Seasonal and Interannual Variability of the Barents Sea Temperature

Abstract

Analysis of the monthly average temperature data of the Barents Sea at various depths for the period 1948-2016 showed its growth, which accelerated significantly since the mid-1980s. Against the background of this growth, interannual variability was found over periods of 2 to 7 years and about 10 years. It is shown that periods of this variability can be associated, respectively, with El Nino - Southern Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation. It has been hypothesized that the Global Atmospheric Oscillation may be the synchronizing mechanism of the interannual variability of the tropics of the Pacific Ocean, the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea. Interdecadal changes with a period of about 15 years were also found, which are most likely related to surface temperature anomalies carried by the North Atlantic Current.