The Barents Sea Polar Front limits the expansion winter sea ice

What is it about?

In the Arctic Ocean, north of Norway and Russia there is a transition from cool to cold sea water known as the Polar Front. This feature has previously been misses but is important for constraining the sea surface interactions between water and the atmosphere or sea ice. In this paper, we use satellite temperature measurements to see where the Polar Front is. We also show that an increase in the temperature of water entering the Barents Sea from the southwest has caused a sea ice regeme shift where sea ice has retreat north of the Polar Front in winters after the mid-2000s.

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Why is it important?

The change to winter sea ice could affect weather patterns in Europe and Russia as more heat and moisture enters the atmosphere. The loss of winter sea ice also alters the amount of heat and freshwater that enters the Arctic Ocean. The Barents Sea is a productive fishing region and the recent changes to water temperature and sea ice cover could alter the ecosystem here.

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