Features of the Barents Sea circulation

Abstract

During the period 1970-1996, a number of current measurements were carried out in the Barents Sea by different institutions. The observations include measurements from fixed mooring buoys and data from drifting satellite tracked buoys. Parts of the data were published previously in technical reports with rather limited distribution. The aim of the present report is to summarise the results from both Eularian and Lagrangian current measurements with the main focus on the mean conditions. The current variability is discussed in relation to the longest time series. The results show that, with only a few exceptions, the current direction is almost the same through the whole water column. The current velocities are low in general, except along the Norwegian coast and some localities around the Svalbard Bank. In most locations, the current shows great temporal variability. In the longest time series, there is a weak seasonal signal showing stronger currents during winter than summer.