Arctic Ocean area has a water area of the smallest among all the other basins of the Earth - 14,750,000 square meters.km.Located between the American and Eurasian continents.Entirely in the northern hemisphere.The greatest depth of the pool is presented in the Greenland Sea - 5527 meters.The total volume of water is about 18 million cubic meters.km.
main features of the Arctic Ocean - its topography and currents.The bottom of the waters of the continental margin, and represented a huge shelf that extends along almost the entire basin.Due to the cold climate and polar arrangement of the central region of the ocean is always covered with ice.Currently accepted conditionally divide the waters of the following pools: Arctic, Canadian and European.
Background
Description Arctic Ocean should begin with its geographical features.The boundaries of the waters pass through the Straits of Denmark, Hudson and Davis, along the coast of Greenland and the Faroe Islands until the Scandinavian Peninsula.The main headlands ocean considered Brewster Gerpir, Reydinupyur, Dezhnev.In addition, the pool bathes countries such as Iceland, Norway, Russia, Canada, the United States.With the Pacific Ocean bordered by the Bering Strait.The farthest point is the Alaska coastline.
Arctic Ocean (see photo. Below) takes only 4% of the total area of the waters of the world.In rare cases, it is considered a sea of the Atlantic basin.The fact that the Arctic Ocean mostly represents the relative shallow.Only in a few areas the depth reaches 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 these are the Barents Sea, the Chukchi, Kara, Norwegian, Beaufort, Siberian, Laptev, White, Greenland.Sea Ocean engaged in a pool of more than 50%.The biggest bay is considered to Hudson.
island states in the Arctic Ocean myriad.One of the largest archipelagos is to provide Canadian.It also includes such islands as Ellesmere Island, King William Island, Svalbard, Prince Patrick, New Land, Congo, Wrangel Island, Victoria, Kolguev, Banks et al.
internal water circulation
Long-term ice cover hides the surface of the ocean byDirect effects of the atmosphere and solar radiation.That is why the main hydrological factors affect the movement of water is a strong inflow of North Atlantic masses.Such flow is warm, and it determines the overall picture of the distribution of water in the European pool.On the circulation in the area affected by the tide of the Arctic and Pacific glacier mass.
Balance is achieved through surface water runoff in eastern and northern parts of the waters of the Atlantic.Such a movement of the masses and is important for the Arctic Ocean.Of the remaining waste water can be identified straits of the Canadian archipelago.
Arctic Ocean (see photo. On the right) to a large extent shaped by the river circulation.Major rivers, affecting ocean currents, are in Asia.That is why in Alaska there is a constant movement of the ice.
Uniformity
the waters in the Arctic Ocean have identified a number of water layers: superficial, intermediate and deep.The first is a mass with reduced levels of salt.Its depth of 50 meters.The average temperature of the Arctic Ocean is -2 degrees.The hydrological properties of the layer are determined by the action of ice melting, evaporation and runoff.The warmest area of the waters of the Norwegian Sea is considered.Its surface temperature is up to 8 degrees.
interlayer pool - water supply, extending to a depth of 800 meters.Here, the temperature of the Arctic Ocean varies within 1 degree.This is caused by the circulation of warm currents from the Greenland Sea.The salinity of the water is at around 37 ‰ or more.The deep layer is formed by vertical convection and extends from the Strait between Spitsbergen and Greenland.It should be noted that the flow near the bottom of the ocean is caused by movements of the largest sea water.The temperature of the waters at the maximum depths of about -1 degrees.
tidal conditions
Similar hydrological anomalies in the Arctic Ocean are commonplace.Tides are determined by the Atlantic waters.The largest observed in the Barents Sea, Siberia, Kara and Chukchi seas.There are semi-diurnal tides character.The reason is two-phase period lunar inequality (minimum and maximum).
European Arctic Ocean differs from other tide height.Here, the water level rises to record high - up to 10 meters.Maximum observed in Mezen Bay.Minimum - off the coast of Canada and Siberia (less than 0.5 m).
also distinguished oceanographers wind-surge fluctuations.In most parts of the basin are observed wave heights of 2 to 11 meters.Lots marked phenomenon in the Norwegian Sea - 12 m.
What for
It streams in the water column that are intermittent or permanent.Ocean currents (see on the map. Below) can also be superficial or deep, cold or warm.In terms of frequency and cyclicality are different periodic, regular and mixed flows.The unit of measurement of ocean currents called the Sverdrup.Streams of water are classified by the stability, depth, physical and chemical properties, the nature and direction of travel, on the effects of forces, and so on. D. Nevertheless, today highlighted three main groups of flows:
1. Tidal.Caused by the influx of large masses of water.Observed in shallow water and near the coast.They differ impact force.Separate views of the ocean currents is considered Thrower.
2. Gradient.Caused by horizontal hydrostatic pressure between layers of water.There by density, barogradientnymi, katabatic, compensation and seiche.
3. Wind.Cause strong air flow.
Features of the Gulf Stream
Gulf stream is a warm current that is characteristic of the Atlantic area.Nevertheless, it is this flow plays an important role in the formation and water circulation in the Arctic Ocean.He comes from the coast of North America.It extends from the Grand Banks to the Straits of Florida.Gulfstream belongs to submarine systems in the Barents Sea and Spitsbergen.
this current Arctic Ocean rather that greatly increase the overall temperature of the waters.The width of the Gulf Stream is 90 kilometers.Moves at a velocity of 2-3 m / s.This makes it one of the most powerful warm currents of the oceans.In some areas of the flow reaches a depth of 1.5 km.The dynamics of the Gulf Stream changes throughout the year.For the most part, its temperature is about 25 C. The maximum deviations observed in the northern parts of the Norwegian Sea, where rates fell immediately by 10 degrees.
dynamics of the Gulf Stream
flow accelerates tropical trade winds and surplus waters of the Caribbean.The strength of the movement is caused by rotation of the planet.In a sense, the Gulf Stream is determined by the local coastal streams, distribution of salinity and temperature conditions.
significant influence on the course of the Gulf of Mexico has from Cuba.In this area, the water area is cyclical.Water is gradually disappearing powerful flow into the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Straits.At the Bahamas flow occurs with other materials.The set of movements is reduced to the formation of the ring, that is a large vortex.Here the Gulf Stream is gaining its strength.
In the future, like the rest of the flow of the Arctic Ocean, the flow of the energy is lost due to the high level of evaporation off the coast of Europe.The result is a mild climate.In the northern part of the Arctic Ocean there are multiple branches of the flow.
What threatens the Gulf Stream
In recent decades for different volatility.In particular this applies to the loop index.Approximately every two years, there are significant quasi-periodic oscillations of the Gulf Stream.This deviation of the Arctic Ocean currents entail major changes in the climate.Some scientists believe that in the near future, it threatens the planet meteorological disaster.Fast desalination due to global warming may lead to the fact that the European part of the land will cease to be heated.The result could be a new ice age.Earlier in history we have had similar disasters.Such conclusions scientists have done according to the analysis of deep ice of Greenland.
If desalination Gulf Stream really tipped the scales as the norm, the first to suffer the many oil rigs.The result will be the environmental disaster.
Features of the East Greenland Current
This stream is the second power in the Arctic Ocean.He brings cold water mass.Its main role in the world is a pool drain and loss of ice from the Arctic waters.Start of course there is the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Asia.Towards the north of the stream forks.The first branch goes in the direction of Greenland, the second - in North America.Movement occurs mainly near the border with the mainland.
the breadth of the East Greenland current in some places more than 200 km.The water temperature is at 0 degrees.At Cape Farewell Stream connects with Irminger Current.As a result of the collision of warm and cold masses loop occurs.That is why in this part of the area there is such a rapid melting of sea ice and icebergs.
Other current Arctic Ocean
transarctic flow provides movement of ice from Alaska to Greenland.The main force of the flow is the flow of rivers.As a result of the impact of the warm large glaciers break off from the mainland, are picked up trans-Arctic flow and are carried to the Bering Strait.There's movement supported by the inflow of Pacific.
for Spitsbergen is an offshoot of the Gulf Stream.It continues in the Norwegian Sea.Nordkapp current water temperature reaches up to 8 degrees.It is taking place on the surface of the ocean near the coast of the Kola and Scandinavian Peninsula.Its average speed is 1.4 km / h.
considered within the Norwegian branch of the Atlantic flow.Here salinity is kept at around 35%.The temperature of the masses - from +5 to +12 degrees.
Climatic data
Features of the Arctic Ocean are also in severe weather performance.It is thanks to such a cold climate in the waters over millions of years stored huge glaciers.The polar region has an acute shortage of solar heat.
In most of the ocean there is a minimal amount of precipitation.In winter, the water area is immersed in the months-long polar night.
Over the last fifteen hundred years of climate in the ocean has changed for the worse beyond recognition.
