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The Barent Sea Ecosystem

Introduction:

The Barents Sea is relatively shallow, with an average depth of 230 m. The oceanographic conditions are strongly affected by the variable inflow from the Norwegian Sea. Recent water temperatures have been the highest levels observed. Pollution levels in the sea are generally very low, but toxic substances, which are transported into the area by currents, are found to accumulate in some top predators such as birds and mammals.

Zooplankton production is high, but variable. A wide variety…

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Barents Sea Facts

Russian name: Barentsevo More
Size: 1.4 million km2 in surface area (approximately four times as large as Norway).
Depth: Average depth = 230 m, Maximum depth = 500 m
Fisheries: Bottom fish such as cod, haddock, Greenland halibut, long rough dab, and redfish. Other commercially important species include: capelin; northern shrimp; minke whales, and harp seals
Special features:

  • Large annual variations in temperature relative to ice coverage
  • A shallow sea which makes up a portion of the continental shelf around the Arctic Ocean
  • Has one of the largest concentrations of sea birds in the world: approximately 20 million individuals distributed across 40 different species
  • Management of living marine resources in the Barents Sea is carried out through collaboration between Norway and Russia.

What is an ecosystem?

Ecosystems are often described in terms of energy transfer between levels of the food chain. Behind the energy transfer, however, a life or death struggle between predators and prey is taking place. This struggle, in which every individual tries to make the most of itself by spreading its genes, results in what we call the “interplay of nature”. This interplay is fascinating, both as a field of study and as a management problem.

More about ecosystem

Contact

Ingolf Røttingen
55 23 84 04