The White Sea: Available Data and Numerical Models

• Published in: Geosciences
• Main Authors: Ilya Chernov, Alexey Tolstikov
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2020
• Subjects: data; numerical modelling; simulation; White Sea; Arctic; Barents Sea; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10110463

The White Sea is a small shallow semi-closed sea in the North-West of Russia. It is strongly affected by induced tides, so the tidal motion dominates in the sea. Sea ice is seasonal and the water salinity is less than in the neighbouring Barents sea due to strong river discharge. We review the sources of in-situ and satellite data that are available for the sea, and describe those few numerical models, together with the challenges that are faced. We focus on the large-scale circulation and thermohaline fields, but also cover sea ice, river runoff, and pelagic biogeochemical data.