Barents Sea drift ice characteristics

Abstract

A short review of the ice field characteristics in the Barents Sea is given. A digitised ice distribution data set covering the period 1966-88 has been used to calculate the probability distribution of sea ice and temporal trends. The ice-covered area between 68 and 83°N and 10 and 55°E at the end of the melting season is found to have been reduced by 40% during the last 23 years. The maximum extension, however, shows no significant decrease over the same period, and this indicates that there might have been a reduction/increment in the ice thickness/melting effects in the Barents Sea during the last 23 years.