The knowledge of sea ice movement in the Arctic is very important both in the practical and pure scientific sense. We considered the Barents Sea, a dynamic region where sea ice can create problems for growing industrial activities, and analyzed ice drift in spring 2003–2016, covering the last cold period, rapid warming and ice retreat. Using IFREMER data, which derives drift vectors from satellite images, we obtained drifting lines and made inferences about possible origin and characteristics of sea ice in the southern Barents Sea. The obtained lines can be used for verification of mathematical models.
The Barents Sea is a region of long-term human activities which has been thoroughly investigated for centuries (see overview (Adrov, 2002). The ice regime has been particularly studied since the middle of last century, and the main features (variability of the ice edge, ice formation, concentration, drift) and driving forces (wind, currents, wave and tidal processes) are known (Frolov et al., 2009; Mironov, 2004; Vinje and Kvambekk, 1991; Zubakin, 2006). A great volume of research and literature is devoted to the drift of icebergs (Dmitriev and Nesterov, 2007; Keghouche et al., 2009; Marchenko et al., 2010; Zubakin et al., 2007).
However, the specifics of ice movement (current and average speed, particular trajectories, changes under global warming) and ice drift patterns are still not clear, especially for the northern and central part of the sea, because of a lack of field observations.
In addition to its scientific value, the knowledge of ice drift has practical applications. Ice drift information can answer the questions "What kind of ice should we expect near offshore constructions and in the way of vessels? What is the origin and what are the properties of this ice?" If it is first-year ice, forming in-situ in rather warm conditions of the central part of the Barents Sea, it is rarely dangerous. But ice drifting from far north has completely different properties. It can have inclusions of icebergs from north of Svalbard or Franz Josef Land, or ridges of multiyear ice from the Arctic Ocean, or rubble field similar to the field investigated near Edge Island in 2016 (Marchenko and Marchenko, 2017). "Level 2nd-year ice", observed south of 75°N in 2003, was 2.20 m thick (Buzin, 2009). Such ice can be very hazardous and should be taken into consideration during risk assessment of activities in the Barents Sea. Given these potentially dangerous conditions and increasing activity in the region, the investigation of sea ice drift and reconstruction of drifting lines and patterns is an important and timely task.
