Russian scientists have discovered a previously unknown surface current in the Arctic that carries warm and salty Atlantic waters from the Barents Sea through the northern Kara Sea to the continental slope of the Arctic Ocean. Researchers believe that the discovery could help adjust existing shipping routes, and in the future, icebreakers may begin to travel along the current. This was reported by the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The study involved specialists from the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, MIPT, AARI, MMBI RAS, MSU, and the MSU Center for Marine Research. Scientists described the properties of the flow that carries Atlantic waters through the northern part of the Kara Sea towards the continental slope of the Arctic Ocean.
According to Alexander Osadchiev, Deputy Director of the IO RAS for Scientific and Innovative Work, in the future, the current could become a guide for the winter route of icebreakers from the Barents Sea to the Laptev Sea through the Saint Anna Trough.
The proposed direction passes significantly north of the usual route through the Vilkitsky Strait, but with further ice reduction, it may prove to be simpler for navigation.
For now, we are talking about the possible future application of the research results, and not about a ready-made route for icebreakers. The practical feasibility of such a direction should be assessed taking into account shipping conditions and ice conditions.