean are its relief and currents. The bottom of the water area is represented by the outskirts of the continents and a huge shelf that extends almost along the entire basin. Due to the cold climate and polar location, the central region of the ocean is always covered with ice. Currently, it is conventionally divided the water area into the following basins: Arctic, Canadian and European.

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Description of the Arctic Ocean should start with its geographical characteristics. The boundaries of the water area pass through the Straits of Danish, Hudson and Davis, along the coast of Greenland and Faroer right up to the Scandinavian Peninsula. The main promontories of the ocean are Brewster, Gerpier, Reidinupyur, Dezhnev. In addition, the basin is washed by countries such as Iceland, Norway, Russia, Canada, the United States. With the Pacific Ocean it borders on the Bering Strait. The most distant coastal point is Alaska.

The Arctic Ocean (photo below) occupies only 4% of the total area of the world's waters. In rare cases, it is regarded as the sea of the Atlantic basin. The fact is that the Arctic Ocean is for the most part a relative shallow water. Only in a few areas does the depth reach 1.5 km. One of the reasons is the length of the coastline - more than 45 thousand km. The water area includes more than a dozen seas. The largest of them are the Barents, Chukchi, Kara, Norwegian, Beaufort, Siberian, Laptev, White, Greenland. Seas in the ocean basin are engaged in more than 50%. The largest bay is Hudson.

There are a lot of island states in the Arctic Ocean. Of the largest archipelagoes is worth highlighting the Canadian. Also included are such islands as Ellesmere, King William, Spitsbergen, Prince Patrick, Novaya Zemlya, Kong, Wrangel, Victoria, Kolguev, Banks, and others.

Internal circulation of water

Many years of ice cover hides the surface of the ocean from direct exposure to the atmosphere and solar radiation. That is why the main hydrological factor of influence on the movement of water remains a powerful influx of the North Atlantic masses. This current is warm, and it determines the overall picture of water distribution in the European basin. The circulation in the Arctic region is affected by the tide of the glacial and Pacific masses.

The balance of the water surface is achieved due to a runoff to the eastern and northern parts of the Atlantic. Such a movement of the masses is the main course of the Arctic Ocean. Of the remaining waters, it is possible to single out the straits of the Canadian archipelago.

The Arctic Ocean (photo see right) is largely formed due to river circulation. The largest rivers that affect the current of the ocean are in Asia. That is why in the region of Alaska there is a constant movement of ice.

Uniformity of the water area

In the Arctic Ocean, several water layers are distinguished: surface, intermediate and deep. The first is a mass with a lower salt level. Its depth is 50 meters. The average temperature of the Arctic Ocean is -2 degrees. The hydrological properties of the layer are determined by the action of thawed ice, evaporation and river runoff. The Norwegian Sea is considered to be the warmest area of the water area. Its surface temperature is up to +8 degrees.

Intermediate layer of the basin - water masses, extending to a depth of 800 meters. Here the temperature of the Arctic Ocean varies within +1 degree. This is due to the circulation of warm currents from the Greenland Sea. Salinity of water is at the level of 37 ‰ and more. The deep layer is formed by vertical convection and extends from the strait between Spitsbergen and Greenland. It is worth noting that the current near the ocean floor is caused by the movements of the waters of the largest seas. The water temperature at maximum depths is about -1 degrees.

Tidal phenomena

Similar hydrological anomalies in the Arctic Ocean are commonplace. The tides are determined by the Atlantic waters. The largest are observed in the Barents, Siberian, Kara and Chukchi seas. Here the ebb is semidiurnal. The reason lies in the two-phase period of the lunar inequality (minimum and maximum).

The European basin of the Arctic Ocean is different from other high tide. Here, the water level rises to record levels - up to 10 meters. The maximum is recorded in the Mezensky Bay. Minimum - off the coast of Canada and Siberia (less than 0.5 m).

Oceanologists also distinguish themselves by swinging-surging oscillations. In the greater part of the basin, waves with a height of 2 to 11 meters are observed. The maximum of the phenomenon is noted in the Norwegian Sea - 12 m.

What is flow

These are flows in the water column that are periodic or permanent. The currents of the oceans (on the map, see below) can also be surface or deep, cold or warm. By frequency and cyclicity, periodic, regular and mixed flows are distinguished. A unit of measurement of the current in the ocean is called scrappings. Streams of water are classified by stability, depth, physical and chemical properties, by the nature and direction of motion, by the acting forces, etc. Nevertheless, to date, there are 3 main groups of currents:

1. The tidal ones. Caused by the influx of large masses of water. Observed in shallow waters and off the coast. Differ by the force of impact. A separate type of such a current in the ocean is a decoy.

2. Gradient. Caused by horizontal hydrostatic pressure between layers of water. There are density, barograde, stock, compensation and seiche.

3. Windy. Caused by a strong stream of air.

Features of the Gulf Stream

Gulf stream is a warm current, which is typical for the Atlantic waters. Nevertheless, it is this flow that plays an important role in the formation and circulation of the waters of the Arctic Ocean. It comes from the shores of North America. Extends from the Newfoundland Bank to the Florida Strait. The Gulf Stream belongs to the underwater systems of the Barents Sea and Spitsbergen.

This flow of the Arctic Ocean is enough to significantly increase the overall temperature of the water area. The width of the Gulf Stream is 90 kilometers. It moves at a speed of 2-3 m / s. This makes it one of the most powerful warm currents of the World Ocean. In some areas, the flow reaches a depth of 1.5 km. Dynamics of the Gulf Stream changes throughout the year. For the most part, its temperature is about +25 C. The maximum deviation is observed in the northern regions of the Norwegian Sea, where the indicators fall immediately by 10 degrees.

Dynamics of the Gulf Stream

The current is accelerated by the tropical trade winds and the excess waters of the Caribbean. The strength of the motion is determined by the rotation of the planet. In a more local sense, the Gulf Stream is determined by coastal flows, salinity distribution and temperature regime.

Significant influence on the current renders the Gulf of Mexico from Cuba. In this area the water area is cyclical. Water is gradually leaving a powerful stream into the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Strait. In the Bahamas, the stream meets other masses. The totality of the currents is reduced to the formation of rings, that is, large eddies. Here the Gulf Stream is gaining strength.

In the future, like all other currents of the Arctic Ocean, the flow loses some of the energy due to the high level of evaporation off the coast of Europe. As a result, a mild climate is formed. In the northern part of the Arctic Ocean, multiple branches of the current are observed.

What threatens the Gulf Stream

In recent decades, the current is unstable. First of all it concerns the index cycle. Approximately every two years there are significant quasiperiodic oscillations of the Gulf Stream. Such a deviation in the course of the Arctic Ocean entails major changes in the climate. Some scientists believe that in the near future this threatens the planet with a meteorological catastrophe. Rapid desalination of water as a result of global warming can lead to the fact that the European part of the land will cease to be heated. A consequence may be a new ice age. Earlier in history, there have been similar cataclysms. Such conclusions scientists have made according to the analysis of deep ice of Greenland.

If the desalination of the Gulf Stream is indeed overshadowed by the norm, then many oil drilling rigs will be the first to suffer. The consequence will be an ecological catastrophe.

Features of the East Greenland Current

This stream is considered the second largest in the Arctic Ocean. He brings cold water masses. Its main role in the world basin is the drainage and removal of ice from the water area of the Arctic. The beginning of the course of the Arctic Ocean is observed near the coast of Asia. Closer to the north, the stream bifurcates. The first branch goes to Greenland, the second - to North America. Movement occurs mainly at the border with the continents.

In width, the East Greenland Current in some places exceeds 200 km. The water temperature is at 0 degrees. At Cape Farvel the stream joins the current Irminger. As a result of the collision of warm and cold masses, a cycle occurs. That is why in this part of the water area there is such a rapid melting of floating ice and icebergs.

Other currents of the Arctic Ocean

Transarctic flow provides the movement of ice from the coast of Alaska to Greenland. The main force of the current is the flow of rivers. As a result of such a warm impact, large glaciers break off from the mainland, are picked up by a transarctic stream and rush to the Bering Strait. There, the movement is supported by the Pacific tributary.

Spitsbergen current is a branch of the Gulf Stream. It continues in the Norwegian Sea. The Nordkapp current reaches a water temperature of up to +8 degrees. Passes along the surface of the ocean near the coast of the Kola and Scandinavian peninsulas. Its speed averages 1.4 km / h.

The Norwegian current is considered to be a branch of the Atlantic Stream. Here the salinity of the water is kept at around 35%. The temperature of the masses is from +5 to +12 degrees.

Climatic characteristics

Features of the Arctic Ocean are also included in severe meteorological indicators. It is thanks to such a cold climate in the water area for millions of years, there are huge glaciers. In the polar region there is an acute shortage of solar heat.

In most of the ocean, there is a minimum amount of precipitation. In winter, the water area plunges into a months-long polar night.

Over the past 1,500 years, the climate in the ocean has changed for the worse beyond recognition.