Editing Barents Sea (section)

===Ecology===
[[Image:Barents Sea in Bloom.jpg|thumb|Phytoplankton bloom in the Barents Sea. The milky-blue colour that dominates the bloom suggests that it contains large numbers of [[coccolithophores]].]]
Due to the [[North Atlantic drift]], the Barents Sea has a high biological production compared to other oceans of similar latitude. The [[spring bloom]] of [[phytoplankton]] can start quite early near the ice edge because the fresh water from the melting ice makes up a stable water layer on top of the seawater. The [[phytoplankton]] bloom feeds [[zooplankton]] such as ''Calanus finmarchicus'', ''Calanus glacialis'', ''Calanus hyperboreus'', ''Oithona'' spp., and [[krill]]. The [[zooplankton]] feeders include young [[Atlantic cod|cod]], [[capelin]], [[polar cod]], [[whales]], and [[little auk]]. The capelin is a key food for top predators such as the north-east Arctic [[Atlantic cod|cod]], [[harp seal]]s, and seabirds such as the [[common guillemot]] and [[Brunnich's guillemot]]. The fisheries of the Barents Sea, in particular the [[Atlantic cod|cod]] fisheries, are of great importance for both Norway and Russia.

SIZEX-89 was an international winter experiment in 1989 for which the main objectives were to perform sensor signature studies of different ice types to develop SAR algorithms for ice variables, such as ice types, ice concentrations and ice kinematics.<ref name="Ref_c">''Sea ice modeling in the Barents Sea during SIZEX 89'' (Haugan, P.M., Johannessen, O.M. and Sandven, S., IGARSS´90 symposium, Washington D.C., 1990)</ref> Although previous research suggested that predation by whales may be the cause of depleting fish stocks, more recent research suggests that marine mammal consumption has only a trivial influence on fisheries. A model assessing the effects of fisheries and climate was far more accurate at describing trends in fish abundance.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Corkeron | first = Peter J. | date = April 23, 2009 | title = Marine mammals' influence on ecosystem processes affecting fisheries in the Barents Sea is trivial | journal = Biology Letters | volume = 5 | issue = 2 | pages = 204–206 | publisher = [[Royal Society|The Royal Society]] | issn = 1744-957X | doi = 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0628 | pmid = 19126534 | pmc = 2665811}}</ref> There is a genetically distinct [[polar bear]] population associated with the Barents Sea.<ref name="Ref_d">C.M. Hogan, 2008</ref>