In which ocean is the Bering Sea located? Bering Sea: geographical location, description
The former inland sea of the Russian Empire is now the easternmost possession of our state. The northeastern territories are still waiting for their conquerors. One of the pantries natural resources this part of the planet is the Bering Sea, geographical position which not only plays a significant role in the development of local regions, but also opens up great prospects for Russia's expanding economic activity in the Arctic latitudes.
Bering Sea. Description
The northern margin of the Pacific Basin is the largest of all the seas washing the shores of Russia. Its area is 2,315 thousand km2. For comparison: the surface of the Black Sea is five and a half times smaller. The Bering Sea is the deepest coastal sea and one of the deepest in the world. The lowest mark is at a depth of 4,151 m, and the average depth is 1,640 m. Deep-water areas are located on the southern side of the water area and are called the Aleutian and Commander basins. Surprisingly, with such indicators, about half of the seabed is only half a kilometer away from the sea surface. Relative shallow water allows us to attribute the sea to the continental-oceanic type. The Northern Far Eastern reservoir holds 3.8 million km 3 of water. Most scientists explain the origin of the Bering Sea by cutting off from the rest of the ocean by the Commander-Aleutian ridge, which arose as a result of global tectonic processes in the distant past.
History of discovery and development
The modern hydronym comes from the name of the first European explorer Vitus Bering. A Dane in Russian service organized two expeditions in 1723-1943. The purpose of his travels was to find the border between Eurasia and America. Although the strait between the continents was discovered by topographers Fedorov, Gvozdev and Mashkov, it was later named after a hired navigator. During the second expedition of Bering, the territories of the northern part of Pacific Ocean and Alaska was discovered. On old Russian maps, the northern water area is called the Bobrov, or the Kamchatka Sea. The coast has been explored by Russian explorers since the beginning of the 18th century. So, Timofey Perevalov in the 30s compiled a map of some territories of Kamchatka and Chukotka. Thirty years later, D. Cook visited these places. The tsarist government sent expeditions here under the leadership of Sarychev, Bellingshausen and Kotzebue. Modern name was proposed by the Frenchman Fliorier. This term came into wide use thanks to the Russian navigator Admiral Golovnin.
Description of the geographical position of the Bering Sea
Geomorphological features are defined by the natural boundaries of the coastline to the east and west, by a group of islands to the south, and a speculative frontier to the north. The northern border adjoins the waters of the strait of the same name, which connects with the Chukchi Sea. The demarcation runs from Cape Novosilsky in Chukotka to Cape York on the Seward Peninsula. From east to west, the sea stretches for 2,400 km, and from north to south - 1,600 km. The southern border is marked by the archipelagos of the Commander and Aleutian Islands. Pieces of land in the ocean outline a kind of giant arc. Beyond it is the Pacific Ocean. The northernmost edge of the world's largest body of water is the Bering Sea. The geometric pattern of the water area is characterized by the narrowing of the water space towards the Arctic Circle. The Bering Strait separates two continents: Eurasia and North America - and two oceans: the Pacific and the Arctic. The northwestern waters of the sea wash the shores of Chukotka and the Koryak Upland, the northeastern - the west of Alaska. The runoff of continental waters is negligible. From the side of Eurasia, Anadyr flows into the sea, and the legendary Yukon has its mouth on the shores of Alaska. The Kuskokuim River flows into the sea in the bay of the same name.
Coast and islands
Numerous bays, inlets and peninsulas form the indented coastline that characterizes the Bering Sea. The Olyutorsky, Karaginsky and Anadyrsky bays are the largest on the Siberian shores. The vast bays of Bristol, Norton and Cuscoquim are on the coast of Alaska. A few islands are different in origin: mainland islands are small areas of land within the boundaries of continental plateaus, islands of volcanic origin make up the inner, and folded type - the outer belt of the Commander-Aleutian arc. The ridge itself stretches for 2,260 km from Kamchatka to Alaska. The total area of the islands is 37,840 km2. The Commander Islands belong to Russia, all the rest of the USA: Pribylova, St. Laurentia, St. Matvey, Karaginsky, Nunivak and, of course, the Aleuts.
Climate
Significant fluctuations in average daily temperatures, more typical for continental areas of land, distinguish the Bering Sea. Geographic location is a determining factor in the formation of the region's climate. Most of the sea area is subarctic. The north side belongs to the arctic zone, and the south to temperate latitudes. The western side is getting colder. And due to the fact that the Siberian territories adjacent to the sea warm up less, this part of the water area is much colder than the eastern one. Over the central part of the sea in the warm season, the air warms up to +10 °C. In winter, despite the penetration of arctic air masses, it does not fall below -23 °C.
Hydrosphere
In the upper horizons, the water temperature decreases towards northern latitudes. The waters washing the Eurasian coast are colder than the North American zone. In the coldest season off the coast of Kamchatka, the sea temperature on the surface is +1…+3 °C. Off the coast of Alaska, it is one or two degrees higher. In summer, the upper layers warm up to +9 °C. The considerable depth of the straits of the Aleutian ridge (up to 4,500 m) contributes to active water exchange with the Pacific Ocean at all horizons. The influence of the waters of the Chukchi Sea is minimal due to the small depth of the Bering Strait (42 m).
In terms of the degree of wave formation, the first place among the seas of Russia is also occupied by the Bering Sea. Which ocean is the higher water area is reflected in the characteristics of the degree of roughness of the periphery. Significant depths and storm activity are derivatives of heavy seas. For most of the year, waves are observed with a height of water crests up to 2 m. In winter, there are a number of storms with a wave height of up to 8 m. Over the past hundred years of observations, ship logbooks have recorded cases of waves up to 21 m high.
ice conditions
The ice cover is local by type of origin: the massif forms and melts in the water area itself. The Bering Sea in the northern part is covered with ice at the end of September. First of all, the ice shell binds closed bays, gulfs and the coastal zone, and the range reaches its greatest distribution in April. Melting ends only in the middle of summer. Thus, the surface in the zone of high latitudes is covered with ice for more than nine months of the year. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off the coast of Chukotka, in some seasons the ice does not melt at all. The south side, on the other hand, does not freeze throughout the year. Warm masses from the ocean come through the Aleutian straits, which squeeze the ice edge closer to the north. The sea strait between the continents is clogged with pack ice for most of the year. Some ice fields reach a thickness of six meters. Off the coast of Kamchatka, drifting massifs are found even in August. Piloting of sea vessels on the Northern Sea Route requires the participation of icebreakers.
Animal and plant world
Gulls, guillemots, puffins and other feathered inhabitants of subpolar latitudes arrange their colonies on coastal rocks. On the gently sloping shores, you can find rookeries of walruses and sea lions. These real monsters of the Bering Sea reach a length of more than three meters. AT in large numbers sea otters meet. Marine flora is represented by five dozen coastal plants. In the south, the vegetation is more diverse. Phytoalgae promote the development of zooplankton, which in turn attracts many marine mammals. Humpback whales, representatives of gray and toothy species of cetaceans - killer whales and sperm whales come here to feed. The Bering Sea is extremely rich in fish: the underwater fauna is represented by almost three hundred species. Sharks also live in northern waters. The polar fish keeps at great depths, and the dangerous predator - salmon - does not show aggression towards people. Without a doubt, the depths of the sea have not yet revealed all their secrets.
Between Asia and America
Small groups of animal traders began to explore the northeastern waters from the 40s of the 18th century. The islands of the Aleutian archipelago, like a huge natural bridge, allowed merchants to reach the coast of Alaska. The position of the Bering Sea, namely its non-freezing part, contributed to the establishment of a busy navigation between Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka and the newly built strongholds on the American mainland. True, Russian expansion in America did not last long, only about eighty years.
Territorial disputes
During the reign of M. S. Gorbachev, an agreement was concluded on concessions in favor of the United States of a significant part of the sea and the continental shelf with a total area of almost 78 thousand km 2. In June 1990, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, E. Shevardnadze, together with the State Secretary, D. Baker, signed a corresponding agreement. The domestic trawl fleet lost the opportunity to fish in the middle part of the sea. In addition, Russia has lost a significant segment of a promising oil-bearing province on the shelf. The bill was approved by the US Congress in the same year. In Russia, the agreement is subject to constant criticism and has not yet been ratified by parliament. The dividing line was named Shevardnadze-Baker.
Economic activity
The economy of the region consists of two components: fishing industry and maritime transport. Inexhaustible fish resources contribute to the vigorous activity of Russian fishing companies. Many processing plants have been built on the coast of Kamchatka. On an industrial scale, fishing for herring, salmon cod and flounder species is carried out. On a small scale, mainly in the interests of the indigenous population, hunting of marine animals and cetaceans is allowed. In recent years, scientific interest in this Far Eastern region has increased. This is mainly due to the search for hydrocarbon deposits on the shelf. Three small oil-bearing basins have been discovered off the coast of Chukotka.
Klondike at the bottom of the ocean
On the sea depths no comprehensive studies have yet been carried out, the purpose of which would be to search for minerals or collect geological data for further prospective searches. Mineral deposits are unknown within the boundaries of the water area. And on the coastal areas, deposits of tin and semiprecious stones have been discovered. Hydrocarbon deposits have been discovered in the Anadyr Basin. But on the opposite coast, they have been plowing up the bottom for several years in search of the yellow metal. One hundred years ago, the impetus for the development of the region was gold found on the shores of the Yukon and the gold rush that followed. The Bering Sea at the beginning of the 21st century gives new hopes. Thirst for profit gives rise to ingenious technical devices. An ordinary excavator, a screen for sifting inert materials and an impromptu room resembling a construction trailer, which houses an electric generator, are installed on an old barge. Such technical "monsters" of the Bering Sea are becoming more and more widespread.
Original Discovery Channel Project
For the fifth season in a row, the popular science American TV channel Discovery has been following the fate of the seekers of easy money. As soon as the water area is freed from ice, prospectors from all over the world gather on the coast of Alaska, and the gold rush resumes in the northern latitudes. The Bering Sea off the coast has a shallow depth. This will allow you to use improvised means. A makeshift fleet defies the elements. The treacherous sea tests everyone for stamina and masculinity, and the seabed is reluctant to share its treasures. Only a few lucky ones were enriched by the gold rush. The ice of the Bering Sea allows some enthusiasts to continue working in the winter. Over the course of several episodes documentary film you can watch three teams of gold miners risking their lives for the coveted handful of yellow metal.
It is located in its northern part. It is separated from the boundless ocean waters by the Aleutian and Commander Islands. In the north, through the Bering Strait, it connects with the Chukchi Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean. The reservoir washes the shores of Alaska, Chukotka, Kamchatka. Its area is 2.3 million square meters. km. The average depth is 1600 meters, the maximum is 4150 meters. The volume of water is 3.8 million cubic meters. km. The length of the reservoir from north to south is 1.6 thousand km, and from west to east it is 2.4 thousand km.
History reference
Many experts believe that during the last ice age, the sea level was low, and therefore the Bering Strait was land. This so-called Bering bridge, through which the inhabitants of Asia fell into the territory of the North and South America in deep antiquity.
This reservoir was explored by the Dane Vitus Bering, who served in the Russian fleet as a captain-commander. He studied the northern waters in 1725-1730 and 1733-1741. During this time, he carried out two Kamchatka expeditions and discovered part of the islands of the Aleutian ridge.
In the 18th century, the reservoir was called the Kamchatka Sea. It was first named the Bering Sea at the initiative of the French navigator Charles Pierre de Fleurieu at the beginning of the 19th century. This name was fully fixed by the end of the second decade of the 19th century.
general description
Sea bottom
In its northern part, the reservoir is shallow, thanks to the shelf, the length of which reaches 700 km. The southwestern part is deep water. Here the depth reaches up to 4 km in some places. The transition from shallow water to the deep ocean floor is carried out along a steep underwater slope.
Water temperature and salinity
In summer, the surface layer of water warms up to 10 degrees Celsius. In winter, the temperature drops to -1.7 degrees Celsius. The salinity of the upper sea layer is 30-32 ppm. The middle layer at a depth of 50 to 200 meters is cold and practically does not change throughout the year. The temperature here is -1.7 degrees Celsius, and the salinity reaches 34 ppm. Below 200 meters, the water warms up, and its temperature rises to 4 degrees Celsius with a salinity of 34.5 ppm.
The Bering Sea receives such rivers as the Yukon in Alaska with a length of 3100 km and the Anadyr with a length of 1152 km. The latter carries its waters through the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of Russia.
Bering Sea on the map
Islands
The islands are concentrated on the boundaries of the reservoir. The main ones are considered Aleutian Islands representing an archipelago. It stretches from the coast of Alaska towards Kamchatka and has 110 islands. Those, in turn, are divided into 5 groups. There are 25 volcanoes on the archipelago, and the largest is the Shishaldin volcano with a height of 2857 meters above sea level.
Commander Islands includes 4 islands. They are located in the southwestern part of the considered reservoir. Pribylov Islands located north of the Aleutian Islands. There are four of them: St. Paul, St. George, Otter and Walrus Island.
Diomede Islands(Russia) consist of 2 islands (Ratmanov Island and Kruzenshtern Island) and several small rocks. They are located in the Bering Strait at approximately the same distance from Chukotka and Alaska. The Bering Sea is also St. Lawrence Island in the southernmost part of the Bering Strait. It is part of the state of Alaska, although it is located closer to Chukotka. Experts believe that in ancient times it was part of the isthmus connecting 2 continents.
Nunivak Island located off the coast of Alaska. Among all the islands belonging to the reservoir in question, it is the second largest after St. Lawrence. In the southern part of the Bering Strait is also located island of St. Matthew, owned by the USA. Karaginsky island located near the coast of Kamchatka. The highest point on it (High Mountain) is 920 meters above sea level.
sea coast
The sea coast is characterized by capes and bays. Of the bays on the Russian coast, one can name Anadyr, washing the shores of Chukotka. Its continuation is the Gulf of the Cross, located to the north. Karaginsky Bay is located off the coast of Kamchatka, and Olyutorsky Bay is located to the north. Deep in the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Gulf of Korfa is wedged.
Bristol Bay is located off the southwestern coast of Alaska. To the north are smaller bays. This is Kuskokwim, into which the river of the same name flows, and Norton Bay.
Climate
AT summer period the air temperature rises to 10 degrees Celsius. In winter it drops to -20-23 degrees Celsius. The Bering Sea is covered with ice by the beginning of October. The ice melts by July. That is, the reservoir is covered with ice for almost 10 months. In some places, such as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ice can be present all year round.
Marine mammals such as bowhead and blue whales, sei whales, fin whales, humpback whales, and sperm whales live in the sea. There are also northern fur seals, beluga, seals, walruses, polar bears. Up to 40 species of different birds nest on the coast. Some of them are unique. In total, about 20 million birds breed in this region. 419 species of fish are registered in the reservoir. Salmon, pollock, king crab, Pacific cod, halibut, and Pacific perch are of commercial value.
The further development of the ecosystem of the reservoir under consideration is uncertain. AT this region over the past 30 years, there has been a slight but steady growth sea ice. This was in sharp contrast to the seas of the Arctic Ocean, where the ice surface is steadily decreasing.
The Bering Sea is located in the north of the Pacific Ocean, from the waters of which it is fenced off by the islands of the Commander-Aleutian chain. It occupies a leading position in terms of area and depth among the Russian seas. The map of the world clearly shows that its waters wash the shores of two continents: Asia and America.
Scientists consider the reason for the formation of the reservoir to be the action of tectonic processes, through which the Commander-Aleutian ridge was cut off from the Pacific Ocean. At the beginning of the 18th century, the coastal zone was studied by Russian explorers. In the 1930s, Timofey Perevalov developed a map of the area of Kamchatka and Chukotka, which D. Cook visited several decades later.
The sea is named after Vitus Bering, who explored it in 1725-1743, before that it was called Bobrov or Kamchatsky. The pond washes the shores Russian Federation and the United States of America. It is possible to get to it by air flight to the port cities of Anadyr and Nome.
Basic indicators:
The sea is located in three climatic zones:
- arctic (northern part);
- temperate marine (southern zone);
- subarctic (central part).
About 80% of the reservoir is covered with an ice layer for ten months a year; in the southern region, the warm Aleutian current prevents freezing of the water surface. Storms are strong in the west, with wind gusts reaching 40 m/s, arising under the influence of the Siberian anticyclone.
Notable explorers of the sea
A large-scale study of the oceans, in order to search for new territories, began at the end of the 15th century. In 1648, S.I. Dezhnev passed through the Strait, later called the Bering Strait. In the 18th century, expeditions under the command of V.I. Bering and A.I. Chirikov reached the shores of North America.
Oceanographic work in the North Pacific was carried out by I.F. Kruzenshtern, Yu.F. Lisyansky, O.E. Kotzebue, F.F. Bellingshausen, M.P. Lazarev and other sailors.
Vitus Bering
IN AND. Bering in 1724 was appointed commander of the First Kamchatka Expedition, its task was to explore the seas of the northern region of the Pacific Ocean and search for a strait between the two continents.
As a result of travel 1725-1730. put on the world map:
- Karaginsky, Anadyrsky, Kamchatsky bays.
- Providence Bay.
- Island of St. Lawrence.
- Bering Strait.
- Avacha lip.
The result of the second expedition (1733-1743), during which V. Bering died, was the discovery of Shumaginsky, Evdokeevsky, St. Stephen, Kodiak, St. Marcian Islands.
I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky
I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky made the first round-the-world voyage under the flag of the Russian Navy. In the period 1803-1806. they collected data on climate, atmospheric pressure, specific gravity, density and other indicators of sea water.
F.P. Litke
F.P. Litke is a Russian admiral who conducted research in the Arctic and the Pacific Ocean.
In 1826 - 1829. under his leadership, the Pribylov Islands were discovered and the Karaginsky archipelago was explored, and a description of the western coast of the Bering Sea was also compiled.
S.O. Makarov
In 1887-1888. S.O. Makarov conducted research on the distribution of water density. He noted that warm water, which has a large specific gravity, is located closer to the surface near the Commander Islands than off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
K.M. Deryugin, P. Schmidt, G.A. Ushakov
In the 1920s, K.M. Deryugin, together with P. Schmidt and G.A. Ushakov compiled maps of temperature and salinity distribution in the waters of the Bering Sea.
P.A. Moiseev
The Bering Sea on the world map is located in the northern zone of the Pacific Ocean, where in 1958-1963. conducted his research scientist-ichthyologist P.A. Moiseev. The achievement of the Bering Sea scientific and fishing expedition was the discovery of halibut, sea bass, and grenadier habitats.
A little earlier, under his leadership, large concentrations of flounders were discovered off the coast of Sakhalin. These fish have become an object of fishing in the seas of the Far East.
G.E. Ratmanov
In 1935 G.E. Ratmanov took part in the study of the Bering Sea, during the expedition traces of intermediate Atlantic waters were discovered, the oceanologist managed to confirm their existence and collect accurate data in 1940.
Inflowing rivers
About 120 rivers flow into the Bering Sea, 2 of which are the largest:
currents in the sea
Permanent currents in the sea are formed under the influence of tides, winds and the influx of water from the straits of the Aleutian chain. The main stream passes at a longitude of 170°, it goes around the Rat Ridge, after which it heads east, forming a circulation above the basin of the reservoir.
In the north of the sea, it diverges in two directions: towards the Bering Strait and along the coast of Kamchatka. Surface currents include: Kuroshio (-1.7 °C) and Kamchatka (1.7 °C).
Representatives of flora and fauna
AT flora The Bering Sea is dominated by:
- diatoms floating freely in the water layer;
- bottom plants are common in coastal areas;
- kelp, fucus are used by the population as food raw materials.
In addition to commercial fish: salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, pink salmon, whales, seals, walruses live in the reservoir. Hunting for these mammals is carried out exclusively for the needs local residents. There are katrans and polar sharks in the sea, which do not pose a danger to people.
Bird markets are arranged on the rocks: gulls, puffins, guillemots, terns, loons. For 1 sq. km can accommodate 200 thousand individuals.
Fur seal rookeries are located on Pribylov and the Commander Islands. Despite the limitation of production, their numbers are declining. According to scientists, the decline in the population contributes to the garbage pushed out by the sea on the coast.
Main port cities
The Bering Sea on the world map is limited by Chukotka and Kamchatka with the western, northern zone of Alaska - with the east and the Aleutian Islands - on the south side. On the shore of the reservoir there are two port cities.
Anadyr is the easternmost city in Russia The population of the capital of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is 15 thousand people, the area is 20 square meters. km. Winter in the village lasts seven months, during which blizzards and snowstorms are observed. The average summer temperature is +11°С, in January it reaches -22°С.
Nome - small town Alaska with a population of about 4 thousand people, average temperature reaches -45 °C, which prevents the dense settlement of the region. It was founded as locality for gold miners, the number of inhabitants then amounted to 20 thousand people, in the 30s. In the 20th century, the “gold rush” passed, and about a thousand people remained in the settlement.
Large bays
The major bays of the sea include:
| Name | Location |
| Anadyr | Between capes Chukotsky and Navarin. |
| Karaginsky | Between the Ilpinsky and Ozernaya peninsulas. |
| Olyutorsky | Northeast coast of Kamchatka. |
| Norton | Near Steward's Peninsula |
| Bristol | Southwest coast of Alaska. |
| Cross | At south coast Chukotka Peninsula. |
Large islands of the sea
Most large islands Bering Sea are:
Use of the sea
The Bering Sea is actively exploited in two directions: fisheries and maritime transport. It catches various types of fish (mainly salmon) and whales. Within the water area developed shipping fish products.
Fisheries
The fauna of the reservoir includes 315 species of fish, 25 of which are used for fishing by three states: the Russian Federation, the USA and Japan. The annual catch of Russia is about 600 thousand tons. The main prey are: pollock, pink salmon, flounder, halibut, herring, grenadier. Most valuable object fishing - salmon, which live in the west of the sea and off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Cod is caught in the Anadyr-Navarin region, Karaginsky Bay, as well as in the west and east of Kamchatka. Pollock is mined in the West Bering Sea, Chukotka zones and the Karaginsky subzone. Flounder stocks are located in Bristol Bay, in this area they catch sea bass, halibut and sable fish.
The Bering Sea belongs to the productive regions of the World Ocean (1500 kg / sq. km). Due to active fishing, stocks of salmon, king crabs, and cod are depleted.
Sea transport
The Bering Sea on the world map is a semi-enclosed water area of the Pacific Ocean between the continents of Asia and North America. In its western part there is a road, which is a link between the Far Eastern ports and the Northern route. Most of the cargoes are: oil products, fish, timber, which are transported to the eastern regions of the continent.
Fishing in the sea
The main prey in the Bering Sea are: flounder, mackerel, char, halibut, pink salmon, gobies. Salmon can be caught off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The abundance of zooplankton attracts gray whales, killer whales, sperm whales, quotas are introduced for the catch of cetaceans, which excludes the decline in populations of these mammals.
Fishing without a permit to catch aquatic biological resources is prohibited, with the exception of species whose fishing is carried out freely in accordance with Russian legislation. In Russia, due to inaccessibility, tourist and fishing tours in the region are not carried out. Fishing in the sea is popular among the population of America and Canada.
The sea is fraught with many mysteries, for example, there are interesting information regarding depth, discoverer, strong winds and icebergs in the waters of the Bering Sea.
The deepest sea washing Russia
The Bering Sea is the deepest in the Russian Federation. The maximum mark reaches 4151 m below sea level.
Who really discovered
In 1740, the ships "St. Peter" under the command of V. Bering and "St. Paul", captained by A.I. Chirikov went to the Second Kamchatka Expedition. At the end of June 1741, due to bad weather conditions ships lost sight of each other.
Packetball V. Bering reached the shores of America on July 20, and a few months later suffered a severe shipwreck, the commander himself died in December of the same year on the island, which was later named after him. A.I. Chirikov approached the coast of North America on 15 July.
In 1818, the Beaver (or Kamchatka) Sea was renamed the Bering Sea at the suggestion of the head of two round the world expeditions V.M. Golovin.
lingering storms
A feature of the Bering Sea are frequent and prolonged storms. The reason for strong winds is the seasonal variability of circulation processes. The reservoir is influenced by the Aleutian depression, which includes cyclones from Japan.
Strengthening of storm activity occurs in September and reaches its apogee in November-December, hurricanes may not subside for 7 days in a row.
icebergs in summer
The northern part of the Bering Sea is covered with ice for more than half a year. In mid-April, the process of clearing the reservoir of ice begins, in case harsh winter, currents can bring icebergs to the west even in summer. Wandering icebergs can accumulate, lean on each other, but due to strong winds, they are quickly destroyed.
Nevertheless, seagoing vessels going by the Northern Sea Route need icebreakers.
The economy of the region includes two components: fishing and shipping. Despite the northern location on the world map, which explains the low water temperatures (in winter they reach -23 ° C), the Bering Sea is not lifeless, it contains 28 species of macrophyte algae, about 300 species of fish, as well as sharks, whales , seals.
On the coast of the reservoir is the Tymlat fish processing plant. The Northern Sea Route runs along the reservoir, thanks to which East End mainland is supplied with fish products, timber, oil.
Article formatting: Lozinsky Oleg
Video about the Bering Sea
Bering Sea - features, location, flora and fauna:
The Bering Sea is a sea that washes the shores of the United States and Russia, located in the north of the largest ocean in the world - the Pacific.
The Bering Strait connects the Bering Sea with the Arctic Ocean and the Chukchi Sea.
Historical events
For the first time, the Bering Sea was mapped only in the 18th century, when it was called the Beaver Sea or the Kamchatka Sea.
In 1725, the navigator and officer of the Russian fleet Viktor Bering, who had Danish roots, equipped his expedition to explore the then Beaver Sea. Bering passed the strait, which was named after him and explored the sea, but did not find the coast of North America.
Bering was convinced that the shores of North America were not too far from the shores of Kamchatka, which, if the theory was confirmed, would make it possible to trade with the American tribes. In 1741, he nevertheless reached the shores of North America, thereby overcoming the Kamchatka Sea.
Later, the sea changed its name in honor of the great navigator and geographer - it became known as the Bering Sea, also as a strait that separates the continents of Eurasia and North America. The sea received its current name only in 1818 - such an idea was proposed by French researchers who appreciated Bering's discoveries. However, on the maps of the thirties of the XIX century, it still bore the name Bobrovoe.
Characteristic
The total area of the Bering Sea reaches 2,315,000 square kilometers, and its volume is 3,800,000 cubic kilometers. The most deep point The Bering Sea is located at a depth of 4150 meters, and the average depth does not exceed 1600 meters. Seas like the Bering Sea are usually called marginal, because it is located on the very edge of the Pacific Ocean. It is this sea that separates two large continents: North America and Asia.
Quite an impressive coastline is mainly capes and small bays - the coast is simply indented by them. Only a couple of large rivers flow into the Bering Sea: the North American Yukon River, which is more than three thousand kilometers long, and the Russian Anadyr River, which is much shorter - only 1,150 km.
The climate is influenced by arctic air masses that collide with southern warm ones coming from tropical and temperate latitudes. As a result, a cold climate is formed - the weather is unstable, there are protracted (about a week) storms. Wave height reaches 7 - 12 meters.
Since the Bering Sea is located in the northern latitudes, from the beginning of September the temperature here drops to minus and the surface of the water is covered with a layer of ice. The ice in the Bering Sea only melts in July, which means that it is not covered with ice for only two months. The Bering Strait is not covered with ice because of the current. The salt level in the water fluctuates from 33 to 34.7%.
Bering Sea. sunset photo
In summer, the water surface temperature reaches approximately 7-10 degrees Celsius. However, in winter the temperature drops seriously and reaches -3 degrees Celsius. The intermediate layer of water is constantly cold - its temperature never rises above -1.7 degrees - this applies to the layer from 50 to 200 meters. And the water at a depth of 1000 meters reaches approximately -3 degrees.
Relief
The bottom relief is very heterogeneous, often transitioning into deep depressions. In the south is the deepest point of the sea at more than four thousand meters. There are also several underwater ridges at the bottom. The seabed is covered mainly with shells, sand, diatomaceous silt and gravel.
Cities
There are few cities on the coast of the Bering Sea, and there are certainly no large ones among them due to the very far location from civilization and severe weather throughout the year. However, attention should be paid to the following cities:
- Provideniya is a small port settlement, which was founded in the middle of the 17th century, as a bay for crafts - mainly whaling ships stood here. Only in the middle of the 20th century did the construction of the port begin here, which led to the construction of the town around it. The official founding date of Providence is 1946. Now the population of the town is only slightly more than 2 thousand people;
- Nome is an American town in the state of Alaska, where, according to the latest census, almost four thousand people live. Nome was founded as a settlement of gold miners in 1898 and already in the next year its population was about 10 thousand - everyone fell ill with the "gold rush". Already in the thirties of the XX century, the boom of the "gold rush" came to naught and a little more than a thousand inhabitants remained in the city;
Anadyr photo
- Anadyr is one of the largest cities on the coast, with a population of over 14,000 and growing steadily. The city is located in a zone of almost permafrost. There is a large port of the same name and a fish factory. In addition, gold and coal are mined in the vicinity of the city. The population also breeds deer, is engaged in fishing and, of course, hunting.
Animal world
Despite the fact that the Bering Sea is rather cold, this does not in the least prevent it from being home to many species of fish, the number of species of which reaches more than four hundred, all of which are widespread, with a few exceptions. These four hundred hundred species of fish include seven species of salmon, about nine species of gobies, five species of eelpouts, and four species of flounder.
Birds over the Bering Sea photo
Of the four hundred species, 50 of them are industrial fish. Also objects for industrial production are four types of crab, two types of cephalopods and four types of shrimp.
Among mammals, a large population of seals can be noted, including seals, bearded seals, common seals, Pacific walruses and lionfish. Walruses and seals form huge rookeries on the coast of Chukotka.
Coastal Sea. Walrus photo
In addition to pinnipeds, cetaceans are also found in the Bering Sea, among which are quite rare species such as narwhal, humpback whales, bowhead whales, southern or Japanese whales, incredibly rare northern blue whales and no less rare fin whales.
- The Gulf of Laurentia, in the Bering Sea, sometimes does not clear ice on its surface for years at all;
- The city of Nome on the coast of the Bering Sea hosts the most prestigious husky races, and there was also a real story that formed the basis of the Balto cartoon, where a dog saved children from diphtheria.
The Bering Sea is located between 51 and 66 ° N. sh. and 157 s. and 163° E. is generally regarded as an extension of the North Pacific Ocean. The area of the Bering Sea is 2300 thousand km2, the average volume of water is 3700 thousand km3, the average depth is 1636 m. mediterranean sea largest of the relatively closed (semi-enclosed) seas.
The Bering Sea, which has the shape of a sector with a radius of 1500 km, lies between the shores of the Asian continent of Russia in the west, the Alaska Peninsula in the east and the chain of the Aleutian Islands (USA) in the south. At the top of the Bering Sea is the Bering Strait. The sea and the strait are named after the navigator Vitus Bering, who commanded a large Russian expedition in 1725-1742, which explored the coast of Kamchatka and Alaska.
The relief of the bottom of the Bering Sea
The relief of the bottom of the Bering Sea is unusual: the neritic (0-200 m) and abyssal (more than 1000 m) zones are almost the same in area and make up about 90% of the total area. The vast continental shelf, over 400 miles wide, in the northeastern part of the Bering Sea is one of the largest in the world. The continental shelf continues northwards through the narrow Bering Strait. to the Chukchi Sea and is sometimes referred to as the Bering-Chukotka platform.Although the platform is currently covered with water, geological and paleontological evidence suggests that Siberia and Alaska are two parts of the same continent, the connection between which was interrupted by periodic bottom subsidence several times in the last 50-60 million years. The last subsidence is believed to have occurred around the end of the Pliocene or beginning of the Pleistocene, about a million years ago. The continental shelf along the Aleutian island arc and the coast of Russia is very narrow. The continental slope almost along its entire length passes into the deep-sea bed with steep ledges. The slope is 4-5°, except for the southeastern region, where the Bering Canyon, apparently the largest in the world, has a slope of 0.5°. The Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Island Arc, which limit the water exchange of the Bering Sea in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, are of volcanic origin; their formation dates back to the end of the Cenozoic era.
The island arc, the northernmost in the Pacific Ocean, consists of six groups of islands: Commander, Near, Krys'i, Andreyanovsk, Chetyrekhsopochnye, and Lis'i, which rise from a depth of about 7,600 m in the Aleutian Trench and from a depth of 4,000 m in the Bering Sea depression.
The deepest strait (4420 m) is located in the west of the Bering Sea between Kamchatka and the western tip of Bering Island (Commander Islands). Here are also the most great depths measured in the Bering Sea.
Climate of the Bering Sea
The average air temperature in winter is from -25°C in the Bering Strait to 2°C near the Aleutian Islands, in summer it is -10°C. 35% of the days are rainy in the year, snow is a common occurrence from September to June. The mean pressure at sea level ranges from 1000 mb in winter, when the low pressure area shifts to the south of the central part of the Bering Sea under the influence of the Aleutian Low, to 1011 mb in summer, when the influence of the East Pacific high pressure area affects. Over the Bering Sea, the sky is usually covered with clouds (the average annual cloudiness in the north is 5-7 points, in the south 7-6 points per year.) And there is often fog. On the rivers of the western and eastern mainland coasts, ice begins to form in October. By early November, fast ice is found in most bays and harbors, and sea ice is found in the south of the Bering Strait. By January, sea ice reaches its maximum development and spreads up to the 200 m isobath, with the exception of the Kamchatka coast, where cold air masses coming from the mainland cause the formation of ice beyond the 200 m isobath, the coasts of the Aleutian Islands and the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula, where the relatively warm Alaskan current delays the formation of sea ice.
Sea ice usually covers 80-90% of the surface of the Bering Sea, and the Bering Sea has never been observed to be completely covered with a solid ice sheet (the same applies to the Bering Strait). Ice fields usually have a thickness of up to 2 m, however, podsov and hummocking, especially near the coast, can increase the thickness of the ice up to 5-10 m.
The area occupied by ice is relatively constant until April, after which there is a rapid destruction and displacement of the ice boundary to the north. First of all, the destruction of ice occurs in coastal areas, where it melts under the influence of continental runoff, and usually by the end of July the Bering Sea is free of ice.
Hydrological regime
The tides off the coast of the southwestern part of the Bering Sea are diurnal and approximately at 60° N. mixed; north of 62° N. sh. only semidiurnal tides are observed. Off the coast of Alaska, from the Bering Strait to the Alaska Peninsula, mixed tides are observed, and diurnal tides are found only off the coast of the central (Krys'i and Andreyanovskie) and western (Four Hills and Fox) groups of islands of the Aleutian island arc. The average semi-monthly tides are small (from 0.5 to 1.5 m), with the exception of the Anadyr and Bristol Bays, where they are 2.5 and 5.0 m, respectively.According to modern concepts, the currents in the narrow straits of the Aleutian Islands are mainly tidal with equally strong components of the tide and low tide and with a speed of 150 to 400 cm/s. The main current in the Bering Sea, which is important for the water balance, is observed at a longitude of 170° E, where the flow converges with waters going north in the western subarctic circulation, resulting in the formation of a cyclonic gyre in the western part of the Aleutian Basin and an anticyclonic gyre near the Krys'ye ridge. The main current continues to go north, skirting the Rat Ridge, then turns to the east, forming a general cyclonic circulation over the deep-water basin of the Bering Sea.
In the eastern part of the Bering Sea, in the area where the main current exits to the continental shelf and turns to the north, cyclonic and anticyclonic gyres are formed. In the northern part of the Bering Sea, the current diverges, with one branch going north into the Bering Strait, the other going southwest along the coast of Kamchatka, where it obviously becomes the East Kamchatka Current and returns to the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The currents over the continental shelf along the coast of Alaska are mostly tidal, except for the coastal region, where the waters of the river flow move northward and exit through the Bering Strait. Currents up to 300 cm/s were observed in the eastern part of the Bering Strait.
The current speed is about 3-4 times greater in August and September than in February and March, when the sea is covered with ice. The features of this current, supplying about 20% of the inflow to the Arctic Basin, can generally be explained by the winds that prevail over the Arctic Basin, the Bering Sea and the Greenland Sea. In the extreme western part of the Bering Strait, a southward countercurrent, or "polar" current, periodically arises.
Currents at depths are not well understood. Although the water temperature in the northern areas of the continental shelf is very low in winter, the salinity of surface water is not high enough to form deep water in the Bering Sea.
