Articles | Volume 20, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-895-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-895-2024
Research article
 | 
11 Jul 2024
Research article |  | 11 Jul 2024

The Polar Front in the northwestern Barents Sea: structure, variability and mixing

Eivind H. Kolås, Ilker Fer, and Till M. Baumann

Data sets

Ocean microstructure measurements using an MSS profiler during the Nansen Legacy cruise, GOS2020113, October 2020 Fer, I., Baumann, T. M., Elliot, F., and Kolås, E. H https://doi.org/10.21335/NMDC-239170563

Ocean hydrography and current profiles from the Nansen Legacy Winter Process Cruise to the northern Barents Sea, KH2021702, February 2021 Fer, I., Nilsen, F., Baumann, T. M., Kalhagen, K., Koenig, Z., and Kolås, E. H. https://doi.org/10.21335/NMDC-1544015310

Ocean hydrography and current profiles from the Nansen Legacy cruise to the northern Barents Sea, GOS2020113, October 2020 Fer, I., Skogseth, R., Astad, S., Baumann, T., Elliot, F., Falck, E., Gawinski, C., Kalhagen, K., and Kolås, E. https://doi.org/10.21335/NMDC-1752779505

Ocean hydrography and current profiles from the Nansen Legacy Process Cruise to the Barents Sea, KB2022625, October 2022 Fer, I., Baumann, T. M., Koenig, Z., Randelhoff, A., Rieke, O., Hana, I., and Årvik, A. https://doi.org/10.21335/NMDC-943526062

Physical oceanography data from gliders in the Barents Sea, August 2019 - February 2021 Kolås, E. H., Fer, I., Peterson, A., Brakstad, A., and Elliot, F. https://doi.org/10.21335/NMDC-381060465

Dissipation measurements from a Slocum glider at the Barents Sea Polar Front, October 2020 Fer, I., Kolås, E. H., and Elliot, F. https://doi.org/10.21335/NMDC-1033548414

Arctic Ocean – Sea and Ice Surface Temperature Copernicus https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00130

Global Ocean Gridded L 4 Sea Surface Heights and Derived Variables Reprocessed 1993 Ongoing Copernicus https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00148

Arc2kmTM: Arctic 2 kilometer Tide Model S. L. Howard and L. Padman https://doi.org/10.18739/A2PV6B79W

Global Sea Ice Concentration (netCDF) – DMSP OSI-SAF https://doi.org/10.15770/EUM_SAF_OSI_NRT_2004

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Short summary
In the northwestern Barents Sea, we study the Barents Sea Polar Front formed by Atlantic Water meeting Polar Water. Analyses of ship and glider data from October 2020 to February 2021 show a density front with warm, salty water intruding under cold, fresh water. Short-term variability is linked to tidal currents and mesoscale eddies, influencing front position, density slopes and water mass transformation. Despite seasonal changes in the upper layers, the front remains stable below 100 m depth.