The Norwegian Atlantic Current carries warm and salty Atlantic water northwards along the Norwegian continental shelf break outside the Norwegian Coastal Current. When entering the Barents Sea it splits into two main branches which a flow northeast along the Hopen Trench, and a flow eastward parallel to the coastal current towards Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Smaller Atlantic water currents also enter the Barents Sea from north-west region, and the flows have substantial impact on climate conditions in the northwestern Barents Sea. The Norwegian Coastal Current flows close to shore, and eastward into the Barents Sea. Its temperature has a strong seasonal signal. Cold fresh Arctic water arrives mainly from the Arctic Ocean. Atlantic and Arctic water masses are separated by the Polar Front, which is characterised by strong temperature and salinity gradients. In the western Barents Sea the front position is stable, but in the eastern Barents Sea the front position varies seasonally and inter-annually. The Barents Sea is characterised by large inter-annual variations in ice conditions. Variability in ice coverage is linked to quantities of inflowing Atlantic water, the northerly winds, and import of ice from the Arctic Ocean and the Kara Sea.

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