Message on the Bering Sea. Bering Sea: geographical location, description. Temperature and salinity

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 Russian seas. The world map clearly shows that its waters wash the shores of two continents: Asia and America.

Scientists believe that the reason for the formation of the reservoir was the action of tectonic processes, through which the Komandor-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 30s, 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 Kamchatka. A body of water washes its shores Russian Federation and the United States of America. You can get to it by air travel 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).

The Bering Sea on the world map shows that it is located in three climate zones.

About 80% of the reservoir is covered with ice for ten months of the year; in the southern region, the warm Aleutian Current prevents freezing of the water surface. Strong storms in the west, with wind gusts reaching 40 m/s, arise under the influence of the Siberian anticyclone.

Famous sea explorers

Large-scale exploration of the world's oceans, with the aim of finding 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 Ocean was carried out by I.F. Krusenstern, 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 the strait between the two continents.

As a result of the journey of 1725-1730. The following were included on the world map:

• Karaginsky, Anadyrsky, Kamchatka bays.
• Providence Bay.
• Island of St. Lawrence.
• Bering Strait.
• Avacha Bay.

The result of the second expedition (1733-1743), during which V. Bering died, was the discovery of the Shumaginsky, Evdokeevsky, St. Stephen's, Kodiak, St. Marciana Islands.

I.F. Krusenstern and Yu.F. Lisyansky

I.F. Krusenstern and Yu.F. Lisyansky made the first circumnavigation of the world 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 was a Russian admiral who conducted research in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.

In 1826 - 1829 under his leadership, the Pribilof Islands were discovered and the Karaginsky archipelago was explored, and a description was compiled west coast Bering Sea.

S.O. Makarov

In 1887-1888 S.O. Makarov conducted research concerning the distribution of water density. He noted that warm water, which has a high 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 20s of the 20th century, K.M., Deryugin, together with P. Schmidt and G.A. Ushakov compiled maps of the distribution of temperature and salinity of 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. ichthyologist P.A. conducted his research. Moiseev. The achievement of the Bering Sea scientific and fishing expedition was the discovery of habitat areas for halibut, sea bass, and grenadiers.

A little earlier, under his leadership, they discovered large clusters flounder off the coast of Sakhalin. These fish have become the 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 obtain confirmation of their existence and collect accurate data in 1940.

Flowing rivers

About 120 rivers flow into the Bering Sea, 2 of which are the largest:

Currents in the sea

Constant 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 flow passes at longitude 170°, it goes around the Rat Ridge, after which it heads east, forming a circulation above the depression 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

IN flora The Bering Sea is dominated by:

• diatoms floating freely in the water layer;
• bottom plants are common in coastal areas;
• kelp and fucus are used by the population as food raw materials.

In addition to commercial fish: salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, pink salmon, the reservoir is also inhabited by whales, seals, and walruses. Hunting for these mammals is carried out exclusively for the needs of local residents. There are katrans in the sea and polar sharks, which do not pose a danger to people.

Bird markets are organized on the rocks: gulls, puffins, guillemots, terns, loons. For 1 sq. km can accommodate 200 thousand individuals.

Fur seal rookeries are located on the Pribilof and Commander Islands. Despite the limited production, their numbers are decreasing. According to scientists, the decline in population is facilitated by garbage pushed by the sea onto 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 eastern and Aleutian Islands - with the southern side. There are two port cities on the shores of the reservoir.

Anadyr is the easternmost city of Russia Population of the capital of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is 15 thousand people, area - 20 square meters. km. Winter in the settlement lasts seven months, during which blizzards and snow storms are observed. The average summer temperature is + 11 °C, in January it reaches -22 °C.

Nom – small town State of Alaska with a population of about 4 thousand people, the 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 was 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

Large bays of the sea include:

Name	Location
Anadyrsky	Between capes Chukotsky and Navarin.
Karaginsky	Between the Ilpinsky and Ozernaya peninsulas.
Olyutorsky	North-eastern coast of Kamchatka.
Norton	Near Steward Peninsula
Bristol	Southwest coast of Alaska.
Cross	U south coast Chukotka Peninsula.

Large islands of the sea

The largest islands in the 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. Marine transportation of fish products is developed within the water area.

Fisheries

The fauna of the reservoir includes 315 species of fish, 25 of which are used for fishing by three countries: the Russian Federation, the USA and Japan. Russia's annual catch is about 600 thousand tons. The main catches are: pollock, pink salmon, flounder, halibut, herring, and grenadiers. The most valuable fishing object is salmon, which live in the west of the sea and off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Cod fishing occurs in the Anadyr-Navarinsky region, Karaginsky Bay, as well as in the west and east of Kamchatka. Pollock is caught in the West Bering Sea, Chukotka zones and Karaginsk subzone. Flounder stocks are located in Bristol Bay, and sea bass, halibut and sablefish are caught in the area.

The Bering Sea is one of the productive regions of the World Ocean (1500 kg/sq. km). Due to active fishing, stocks of salmon, Kamchatka crabs, and cod are depleted.

Sea transport

The Bering Sea on the world map is a semi-enclosed body of water in the Pacific Ocean between the continents of Asia and North America. In its western part there is a road that connects the Far Eastern ports with the Northern Route. The predominant cargoes are oil products, fish, and 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, and gobies. Salmon can be caught off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The abundance of zooplankton attracts gray whales, killer whales, and sperm whales; quotas are introduced for the catch of cetaceans, which prevents a decline in the populations of these mammals.

Fishing without a permit to catch aquatic biological resources is prohibited, with the exception of species that can be caught freely in accordance with Russian legislation. In Russia, due to inaccessibility, tourist and fishing tours are not conducted in the region. Sea fishing is popular among the population of America and Canada.

The sea is fraught with many mysteries, for example, there is interesting information regarding the depth, the 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 elevation reaches 4151 m below sea level.

Who actually discovered

In 1740, the ships “St. Peter” under the command of V. Bering and “St. Paul”, captained by A.I. Chirikov went on the Second Kamchatka Expedition. At the end of June 1741, due to bad weather conditions, the ships lost sight of each other.

V. Bering's package 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 in his honor. A.I. Chirikov approached the coast of North America on July 15.

In 1818, the Beaver (or Kamchatka) Sea was renamed the Bering Sea at the suggestion of the leader of two round-the-world expeditions V.M. Golovin.

Lingering storms

A feature of the Bering Sea is frequent and prolonged storms. The cause of strong winds is the seasonal variability of circulation processes. The reservoir is influenced by the Aleutian depression, which includes cyclones from Japan.

Storm activity intensifies in September and reaches its climax 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 the year. In mid-April, the process of clearing the reservoir of ice begins, in the event harsh winter, currents can bring icebergs to the west even in summer. Wandering icebergs can accumulate and pile on top of each other, but thanks to strong winds, they are quickly destroyed.

Nevertheless, sea vessels traveling along the Northern Sea Route need icebreakers.

The region's economy includes two components: fishing and shipping. Despite the northern location on the world map, which explains the low water temperatures (in winter period 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, and fur seals.

On the coast of the reservoir there is the Tymlat fish processing plant. The Northern Sea Route runs through the reservoir, thanks to which the eastern part of the continent is supplied with fish products, timber, and oil.

Article format: Lozinsky Oleg

Video about the Bering Sea

Bering Sea - features, location, flora and fauna:

Square2,315,000 km² Volume3,796,000 km³ Greatest depth4151 m Average depth1600 m Bering Sea Bering Sea K: Water bodies in alphabetical order

Story

Name of the sea

Subsequently, the sea was named after the navigator Vitus Bering, under whose leadership it was explored in 1725-1743. The Bering Strait, which connects the sea with the Arctic Ocean, is also named after him.

First time title Bering Sea was proposed by the French geographer S. P. Fliorier at the beginning of the 19th century, but was introduced into use only in 1818 by the Russian navigator V. M. Golovnin. However, on New geographic road map Russian Empire 1833 it is still marked - Beaver Sea .

Modern history

Physiographic location

Area 2.315 million sq. km. The average depth is 1600 meters, the maximum is 4,151 meters. The length of the sea from north to south is 1,600 km, from east to west - 2,400 km. Water volume - 3,795 thousand cubic meters. km.

The Bering Sea is marginal. It is located in the North Pacific Ocean and separates the Asian and North American continents. In the northwest it is limited by the coasts of Northern Kamchatka, the Koryak Highlands and Chukotka; in the northeast - the coast of Western Alaska. The southern border of the sea is drawn along the chain of the Commander and Aleutian Islands, forming a giant arc curved to the south and separating it from the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. The Bering Strait in the north connects it with the Arctic Ocean and numerous straits in the Komandor-Aleutian chain in the south with the Pacific Ocean.

The islands are mainly located on the edge of the sea:

• US territory (state of Alaska): Pribilof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Diomede Islands (eastern - Krusenstern Island), St. Lawrence Island, Nunivak, King Island, St. Matthews Island.
• territory of Russia. Chukotka Autonomous Okrug: Diomede Islands (western - Ratmanov Island). Kamchatka Territory: Commander Islands, Karaginsky Island.

The large rivers Yukon and Anadyr flow into the sea.

The air temperature over the water area is up to +7, +10 °C in summer and −1, −23 °C in winter. Salinity 33-34.7‰.

Every year, from the end of September, ice forms, which melts in July. The surface of the sea (except for the Bering Strait) is covered with ice for about ten months annually (about five months, half of the sea, about seven months, from November to May, the northern third of the sea). The Gulf of Lawrence is not clear of ice at all in some years. In the western part of the Bering Strait, ice brought by currents can occur even in August.

Bottom relief

The seabed is covered with terrigenous sediments - sand, gravel, shell rock in the shelf zone and gray or green diatomaceous silt in deep-sea areas.

Temperature and salinity

The surface water mass (up to a depth of 25-50 meters) throughout the sea has a temperature of 7-10 °C in summer; In winter, temperatures drop to −1.7-3 °C. The salinity of this layer is 22-32 ppm.

The intermediate water mass (layer from 50 to 150-200 m) is colder: the temperature, which varies little by season, is approximately −1.7 °C, salinity is 33.7-34.0‰.

Below, at depths of up to 1000 m, there is a warmer water mass with temperatures of 2.5-4.0 °C and salinity of 33.7-34.3 ‰.

The deep water mass occupies all bottom areas of the sea with depths of more than 1000 m and has temperatures of 1.5-3.0 °C, salinity - 34.3-34.8 ‰.

Ichthyofauna

The Bering Sea is home to 402 species of fish from 65 families, including 9 species of gobies, 7 species of salmon, 5 species of eelpout, 4 species of flounder and others. Of these, 50 species and 14 families are commercial fish. Fishing objects also include 4 types of crabs, 4 types of shrimp, 2 types of cephalopods.

Main marine mammals The Bering Sea includes animals from the order Pinnipeds: ringed seal (akiba), common seal (larga), bearded seal (bearded seal), lionfish and Pacific walrus. Among the cetaceans - narwhal, gray whale, bowhead whale, humpback whale, fin whale, Japanese (southern) whale, sei whale, northern blue whale. Walruses and seals form rookeries along the coast of Chukotka.

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Notes

1. on the World Digital Library website
2. // Military Encyclopedia: [in 18 volumes] / ed. V. F. Novitsky [and others]. - St. Petersburg. ; [M.]: Type. t-va I.V. Sytin, 1911-1915.
3. Leontyev V.V., Novikova K. A. Bering Sea // Toponymic Dictionary of the North-East of the USSR / scientific. ed. G. A. Menovshchikov; Far Eastern Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. North-East complex. Research Institute Lab. archaeology, history and ethnography. - Magadan: Magad. book publishing house, 1989. - P. 86. - 15,000 copies. - ISBN 5-7581-0044-7.
4. New geographical road map The Russian Empire with the meaning of 57 provinces, 8 regions, 4 city administrations, 4 directorates, 8 voivodeships, the Land of Greater and Lesser Kabarda and Kyrgyz Kaisakov. With an indication of educational districts, cities, remarkable places, water communications, postal roads, and the distance between them in miles. Compiled and published by Captain Mednikov, an employee at the Military Printing Depot. 1833. St. Petersburg. The publication of this map serves as the only guide for teachers and students of Russian geography in the course of G.G. Professor. Arsenyev and Zyaslavsky and for those traveling around Russia
5. Leonov A.K. Regional oceanography. - Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 1960. - T. 1. - P. 164.
6. .

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• Shlyamin B. A. Bering Sea. - M.: Gosgeografgiz, 1958. - 96 p.: ill.
• Shamraev Yu. I., Shishkina L. A. Oceanology. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1980.

Links

• in the book: A. D. Dobrovolsky, B. S. Zalogin. Seas of the USSR. - M.: Publishing house Moscow. University, 1982.
• [nationalatlas.rf/cd1/274-275.html Bering Sea ( physical map, scale 1:5 000 000)] // National Atlas of Russia. - M.: Roscartography, 2004. - T. 1. - P. 274-275. - 496 s. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 5-85120-217-3.

Excerpt describing the Bering Sea

Princess Marya, lowering her head, left the circle and went into the house. Having repeated the order to Drona that there should be horses for departure tomorrow, she went to her room and was left alone with her thoughts.

For a long time that night, Princess Marya sat at the open window in her room, listening to the sounds of men talking coming from the village, but she did not think about them. She felt that no matter how much she thought about them, she could not understand them. She kept thinking about one thing - about her grief, which now, after the break caused by worries about the present, had already become past for her. She could now remember, she could cry and she could pray. As the sun set, the wind died down. The night was quiet and fresh. At twelve o'clock the voices began to fade, the rooster crowed, the full moon began to emerge from behind the linden trees, a fresh, white mist of dew rose, and silence reigned over the village and over the house.
One after another, pictures of the close past appeared to her - illness and her father’s last minutes. And with sad joy she now dwelled on these images, driving away from herself with horror only one last image of his death, which - she felt - she was unable to contemplate even in her imagination at this quiet and mysterious hour of the night. And these pictures appeared to her with such clarity and with such detail that they seemed to her now like reality, now the past, now the future.
Then she vividly imagined that moment when he had a stroke and was dragged out of the garden in the Bald Mountains by the arms and he muttered something with an impotent tongue, twitched his gray eyebrows and looked at her restlessly and timidly.
“Even then he wanted to tell me what he told me on the day of his death,” she thought. “He always meant what he told me.” And so she remembered in all its details that night in Bald Mountains on the eve of the blow that happened to him, when Princess Marya, sensing trouble, remained with him against his will. She did not sleep and at night she tiptoed downstairs and, going up to the door to the flower shop where her father spent the night that night, listened to his voice. He said something to Tikhon in an exhausted, tired voice. He obviously wanted to talk. “And why didn’t he call me? Why didn’t he allow me to be here in Tikhon’s place? - Princess Marya thought then and now. “He will never tell anyone now everything that was in his soul.” This moment will never return for him and for me, when he would say everything he wanted to say, and I, and not Tikhon, would listen and understand him. Why didn’t I enter the room then? - she thought. “Maybe he would have told me then what he said on the day of his death.” Even then, in a conversation with Tikhon, he asked about me twice. He wanted to see me, but I stood here, outside the door. He was sad, it was hard to talk with Tikhon, who did not understand him. I remember how he spoke to him about Lisa, as if she were alive - he forgot that she died, and Tikhon reminded him that she was no longer there, and he shouted: “Fool.” It was hard for him. I heard from behind the door how he lay down on the bed, groaning, and shouted loudly: “My God! Why didn’t I get up then?” What would he do to me? What would I have to lose? And maybe then he would have been consoled, he would have said this word to me.” And Princess Marya said out loud the kind word that he said to her on the day of his death. “Darling! - Princess Marya repeated this word and began to sob with tears that relieved her soul. She now saw his face in front of her. And not the face that she had known since she could remember, and which she had always seen from afar; and that face is timid and weak, which on the last day, bending down to his mouth to hear what he said, she examined up close for the first time with all its wrinkles and details.
“Darling,” she repeated.
“What was he thinking when he said that word? What is he thinking now? - suddenly a question came to her, and in response to this she saw him in front of her with the same expression on his face that he had in the coffin, on his face tied with a white scarf. And the horror that gripped her when she touched him and became convinced that it was not only not him, but something mysterious and repulsive, gripped her now. She wanted to think about other things, wanted to pray, but could do nothing. She looked with large open eyes at the moonlight and shadows, every second she expected to see his dead face and felt that the silence that stood over the house and in the house shackled her.
- Dunyasha! – she whispered. - Dunyasha! – she screamed in a wild voice and, breaking out of the silence, ran to the girls’ room, towards the nanny and girls running towards her.

On August 17, Rostov and Ilyin, accompanied by Lavrushka, who had just returned from captivity, and the leading hussar, from their Yankovo ​​camp, fifteen versts from Bogucharovo, went horseback riding - to try a new horse bought by Ilyin and to find out if there was any hay in the villages.
Bogucharovo had been located for the last three days between two enemy armies, so that the Russian rearguard could have entered there just as easily as the French vanguard, and therefore Rostov, as a caring squadron commander, wanted to take advantage of the provisions that remained in Bogucharovo before the French.
Rostov and Ilyin were in the most cheerful mood. On the way to Bogucharovo, to the princely estate with an estate, where they hoped to find large servants and pretty girls, they either asked Lavrushka about Napoleon and laughed at his stories, or drove around, trying Ilyin’s horse.
Rostov neither knew nor thought that this village to which he was traveling was the estate of that same Bolkonsky, who was his sister’s fiancé.
Rostov and Ilyin let the horses out for the last time to drive the horses into the drag in front of Bogucharov, and Rostov, having overtaken Ilyin, was the first to gallop into the street of the village of Bogucharov.
“You took the lead,” said the flushed Ilyin.
“Yes, everything is forward, and forward in the meadow, and here,” answered Rostov, stroking his soaring bottom with his hand.
“And in French, your Excellency,” Lavrushka said from behind, calling his sled nag French, “I would have overtaken, but I just didn’t want to embarrass him.”
They walked up to the barn, near which stood a large crowd of men.
Some men took off their hats, some, without taking off their hats, looked at those who had arrived. Two long old men, with wrinkled faces and sparse beards, came out of the tavern and, smiling, swaying and singing some awkward song, approached the officers.
- Well done! - Rostov said, laughing. - What, do you have any hay?
“And they are the same...” said Ilyin.
“Vesve...oo...oooo...barking bese...bese...” the men sang with happy smiles.
One man came out of the crowd and approached Rostov.
- What kind of people will you be? - he asked.
“The French,” Ilyin answered, laughing. “Here is Napoleon himself,” he said, pointing to Lavrushka.
- So, you will be Russian? – the man asked.
- How much of your strength is there? – asked another small man, approaching them.
“Many, many,” answered Rostov. - Why are you gathered here? - he added. - A holiday, or what?
“The old people have gathered on worldly business,” the man answered, moving away from him.
At this time, along the road from the manor's house, two women and a man in a white hat appeared, walking towards the officers.
- Mine in pink, don’t bother me! - said Ilyin, noticing Dunyasha resolutely moving towards him.
- Ours will be! – Lavrushka said to Ilyin with a wink.
- What, my beauty, do you need? - Ilyin said, smiling.
- The princess ordered to find out what regiment you are and your last names?
- This is Count Rostov, squadron commander, and I am your humble servant.
- B...se...e...du...shka! - the drunk man sang, smiling happily and looking at Ilyin talking to the girl. Following Dunyasha, Alpatych approached Rostov, taking off his hat from afar.
“I dare to bother you, your honor,” he said with respect, but with relative disdain for the youth of this officer and putting his hand in his bosom. “My lady, the daughter of General Chief Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, who died this fifteenth, being in difficulty due to the ignorance of these persons,” he pointed to the men, “asks you to come... would you like,” Alpatych said with a sad smile, “to leave a few, otherwise it’s not so convenient when... - Alpatych pointed to two men who were running around him from behind, like horseflies around a horse.

The former inland sea of ​​the Russian Empire is now the easternmost possessions of our state. The northeastern territories are still waiting for their conquerors. One of the storehouses of natural resources of 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 enormous prospects for Russia’s expanding economic activity in the Arctic latitudes.

Bering Sea. Description

The northern edge of the Pacific Basin is the most extensive of all the seas washing the shores of Russia. Its area is 2,315 thousand km 2. For comparison: the surface of the Black Sea is five and a half times smaller. The Bering Sea is the deepest of the coastal seas and one of the deepest in the world. Most low point is located 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. It is surprising that with such indicators, about half of the seabed is only half a kilometer away from the sea surface. The relative shallowness of the water allows us to classify the sea as a 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 being cut 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. The Dane, in Russian service, organized two expeditions in 1723-1943. The purpose of his travels was to search for 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 the hired navigator. During Bering's second expedition, the territories of the North Pacific Ocean were explored and Alaska was discovered. On old Russian maps, the northern body of water is called the Bobrov Sea, or the Kamchatka Sea. The coast has been explored by Russian explorers since the beginning of the 18th century. Thus, 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, Bellinghausen 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 location of the Bering Sea

Geomorphological characteristics are determined by natural boundaries coastline in the east and west, a group of islands in the south and a speculative boundary in the north. The northern border adjoins the waters of the strait of the same name, connecting with the Chukchi Sea. The demarcation runs from Cape Novosilsky on 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 largest body of water on the planet is the Bering Sea. The geometric pattern of the water area is characterized by a 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 waters wash the west of Alaska. The flow of continental waters is negligible. From the side of Eurasia, Anadyr flows into the sea, and on the shores of Alaska the legendary Yukon has its mouth. The Kuskokuim River flows into the sea in the bay of the same name.

Coast and islands

Numerous bays, bays and peninsulas form the rugged coastal pattern 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 Kuskokwim are located on the shores of Alaska. The few islands are different in origin: continental islands are small areas of land within the boundaries of the continental plateaus, islands of volcanic origin make up the inner, and folded ones make up the outer belt of the Commander-Aleutian arc. The ridge itself stretches 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 are USA: Pribylova, St. Larentia, St. Matvey, Karaginsky, Nunivak and, of course, the Aleuts.

Climate

Significant fluctuations in average daily temperatures, more typical of continental landmasses, characterize the Bering Sea. Geographical location is a determining factor in the formation of the region's climate. Most of the sea's territory is in the subarctic zone. The northern side belongs to the Arctic zone, and the southern side to temperate latitudes. The western side is cooling more strongly. 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 time of the year off the coast of Kamchatka, the sea surface temperature 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 significant depth of the straits of the Aleutian ridge (up to 4,500 m) promotes active water exchange with the Pacific Ocean at all levels. The influence of the waters of the Chukchi Sea is minimal due to the shallow depth of the Bering Strait (42 m).

In terms of the degree of wave formation, the Bering Sea also occupies first place among the seas of Russia. Which ocean is the higher water area is reflected in the characteristics of the degree of storminess of the periphery. Significant depths and storm activity are the result of strong waves. For most of the year, waves with a height of water crests of up to 2 m are observed. In winter, there are a number of storms with wave heights of up to 8 m. Over the last hundred years of observations, cases of waves with a height of up to 21 m have been recorded in ship log books.

Ice conditions

The ice cover is local in origin: the massif forms and melts in the water area itself. The Bering Sea in the northern part becomes covered with ice at the end of September. First of all, the ice shell binds closed bays, bays and the coastal zone, and the range reaches its greatest distribution in April. Melting ends only in mid-summer. Thus, the surface in the high latitude zone is covered with ice for more than nine months a year. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off the coast of Chukotka, in some seasons the ice does not melt at all. South side, on the contrary, does not freeze throughout the year. Warm masses from the ocean enter through the Aleutian straits, which push the edge of the ice closer to the north. The sea strait between the continents is clogged with pack ice 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 ships traveling along the Northern Sea Route requires the participation of icebreakers.

Animal and plant life

Gulls, guillemots, puffins and other feathered inhabitants of the polar latitudes establish their colonies on the coastal rocks. Along 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. Sea otters are found in large numbers. 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 the gray and toothed species of cetaceans - killer whales and sperm whales - come here to feed. The Bering Sea is exceptionally rich in fish: the underwater fauna is represented by almost three hundred species. Sharks also live in northern waters. The polar fish lives at great depths, and the dangerous predator - the 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 fur traders began to develop the northeastern waters in the 40s of the 18th century. The islands of the Aleutian archipelago, like a huge natural bridge, allowed traders to reach the shores of Alaska. The position of the Bering Sea, namely its ice-free part, contributed to the establishment of busy shipping between Petropavlovsk on 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 continental shelf with total area almost 78 thousand km 2. In June 1990, USSR Foreign Minister E. Shevardnadze and Secretary of State D. Baker signed a corresponding agreement. The domestic trawl fleet has lost the opportunity to catch fish in the middle part of the sea. In addition, Russia has lost a significant segment of the promising oil-bearing province on the shelf. The bill was approved by the US Congress that same year. In Russia, the agreement is constantly criticized and has not yet been ratified by parliament. The dividing line was named Shevardnadze - Baker.

Economic activity

The region's economy consists of two components: fishing and maritime transport. Inexhaustible fish resources contribute to the active activities of Russian fishing companies. Many processing plants have been built on the coast of Kamchatka. Herring, salmon, cod and flounder species are fished on an industrial scale. On a small scale, mainly in the interests of the indigenous population, hunting of marine animals and cetaceans is allowed. IN last years Scientific interest in this Far Eastern region has increased. This is mainly caused by the search for hydrocarbon deposits on the shelf. Three small oil basins have been discovered off the coast of Chukotka.

Klondike at the bottom of the ocean

Comprehensive research has not yet been carried out at the sea depths, the purpose of which would be to search for minerals or collect geological data for further promising searches. Within the boundaries of the water area, mineral deposits are unknown. And in coastal areas, deposits of tin and semi-precious 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 in search of yellow metal for several years. A hundred years ago, the impetus for the development of the region was gold found on the shores of the Yukon and the subsequent gold rush. The Bering Sea at the beginning of the 21st century gives new hope. The thirst for profit gives rise to ingenious technical devices. An ordinary excavator, a screen for sifting inert materials and an improvised room resembling a construction trailer in which an electric generator is placed are installed on an old barge. Such technical “monsters” of the Bering Sea are becoming increasingly widespread.

Discovery Channel Original Project

For the fifth season in a row, the American popular science Discovery TV channel monitors the fate of those seeking 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 shallow depth. This will allow you to use available tools. An improvised fleet defies the elements. The treacherous sea tests everyone's strength and courage, and the seabed is reluctant to share its treasures. Only a few lucky people were enriched by the gold rush. The ice of the Bering Sea allows some enthusiasts to continue work in winter. Over the course of several episodes documentary film You can watch three teams of gold miners risking their lives for the treasured handful of yellow metal.

Posted Sun, 09/11/2014 - 07:55 by Cap

The Bering Sea is the northernmost of our Far Eastern seas. It is, as it were, wedged between two huge continents of Asia and America and separated from the Pacific Ocean by the islands of the Commander-Aleutian arc.
It has predominantly natural boundaries, but in some places its limits are delineated by conventional lines. The northern border of the sea coincides with the southern and runs along the line of Cape Novosilsky () - Cape York (Seward Peninsula), the eastern - along the coast of the American continent, the southern - from Cape Khabuch (Alaska) through the Aleutian Islands to Cape Kamchatsky, while western - along the coast of the Asian continent. Within these boundaries, the Bering Sea occupies the space between parallels 66°30 and 51°22′ N. w. and meridians 162°20′ E. Longitude and 157°W d. Its general pattern is characterized by a narrowing contour from south to north.

The Bering Sea is the largest and deepest among the seas of the USSR and one of the largest and deepest on Earth.
Its area is 2315 thousand km2, volume 3796 thousand km3, average depth 1640 m, maximum depth 4151 m. With such large average and maximum depths, the area with depths less than 500 m occupies about half of all spaces of the Bering Sea, therefore it belongs to the marginal seas mixed continental-oceanic type.

There are few islands in the vast expanses of the Bering Sea. Not counting its boundary Aleutian island arc and the Commander Islands, in the sea itself there are large Karaginsky islands in the west and several big islands(St. Lawrence, St. Matthew, Nelson, Nunivak, St. Paul, St. George) in the east.

The sea is named after the navigator Vitus Bering, under whose leadership it was explored in 1725-1743.
On Russian maps of the 18th century, the sea is called the Kamchatka, or Beaver Sea. The name Bering Sea was first proposed by the French geographer Sh.
On June 1, 1990, in Washington, Eduard Shevardnadze, then Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, together with US Secretary of State James Baker, signed an agreement on the transfer of the Bering Sea waters to the United States along the Shevardnadze-Baker dividing line.

Physiographic location
Area 2.315 million sq. km. The average depth is 1600 meters, the maximum is 4,151 meters. The length of the sea from north to south is 1,600 km, from east to west – 2,400 km. Water volume - 3,795 thousand cubic meters. km.
The Bering Sea is marginal. It is located in the North Pacific Ocean and separates the Asian and North American continents. In the northwest it is limited by the coasts of Northern Kamchatka, the Koryak Highlands and Chukotka; in the northeast - the coast of Western Alaska.

The southern border of the sea is drawn along the chain of the Commander and Aleutian Islands, forming a giant arc curved to the south and separating it from the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. in the north it connects with the Arctic Ocean and numerous straits in the Komandor-Aleutian ridge chain in the south with the Pacific Ocean.
The seashore is indented with bays and capes. Large bays on the Russian coast: Anadyrsky, Karaginsky, Olyutorsky, Korfa, Cresta; on the American coast: Norton, Bristol, Kuskokwim.

The islands are mainly located on the edge of the sea:
US territory (Alaska):
Pribilof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Diomede Islands (eastern - Krusenstern Island), St. Lawrence Island, Nunivak, King Island, St. Matthews Island.
territory of Russia.

Kamchatka Territory: Commander Islands, Karaginsky Island.
The large rivers Yukon and Anadyr flow into the sea.

The air temperature over the water area is up to +7, +10 °C in summer and −1, −23 °C in winter. Salinity 33-34.7‰.
Every year, from the end of September, ice forms and melts in July. The surface of the sea (except for the Bering Strait) is covered with ice for about ten months annually (about five months, half of the sea, about seven months, from November to May, the northern third of the sea). The Gulf of Lawrence is not clear of ice at all in some years. In the western part of the Bering Strait, ice brought by currents can occur even in August.

whale hunting Bering Sea

Bottom relief
The topography of the seabed varies greatly in the northeastern part, shallow (see Beringia), located on a shelf more than 700 km long, and the southwestern, deep-water, with depths of up to 4 km. Conventionally, these zones are divided along an isobath of 200 meters. The transition from the shelf to the ocean floor occurs along a steep continental slope. The maximum sea depth (4151 meters) was recorded at a point with coordinates - 54° N. w. 171° W d. (G) (O) in the south of the sea.
The seabed is covered with terrigenous sediments - sand, gravel, shell rock in the shelf zone and gray or green diatomaceous silt in deep-sea areas.

Temperature and salinity
The surface water mass (up to a depth of 25-50 meters) throughout the sea has a temperature of 7-10 °C in summer; In winter, temperatures drop to −1.7-3 °C. The salinity of this layer is 22-32 ppm.

The intermediate water mass (layer from 50 to 150-200 m) is colder: the temperature, which varies little by season, is approximately −1.7 °C, salinity is 33.7-34.0‰.
Below, at depths of up to 1000 m, there is a warmer water mass with temperatures of 2.5-4.0 °C and salinity of 33.7-34.3 ‰.
The deep water mass occupies all bottom areas of the sea with depths of more than 1000 m and has a temperature of 1.5-3.0 °C and a salinity of 34.3-34.8 ‰.

Ichthyofauna
The Bering Sea is home to 402 species of fish from 65 families, including 9 species of gobies, 7 species of salmon, 5 species of eelpout, 4 species of flounder and others. Of these, 50 species and 14 families are commercial fish. Fishing objects also include 4 types of crabs, 4 types of shrimp, 2 types of cephalopods.
The main marine mammals of the Bering Sea are animals from the order Pinnipeds: ringed seal (akiba), common seal (larga), seal hare (bearded seal), lionfish and Pacific walrus. Among the cetaceans - narwhal, gray whale, bowhead whale, humpback whale, fin whale, Japanese (southern) whale, sei whale, northern blue whale. Walruses and seals form rookeries along the coast of Chukotka.

Ports:
Provideniya, Anadyr (Russia), Nome (USA).

There is no permanent population on the island, but a base of Russian border guards is located here.
The highest point is Mount Roof, 505 meters.

It is located slightly south of the geographical center of the island.

KRUZENSHTERN ISLAND
Kruzenshtern Island (English Little Diomede, translated as “Little Diomede”, Eskimo name Ingalik, or Ignaluk (Inuit Ignaluk) - “opposite”) is the eastern island (7.3 km²) of the Diomede Islands. It belongs to the USA. State - Alaska.

village on Krusenstern Island, USA, Alaska

Located 3.76 km from the island, it belongs to Russia. The state maritime border of Russia and the United States runs through the center of the strait between the islands. From Ratmanov Island to 35.68 km. Bering Sea

The most low point(316 m below sea level) - the bottom of the Kuril Lake.

Climate
The climate is generally humid and cool. It is abnormally colder and windier on the low-lying coasts (especially on the western coast) than in the center, in the valley of the Kamchatka River, fenced off by mountain ranges from the prevailing winds.

Winter - the first snow usually falls in early November, and the last melts only in August. Mountain peaks are covered with new snow already in August-September. Throughout the coastal area, winter is warm, mild, with a lot of snow; in the continental part and in the mountains it is cold, frosty with long, dark nights and very short days.

Calendar spring (March-April) is best time for skiing: the snow is dense, the weather is sunny, the day is long.

The actual spring (May, June) is short and quick. Vegetation quickly takes over the areas freed from snow and covers all available space.

Summer, in the generally accepted concept, in Kamchatka occurs only in the continental part of the peninsula. From June to August the weather is mostly cold, damp, cloudy with rain, fog and low dense clouds.

Autumn (September, October) is usually partly cloudy, dry, and warm. Sometimes warmer than summer.

Large islands:

Bering
Copper
Small islands and rocks:

around Bering Island:
Toporkov
Arius Stone
Aleut stone
Stone Nadvodny (Emelyanovsky)
Half Stone (Half)
Stone Steller
around Medny Island:
Beaver stones
Waxmuth Stone
Kekur Ship Pillar
Steller's Stone
Steller's Stone East

as well as a number of unnamed rocks.

(Chuk. Chukotkaken avtonomnyken okrug) is a subject of the Russian Federation in the Far East.
It borders on the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Magadan region and Kamchatka region. In the east it has a maritime border with the United States.
The entire territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug belongs to the regions of the Far North.
The administrative center is the city of Anadyr.

It was formed by the resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of December 10, 1930 “On the organization of national associations in areas of settlement of small nationalities of the North” as part of the Far Eastern Territory. Included the following areas: Anadyrsky (center Novo-Mariinsk, also known as Anadyr), Eastern tundra (center Ostrovnoye), Western tundra (center Nizhne-Kolymsk), Markovsky (center Markovo), Chaunsky (center in the Chaunskaya Bay area) and Chukotsky (center in the Chukotka cultural base - the Bay of St. Lawrence), transferred a) from the Far Eastern region of the Anadyr and Chukotka regions in full; b) from the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic the territory of the Eastern tundra with the border along the right bank of the Alazeya River and the Western tundra, areas of the middle and downstream Omolon River.

When the region was zoned in October-November 1932, it was left “within its previous borders as an independent national district, directly subordinate to the region.”
On July 22, 1934, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to include the Chukotka and Koryak national districts into the Kamchatka region. However, such subordination was of a rather formal nature, since from 1939-1940 the territory of the district was under the jurisdiction of Dalstroy, which exercised full administrative and economic management in the territories subordinate to it.

On May 28, 1951, by decision of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, the district was allocated to direct subordination to the Khabarovsk Territory.
Since December 3, 1953 it was part of the Magadan region.
In 1980, after the adoption of the RSFSR Law “On Autonomous Okrugs of the RSFSR”, in accordance with the 1977 Constitution of the USSR, the Chukotka National Okrug became autonomous.

On July 16, 1992, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug seceded from the Magadan Region and received the status of a subject of the Russian Federation.
Currently, it is the only autonomous district of the four that is not part of another subject of the Russian Federation.

village Egvekinot Bering Sea

Border Mode
The Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is a territory subject to a border regime.
The entry of citizens of the Russian Federation and for foreign citizens into the part of the territory of the district adjacent to the sea coast and the islands is regulated, that is, permission from the border service of the Russian Federation or documents allowing stay in the border zone are required.
Specific sections of the border zone on the territory of the district are determined by Order of the FSB of the Russian Federation dated April 14, 2006 N 155 “On the limits of the border zone on the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.” In addition, the entry of foreign citizens into the entire territory of the district is regulated in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 4, 1992 N 470 “On approval of the List of territories of the Russian Federation with regulated visits for foreign citizens,” that is, for them to visit the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug it is necessary FSB permission.

WHERE IS
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is located in the extreme northeast of Russia. It occupies the entire Chukotka Peninsula, part of the mainland and a number of islands (Wrangel, Ayon, Ratmanova, etc.).
It is washed by the East Siberian and Chukchi seas of the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean.

On the territory of the district there are the extreme points of Russia: the eastern point is , the eastern continental point is Cape Dezhnev. Here are located: the most northern city Russia - Pevek and the easternmost - Anadyr, as well as the easternmost permanent settlement - Uelen.

BERINGIA - A LEGENDARY PALEO-COUNTRY
Beringia is a biogeographic region and paleogeographic country that links together northeast Asia and northwestern North America (the Beringian sector of the Holarctic). Currently spreading to the areas surrounding the Bering Strait, Chukchi and Bering Seas. Includes parts of Chukotka and Kamchatka in Russia, as well as Alaska in the USA. In a historical context, it also included the Bering land or Beringian Isthmus, which repeatedly connected Eurasia and North America into a single supercontinent.
A study of ancient sediments on the seabed and on both sides of the Bering Strait has shown that Beringia has risen and sank again at least six times over the past 3 million years. Every time two continents connected, there was a migration of animals from the Old World to the New and back.

Bering Strait

Strictly speaking, this piece of land was not an isthmus in the traditional sense of the term, since it was a vast area of ​​the continental shelf with a width of up to 2000 km from north to south, protruding above the sea surface or hiding under it due to cyclical changes in the level of the World Ocean. The term Beringia for the isthmus was proposed in 1937 by Swedish botanist and geographer Erik Hulten.
The last time the continents separated was 10-11 thousand years ago, but before that the isthmus existed for 15-18 thousand years.
Modern research shows that during this period the route from Asia to America did not remain open all the time. Two thousand years after the emergence of the last Beringia in Alaska, two giant glaciers merged, erecting an insurmountable barrier.
It is assumed that those primitive people who managed to move from Asia to America became the ancestors of some of the current peoples living on the American continent, in particular the Tlingit and Fuegians.

Shortly before the collapse of Beringia, global climate changes made it possible for the ancestors of today's Indians to penetrate the isthmus.
Then, on the site of the isthmus, the modern Bering Strait was formed, and the inhabitants of America were isolated for a long time. However, the settlement of America occurred later, but by sea or by ice (Eskimos, Aleuts).

Cape Navarin, Bering Sea

DETAILED GEOGRAPHY OF THE BERING SEA
Main physical and geographical features.
The coastline of the Bering Sea is complex and highly indented. It forms many bays, bays, coves, peninsulas, capes and straits. The straits connecting it to the Pacific Ocean are especially important for the nature of this sea. The total cross-sectional area is approximately 730 km2, and the depths in some of them reach 1000-2000 m, and in Kamchatka - 4000-4500 m, which determines the water exchange through them not only in the surface, but also in the deep horizons and determines the significant influence Pacific Ocean to this sea. The cross-sectional area of ​​the Bering Strait is 3.4 km2, and the depth is only 42 m, so the waters of the Chukchi Sea have virtually no impact on the Bering Sea.

The coast of the Bering Sea, which is different in external shape and structure in different areas, belongs to different geomorphological types of coasts. From Fig. 34 it can be seen that they mainly belong to the type of abrasive shores, but accumulative ones are also found. The sea is surrounded mainly by high and steep shores, only in the middle part of the western and east coast Wide strips of flat, low-lying tundra approach the sea. Narrower strips of low-lying coastline are located near the mouths of small rivers in the form of a deltaic alluvial plain or border the tops of bays and bays.

In the bottom topography of the Bering Sea, the main morphological zones are clearly distinguished: the shelf and island shoals, the continental slope and the deep-sea basin. The relief of each of them has its own characteristic features. The shelf zone with depths of up to 200 m is mainly located in the northern and eastern parts of the sea, occupying more than 40% of its area. Here it adjoins the geologically ancient regions of Chukotka and Alaska. The bottom in this area of ​​the sea is a vast, very flat underwater plain about 600-1000 km wide, within which there are several islands, hollows and small rises in the bottom. The mainland shelf off the coast of Kamchatka and the islands of the Komandorsko-Aleutian ridge looks different. Here it is narrow and its relief is very complex. It borders the shores of geologically young and very mobile land areas, within which intense and frequent manifestations of volcanism and seismicity are common. The continental slope stretches from northwest to southeast approximately along the line from Cape Navarin to the island. Unimak. Together with the island slope zone, it occupies approximately 13% of the sea area, has depths from 200 to 3000 m and is characterized by a large distance from the coast and complex bottom topography. The angles of inclination are large and often vary from 1-3 to several tens of degrees. The continental slope zone is dissected by underwater valleys, many of which are typical underwater canyons, deeply cut into the seabed and having steep and even steep slopes. Some canyons, especially near the Pribilof Islands, have a complex structure.

The deep-water zone (3000-4000 m) is located in the southwestern and central parts of the sea and is bordered by a relatively narrow strip of coastal shallows. Its area exceeds 40% of the sea area: The bottom topography is very calm. It is characterized by an almost complete absence of isolated depressions. Several existing depressions differ very little from the depth of the bed; their slopes are very gentle, i.e., the isolation of these bottom depressions is weakly expressed. At the bottom of the bed there are no ridges blocking the sea from shore to shore. Although the Shirshov Ridge approaches this type, it has a relatively small depth on the ridge (mostly 500-600 m with a saddle of 2500 m) and does not come close to the base of the island arc: it is limited in front of the narrow but deep (about 3500 m) Ratmanov Trench. The greatest depths of the Bering Sea (more than 4000 m) are located in the Kamchatka Strait and near the Aleutian Islands, but they occupy a small area. Thus, the bottom topography makes it possible for water exchange between individual parts of the sea: without any restrictions within the depths of 2000-2500 m, with some limitation determined by the cross-section of the Ratmanov Trench, up to depths of 3500 m and with an even greater limitation at greater depths. However, the weak isolation of the depressions does not allow the formation of waters in them that differ significantly in their properties from the main mass.

Geographical location and large spaces determine the main features of the climate of the Bering Sea. It is almost entirely located in the subarctic climate zone, and only its extreme northern part (north of 64° N) belongs to the Arctic zone, and the southernmost part (south of 55° N) belongs to the temperate latitude zone. In accordance with this, there are certain climatic differences between different areas of the sea. North of 55-56° N. w. in the climate of the sea, especially its coastal areas, continental features are noticeably expressed, but in areas far from the coast they are much less pronounced. To the south of these parallels (55-56° N) the climate is mild, typically maritime. It is characterized by small daily and annual air temperature amplitudes, large clouds and significant amounts of precipitation. As you approach the coast, the influence of the ocean on the climate decreases. Due to stronger cooling and less significant heating of the part of the Asian continent adjacent to the sea than the American one, the western areas of the sea are colder than the eastern ones. Throughout the year, the Bering Sea is under the influence of constant centers of atmospheric action - the Polar and Honolulu maxima, the position and intensity of which are variable from season to season and the degree of their influence on the sea changes accordingly. In addition, it is influenced by seasonal large-scale pressure formations: the Aleutian minimum, the Siberian maximum, the Asian and Low American depressions. Their complex interaction determines certain seasonal characteristics of atmospheric processes.

In the cold season, especially in winter, the sea is influenced mainly by the Aleutian minimum, as well as the Polar maximum and the Yakut spur of the Siberian anticyclone. The influence of the Honolulu High, which occupies the extreme southeastern position at this time of year, is sometimes felt. This synoptic situation leads to a wide variety of winds over the sea. At this time, winds of almost all directions are observed here with greater or lesser frequency. However, northwest, north and northeast winds predominate. Their total repeatability is 50-70%. Only in the eastern part of the sea south of 50° N. w. quite often (30-50% of cases) southern and southwestern winds are observed, and in some places even southeastern. Wind speed in the coastal zone averages 6-8 m/s, and in open areas it varies from 6 to 12 m/s, and increases from north to south.

Winds from the northern, western and eastern directions carry with them cold sea arctic air from the Arctic Ocean, and cold and dry continental polar and continental arctic air from the Asian and American continents. With the winds southern directions here comes the foggy polar, and at times, tropical sea air. Over the sea, masses of continental Arctic and marine polar air predominantly interact, at the junction of which an Arctic front is formed. It is located slightly north of the Aleutian arc and generally stretches from southwest to northeast. At the frontal section of these air masses, cyclones are formed, moving approximately from southwest to northeast. The movement of these cyclones increases northern winds in the west and their weakening or even change to the southern and eastern seas.

Large pressure gradients caused by the Yakut spur of the Siberian anticyclone and the Aleutian low cause very strong winds in the western part of the sea. During storms, wind speeds often reach 30-40 m/s. Usually storms last about a day, but sometimes they last 7-9 days with some weakening. The number of days with storms in the cold season is 5-10, in some places up to 15-20 per month.
Air temperature in winter decreases from south to north. Its average monthly values ​​for the coldest months (January and February) are equal to +1 −4° in the southwestern and southern parts of the sea and −15–20° in its northern and northeastern regions, and in the open sea the air temperature is higher than in the coastal zone, where it (off the coast of Alaska) can reach −40–48°. In open spaces, temperatures below −24° are not observed.

In the warm season, a restructuring of pressure systems occurs. Starting in spring, the intensity of the Aleutian minimum decreases; in summer it is very weakly expressed. The Yakut spur of the Siberian anticyclone disappears, the Polar Maximum shifts to the north, and the Honolulu Maximum takes its extreme northwestern position. As a result of the current synoptic situation in warm seasons, southwestern, southern and southeastern winds predominate, the frequency of which is 30-60%. Their speed in the western part of the open sea is 4-5 m/s, and in its eastern regions - 4-7 m/s. In the coastal zone, wind speed is lower. The decrease in wind speed compared to winter values ​​is explained by a decrease in atmospheric pressure gradients over the sea. In summer, the Arctic front is located slightly south of the Aleutian Islands. Cyclones originate here, the passage of which is associated with a significant increase in winds. In summer, the frequency of storms and wind speeds is lower than in winter. Only in the southern part of the sea, where tropical cyclones (locally called typhoons) penetrate, do they cause severe storms with hurricane-force winds. Typhoons in the Bering Sea are most likely from June to October, usually occurring no more than once a month and lasting several days.

The air temperature in summer generally decreases from south to north and is slightly higher in the eastern part of the sea than in the western. Average monthly air temperatures in the warmest months (July and August) within the sea vary from approximately 4 to 13°, and they are higher near the coast than in the open sea. Relatively mild winters in the south and cold winters in the north and cool, cloudy summers everywhere are the main seasonal weather features in the Bering Sea.
Given the enormous volume of water in the Bering Sea, the continental flow into it is small and equal to approximately 400 km3 per year. The vast majority of river water flows into its northernmost part, where the largest rivers flow: Yukon (176 km3), Kuskokwim (50 km3) and Anadyr (41 km3). About 85% of the total annual flow occurs in the summer months. The influence of river waters on sea waters is felt mainly in the coastal zone on the northern edge of the sea in the summer.

Geographical location, vast spaces, relatively good communication with the Pacific Ocean through the straits of the Aleutian ridge in the south and extremely limited communication with the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait in the north are the determining factors in the formation of the hydrological conditions of the Bering Sea. The components of its heat budget depend mainly on climatic indicators and, to a much lesser extent, on the inflow and outflow of heat by currents. In this regard, unequal climatic conditions in the northern and southern parts of the sea entail differences in the heat balance of each of them, which accordingly affects the water temperature in the sea.
Crucial to its water balance is water exchange through the Aleutian Straits, through which very large quantities of surface and deep Pacific waters enter and water flows out of the Bering Sea. Precipitation (about 0.1% of the sea volume) and river runoff (about 0.02%) are small in relation to the huge area of ​​the sea, so they are significantly less significant in the inflow and outflow of moisture than water exchange through the Aleutian Straits.
However, water exchange through these straits has not yet been sufficiently studied. It is known that large masses of surface water exit the sea into the ocean through the Kamchatka Strait. The overwhelming amount of deep ocean water enters the sea in three areas: through the eastern half of the Near Strait, through almost all the straits of the Fox Islands, through the Amchitka, Tanaga and others straits between the Rat and Andrean Islands. It is possible that deeper waters penetrate into the sea through the Kamchatka Strait, if not constantly, then periodically or sporadically. Water exchange between the sea and the ocean affects the distribution of temperature, salinity, formation of the structure and general circulation of the waters of the Bering Sea.

Cape Lesovsky

Hydrological characteristics.
The surface water temperature generally decreases from south to north, with water in the western part of the sea being somewhat colder than in the eastern part. In winter, in the south of the western part of the sea the surface water temperature is usually 1-3°, and in the eastern part it is 2-3°. In the north throughout the sea, water temperatures range from 0° to −1.5°. In spring, the waters begin to warm up and the ice begins to melt, while the increase in water temperature is relatively small. In summer, the surface water temperature is 9-11° in the south of the western part and 8-10° in the south of the eastern part. In the northern regions of the sea it is 4-8° in the west and 4-6° in the east. In coastal shallow areas, the surface water temperature is slightly higher than the given values ​​typical for open areas of the Bering Sea (Fig. 35).

The vertical distribution of water temperature in the open part of the sea is characterized by its seasonal changes up to horizons of 250-300 m, deeper than which they are practically absent. In winter, the surface temperature, equal to approximately 2°, extends to horizons of 140–150 m, from which it rises to approximately 3.5° at horizons of 200–250 m, then its value remains almost unchanged with depth. Spring warming increases the surface water temperature to approximately 3.8°. This value is maintained up to horizons of 40-50 m, from which it initially (to horizons of 75-80 m) sharply, and then (up to 150 m) very smoothly decreases with depth, then (up to 200 m) the temperature noticeably (up to 3° ), and deeper it rises slightly towards the bottom.

In summer, the surface water temperature reaches 7-8°, but it drops very sharply (to +2.5°) with depth to a horizon of 50 m, from where its vertical course is almost the same as in spring. Autumn cooling lowers surface water temperatures. However, the general nature of its distribution at the beginning of the season resembles spring and summer, and towards the end it changes to a winter appearance. In general, water temperature in the open part of the Bering Sea is characterized by a relative homogeneity of spatial distribution in the surface and deep layers and relatively small amplitudes of seasonal fluctuations, which appear only to horizons of 200-300 m.

The salinity of the surface waters of the sea varies from 33.0–33.5‰ in the south to 31.0‰ in the east and northeast and 28.6‰ in the Bering Strait (Fig. 36). The most significant desalination occurs in spring and summer in the confluence areas of the Anadyr, Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. However, the direction of the main currents along the coasts limits the influence of continental runoff on the deep sea areas. The vertical distribution of salinity is almost the same in all seasons of the year. From the surface to horizons of 100–125 m, it is approximately equal to 33.2–33.3‰. Its slight increase occurs from horizons of 125-150 to 200-250 m; deeper it remains almost unchanged to the bottom.

walrus rookery on the Chukchi coast

In accordance with the small spatiotemporal changes in temperature and salinity, the variation in density is also small. The distribution of oceanological characteristics by depth indicates a relatively weak vertical stratification of the waters of the Bering Sea. In combination with strong winds, this creates favorable conditions for the development of wind mixing in it. In the cold season, it covers the upper layers up to horizons of 100-125 m; in the warm season, when the waters are stratified more sharply and the winds are weaker than in autumn and winter, wind mixing penetrates to horizons of 75-100 m in the deep and up to 50-60 m in coastal areas.
Significant cooling of waters, and in the northern regions, intensive ice formation, contribute to the good development of autumn-winter convection in the sea. During October - November it captures a surface layer of 35-50 m and continues to penetrate deeper; In this case, heat is transferred to the atmosphere by the sea. The temperature of the entire layer captured by convection at this time of year decreases, as calculations show, by 0.08-0.10° per day. Further, due to a decrease in the temperature differences between water and air and an increase in the thickness of the convection layer, the water temperature drops somewhat more slowly. Thus, in December - January, when a completely homogeneous surface layer of considerable thickness (up to a depth of 120-180 m) is created in the Bering Sea, cooled (in the open sea) to approximately 2.5 °, the temperature of the entire layer captured by convection decreases per day by 0 .04—0.06°.
The penetration boundary of winter convection deepens as it approaches the coast, due to increased cooling near the continental slope and shallows. In the southwestern part of the sea this decrease is especially large. This is associated with the observed lowering of cold waters along the coastal slope. Due to the low air temperature due to the high latitude of the northwestern region, winter convection develops here very intensively and, probably, already in mid-January due to the shallowness of the region reaches the bottom.

The bulk of the waters of the Bering Sea are characterized by a subarctic structure, the main feature of which is the existence of a cold intermediate layer in summer, as well as a warm intermediate layer located below it. Only in the southernmost part of the sea, in areas immediately adjacent to the Aleutian ridge, waters of a different structure were discovered, where both intermediate layers are absent.
The bulk of the waters of the sea, which occupies its deep-sea part, is clearly divided into four layers in summer: surface, cold intermediate, warm intermediate and deep. This stratification is determined mainly by differences in temperature, and the change in salinity with depth is small.

The surface water mass in summer is the most heated upper layer from the surface to a depth of 25-50 m, characterized by a temperature of 7-10° at the surface and 4-6° at the lower boundary and a salinity of about 33.0‰. The greatest thickness of this water mass is observed in the open part of the sea. The lower boundary of the surface water mass is the temperature jump layer. The cold intermediate layer is formed as a result of winter convective mixing and subsequent summer heating of the upper layer of water. This layer has insignificant thickness in the southeastern part of the sea, but as it approaches the western shores it reaches 200 m or more. There is a noticeable minimum temperature, located on average at horizons of about 150-170 m. In the eastern part, the minimum temperature is 2.5-3.5 °, and in the western part of the sea it drops to 2 ° in the area of ​​​​the Koryak coast and to 1 ° and lower in the Karaginsky Bay area. The salinity of the cold intermediate layer is 33.2–33.5‰. At the lower boundary of the layer, salinity quickly increases to 34‰. IN warm years in the south of the deep-sea part of the sea, the cold intermediate layer may be absent in summer, then the vertical distribution of temperature is characterized by a relatively smooth decrease in temperature with depth with a general warming of the entire water column. The origin of the warm intermediate layer is associated with the transformation of Pacific water. Relatively warm water comes from the Pacific Ocean, which is cooled from above as a result of winter convection. Convection here reaches horizons of the order of 150–250 m, and under its lower boundary an increased temperature is observed—a warm intermediate layer. The maximum temperature varies from 3.4-3.5 to 3.7-3.9°. The depth of the core of the warm intermediate layer in central regions sea ​​approximately 300 m; to the south it decreases to approximately 200 m, and to the north and west it increases to 400 m or more. The lower boundary of the warm intermediate layer is blurred; it is approximately visible in the 650–900 m layer.

The deep water mass, which occupies most of the volume of the sea, both in depth and from area to area, does not show significant differences in its characteristics. Over a depth of more than 3000 m, the temperature varies from approximately 2.7-3.0 to 1.5-1.8° at the bottom. Salinity is 34.3-34.8‰.

As we move south and approach the straits of the Aleutian ridge, the stratification of waters is gradually erased, and the temperature of the core of the cold intermediate layer, increasing in value, approaches the temperature of the warm intermediate layer. The waters gradually transform into a qualitatively different structure of Pacific water.
In some areas, especially in shallow waters, some modifications of the main water masses are observed and new masses appear with local significance. For example, in the Gulf of Anadyr, in the western part, a desalinated water mass is formed under the influence of large continental runoff, and in the northern and eastern parts, a cold water mass of the Arctic type is formed. There is no warm intermediate layer here. In some shallow areas of the sea in the summer, “cold spots” of water characteristic of the sea are observed, which owe their existence to eddy water cycles. In these areas, cold waters are observed in the bottom layer and persist throughout the summer. The temperature in this layer of water is −0.5–3.0°.

Due to autumn-winter cooling, summer warming and mixing, the surface water mass, as well as the cold intermediate layer, is most strongly transformed in the Bering Sea, which is manifested in the annual course of hydrological characteristics. Intermediate Pacific water changes its characteristics very slightly throughout the year and only in a thin upper layer. Deep waters do not change their characteristics noticeably throughout the year. The complex interaction of winds, the influx of water through the straits of the Aleutian ridge, tides and other factors create the basic picture of constant currents in the sea (Fig. 37).

The predominant mass of water from the ocean enters the Bering Sea through the eastern part of the Blizhny Strait, as well as through other significant straits of the Aleutian ridge. Waters entering through the Blizhny Strait and spreading first into east direction, then turn north. At a latitude of about 55° they merge with the waters coming from the Amchitka Strait, forming the main flow of the central part of the sea. This flow supports the existence of two stable gyres here - a large, cyclonic one, covering the deep-water part of the sea, and a smaller, anticyclonic one. The waters of the main flow are directed to the northwest and reach almost the Asian shores. Here most of The water turns along the coast to the south, giving rise to the cold Kamchatka Current, and enters the ocean through the Kamchatka Strait. Some of this water is discharged into the ocean through western part Near Strait and very small is included in the main circulation.

The waters entering through the eastern straits of the Aleutian ridge also cross the central basin and move to the north-northwest. At approximately latitude 60° these waters split into two branches: the northwest, moving toward Anadyr Bay and then northeast into the Bering Strait, and the northeast, moving toward Norton Bay and then north into the Bering Strait. It should be noted that in Bering Sea currents there can be both significant changes in water transport throughout the year and noticeable deviations from the average annual pattern in individual years. The speeds of constant currents in the sea are generally low. The highest values ​​(up to 25-51 cm/s) relate to the strait areas. Most often, a speed of 10 cm/s is observed, and in the open sea 6 cm/s, and the speeds are especially low in the zone of the central cyclonic circulation.
Tides in the Bering Sea are mainly caused by the propagation of tidal waves from the Pacific Ocean. The Arctic tide has almost no significance. The area where the Pacific and Arctic tidal waves merge is located north of the island. St. Lawrence. There are several types of tides in the Bering Sea. In the Aleutian Straits, the tides have irregular diurnal and irregular semidiurnal patterns. Off the coast of Kamchatka, during intermediate phases of the Moon, the tide changes from semidiurnal to daily; at high declinations of the Moon it becomes almost purely diurnal, and at low declinations it becomes semidiurnal. On the Koryak coast, from Olyutorsky Bay to the mouth of the river. Anadyr, the tide is irregularly semidiurnal, but off the coast of Chukotka it takes on a regular semidiurnal nature. In the area of ​​Provideniya Bay, the tide again becomes irregularly semidiurnal. In the eastern part of the sea, from Cape Prince of Wales to Cape Nome, the tides have both regular and irregular semidiurnal character. South of the mouth of the Yukon, the tide becomes irregularly semidiurnal. Tidal currents in the open sea have a rotating nature, their speed is 15-60 cm/s. Near the coast and in the straits, tidal currents are reversible and their speed reaches 1-2 m/s.

Cyclonic activity developing over the Bering Sea causes the occurrence of very strong and sometimes prolonged storms. Particularly strong excitement develops in winter - from November to May. At this time of year, the northern part of the sea is covered with ice and therefore the strongest waves are observed in the southern part. Here in May the frequency of waves of more than 5 points reaches 20-30%, but in the northern part of the sea it is absent. In August, due to the predominance of southwestern winds, swell waves of over 5 points reach their greatest development in the eastern half of the sea, where the frequency of such waves reaches 20%. In autumn, in the southeastern part of the sea, the frequency of strong waves increases to 40%.
With prolonged winds of average strength and significant acceleration of waves, their height reaches 6.8 m, with winds of 20-30 m/s or more - 10 m, and in some cases 12 and even 14 m. Storm periods are 9-11 s , and with moderate waves - 5-7 s. In addition to wind waves, a swell is observed in the Bering Sea, the greatest frequency of which (40%) occurs in autumn. In the coastal zone, the nature and parameters of waves are very different depending on the physical and geographical conditions of the area.

For most of the year, much of the Bering Sea is covered in ice. Almost the entire mass of ice in the Bering Sea is of local origin, that is, it is formed, as well as destroyed and melted, in the sea itself. A small amount of ice from the Arctic basin, which usually does not penetrate south of the island, is brought into the northern part of the sea through the Bering Strait by winds and currents. St. Lawrence.

In terms of ice conditions, the northern and southern parts of the sea differ markedly from each other. The approximate boundary between them is the extreme southern position of the ice edge in April. This month it goes from Bristol Bay through the Pribilof Islands and further west along 57-58° N. sh., and then descends to the south, to the Commander Islands and runs along the coast to the southern tip of Kamchatka. The southern part of the sea does not freeze all year round. Warm Pacific waters entering the Bering Sea through the Aleutian Straits push floating ice to the north, and the edge of the ice in the central part of the sea is always curved to the north. The process of ice formation in the Bering Sea begins first in its northwestern part, where ice appears in October, after which it gradually moves south. Ice appears in the Bering Strait in September; In winter, the strait is filled with solid broken ice, drifting north.
In Anadyrsky and Norton bays, ice can be found as early as September. In early November, ice appears in the area of ​​Cape Navarin, and in mid-November it spreads to Cape Olyutorsky. Near the Kamchatsky Peninsula and the Commander Islands, floating ice usually appears in December and only as an exception in November. During winter, the entire northern part of the sea, up to approximately 60° N. sh., filled with heavy, impassable ice, the thickness of which reaches 6 m. South of the parallel of the Pribilof Islands there are broken ice and isolated ice fields.

However, even during the peak of ice formation, the open part of the Bering Sea is never covered with ice. In the open sea, under the influence of winds and currents, ice is in constant motion, and strong compression often occurs. This leads to the formation of hummocks, the maximum height of which can be about 20 m. Periodic compression and rarefaction of the ice causes tides, resulting in the formation of piles of ice, numerous polynyas and clearings.
Fixed ice, which forms in closed bays and bays in winter, can be broken up and carried out to sea during stormy winds. In the eastern part of the sea, under the influence of the North Pacific Current, ice is carried north into the Chukchi Sea. In April, the floating ice boundary reaches its greatest extent to the south. In May, the process of gradual destruction of the ice and the retreat of its edge to the north begins. During July and August the sea is completely clear of ice and during these months ice can only be found in the Bering Strait. Strong winds contribute to the destruction of the ice cover and the clearing of ice from the sea in summer.
In bays and bays, where the desalinating influence of river runoff occurs, conditions for ice formation are more favorable than in the open sea. Winds have a great influence on the location of ice. Surge winds often clog individual bays, bays and straits heavy ice brought from the open sea. On the contrary, driving winds carry ice out to sea, at times clearing the entire coastal area.

Hydrochemical conditions.
The peculiarities of the hydrochemical conditions of the sea are largely determined by its close connection with the Pacific Ocean and the characteristics of the hydrological and biological processes occurring in the sea itself. Due to the large influx of Pacific waters, the salt composition of the waters of the Bering Sea is practically no different from the oceanic one.
The amount and distribution of dissolved oxygen and nutrients varies across seasons and sea area. In general, the water of the Bering Sea is rich in oxygen. In winter, its distribution is characterized by uniformity. During this season, in the shallow part of the sea its content averages 8.0 ml/l from surface to bottom. Approximately the same content is observed in deep areas of the sea up to horizons of 200 m. In the warm season, the distribution of oxygen varies from place to place. Due to an increase in water temperature and the development of phytoplankton, its amount decreases in the upper (20-30 m) horizons and is approximately 6.7-7.6 ml/l. Near the continental slope, there is a slight increase in the oxygen content in the surface layer. The vertical distribution of the content of this gas in deep areas of the sea is characterized by its largest amount in surface water and the smallest in intermediate water. In subsurface water, the amount of oxygen is transitional, that is, it decreases with depth, and in deep water it increases towards the bottom. Seasonal changes in oxygen content can be traced up to 800–1000 m near the continental slope, up to 600–800 m at the peripheries of cyclonic gyres, and up to 500 m in the central parts of these gyres.

The Bering Sea is typically characterized by high concentrations of nutrients in the upper layer. The development of phytoplankton does not reduce their number to a minimum.
The distribution of phosphates in winter is quite uniform. Their amount in the surface layers at this time, depending on the region, varies from 58 to 72 μg/l. In summer, the lowest amount of phosphates is observed in the most productive areas of the sea: Anadyr and Olyutorsky bays, in the eastern part of the Kamchatka Strait, in the Bering Strait area. The vertical distribution of phosphates is characterized by their lowest content in the photosynthetic layer, a sharp increase in their concentration in subsurface water, a maximum amount in intermediate water and a slight decrease towards the bottom.
Distribution of nitrites in upper layers in winter it is quite uniform throughout the sea. Their content is 0.2-0.4 N µg/l in shallow waters and 0.8-1.7 N µg/l in deep areas. In summer, the distribution of nitrites is quite diverse in space. The vertical variation of nitrite content is characterized by a rather uniform content in the upper layers in winter. In summer, two maxima are observed: one in the density jump layer, the second at the bottom. In some areas, only a bottom maximum is observed.

Economic use. Located in the extreme northeast of our country, the Bering Sea is exploited very intensively. Its economy is represented by two important sectors: marine fisheries and maritime transport. Currently, a significant amount of fish is caught in the sea, including the most valuable species - salmon. In addition, fishing for cod, pollock, herring, and flounder is carried out here. There is fishing for whales and sea animals. However, the latter is of local importance. Bering Sea - the docking area of ​​the Northern sea ​​route and the Far Eastern sea basin. The Eastern sector of the Soviet Arctic is supplied through this sea. In addition, inland transport is developed within the sea, in which supply cargo predominates. Mainly fish and fish products are produced.
Over the past 30 years, the Bering Sea has been systematically studied and continues to be studied. The main features of its nature became known. However, there are still important problems in its research. The most important of them include the following: the study of quantitative characteristics [of water exchange] through the straits of the Aleutian Arc; clarification of the details of currents, in particular the origin and duration of existence of small gyres in different areas of the sea; clarification of the characteristics of currents in the area of ​​the Anadyr Bay and in the bay itself; research into applied issues related to fishing and navigation. Solving these and other problems will increase the efficiency of economic use of the sea.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
http://tapemark.narod.ru/more/18.html
Melnikov A.V. Geographical names of the Russian Far East: Toponymic Dictionary. — Blagoveshchensk: Interra-Plus (Interra+), 2009. — 55 p.
Shlyamin B. A. Bering Sea. - M.: Gosgeografgiz, 1958. - 96 p.: ill.
Shamraev Yu. I., Shishkina L. A. Oceanology. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1980.
Bering Sea in the book: A. D. Dobrovolsky, B. S. Zalogin. Seas of the USSR. Publishing house Moscow. University, 1982.
Leontyev V.V., Novikova K.A. Toponymic dictionary of the north-east of the USSR. - Magadan: Magadan Book Publishing House, 1989, page 86
Leonov A.K. Regional oceanography. - Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 1960. - T. 1. - P. 164.
Wikipedia website.
Magidovich I. P., Magidovich V. I. Essays on history geographical discoveries. - Enlightenment, 1985. - T. 4.
http://www.photosight.ru/
photo: A. Kutsky, V. Lisovsky, A. Gill, E. Gusev.

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The Bering Strait connects with the Chukchi Sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. Area 2304 thousand km², average depth 1598 m (maximum 4191 m), average volume of water 3683 thousand km³, length from north to south 1632 km, from west to east 2408 km.

The shores are predominantly high rocky, heavily indented, forming numerous bays and bays. The largest bays are: Anadyrsky and Olyutorsky on the shore, Bristol and Norton in the east. A large number of rivers flow into the Bering Sea, the largest of which are the Anadyr, Apuka in the west, and the Yukon and Kuskokwim in the east. The islands of the Bering Sea are of continental origin. The largest of them are Karaginsky, St. Lawrence, Nunivak, Pribilof, St. Matthew.

The Bering Sea is the largest of the geosynclinal seas of the Far East. The bottom topography includes a continental shelf (45% of the area), a continental slope, underwater ridges and a deep-sea basin (36.5% of the area). The shelf occupies the northern and northeastern parts of the sea, characterized by flat terrain, complicated by numerous shoals, basins, flooded valleys and the upper reaches of underwater canyons. Sediments on the shelf are predominantly terrigenous (sands, sandy silts, and coarse clastic near the coast).

The continental slope for the most part has a significant steepness (8-15°), is dissected by underwater canyons, and is often complicated by steps; south of the islands Pribilof - flatter and wider. The continental slope of Bristol Bay is complexly dissected by ledges, hills, and depressions, which is associated with intense tectonic fragmentation. The sediments of the continental slope are predominantly terrigenous (sandy silts), with numerous outcrops of bedrock Paleogene and Neogene-Quaternary rocks; in the Bristol Bay area there is a large admixture of volcanic material.

The Shirshov and Bowers submarine ridges are arched rises with volcanic forms. On the Bowers Ridge, diorite outcrops were discovered, which, along with the arc-shaped outlines, brings it closer to the Aleutian island arc. The Shirshov Ridge has a similar structure to the Olyutorsky Ridge, composed of volcanogenic and flysch rocks of the Cretaceous period.

The Shirshov and Bowers submarine ridges separate the deep-water basin of the Bering Sea. In the west of the basin: Aleutian, or Central ( maximum depth 3782 m), Bowers (4097 m) and Komandorskaya (3597 m). The bottom of the basins is a flat abyssal plain, composed of diatomaceous silts on the surface, with a noticeable admixture of volcanogenic material near the Aleutian arc. According to geophysical data, the thickness of the sedimentary layer in deep-sea basins reaches 2.5 km; beneath it lies a basalt layer about 6 km thick. The deep-water part of the Bering Sea is characterized by a suboceanic type of the earth's crust.

The climate is formed under the influence of the adjacent land, the proximity of the polar basin in the north and the open Pacific Ocean in the south and, accordingly, the centers of atmospheric action developing above them. The climate of the northern part of the sea is arctic and subarctic, with pronounced continental features; southern part - temperate, marine. In winter, under the influence of the Aleutian minimum air pressure (998 mbar), a cyclonic circulation develops over the Bering Sea, due to which the eastern part of the sea, where air is brought from the Pacific Ocean, turns out to be somewhat warmer than the western part, which is under the influence of cold Arctic air (which comes with the winter monsoon) . Storms are frequent during this season, the frequency of which in some places reaches 47% per month. The average air temperature in February varies from -23°C in the north to O. -4°C in the south. In summer, the Aleutian minimum disappears and southerly winds dominate over the Bering Sea, which in the western part of the sea is the summer monsoon. Storms are rare in summer. The average air temperature in August varies from 5°C in the north to 10°C in the south. The average annual cloudiness is 5-7 points in the north, 7-8 points per year in the south. Precipitation varies from 200-400 mm per year in the north to 1500 mm per year in the south.

The hydrological regime is determined climatic conditions, water exchange with the Chukchi Sea and the Pacific Ocean, continental runoff and desalination of surface sea waters during ice melting. Surface currents form a counterclockwise circulation, along the eastern periphery of which warm waters from the Pacific Ocean flow north - the Bering Sea branch of the Kuroshio warm current system. Part of this water flows through the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea, the other part deviates to the west and then follows south along the Asian coast, receiving the cold waters of the Chukchi Sea. The South Stream forms the Kamchatka Current, which carries the waters of the Bering Sea into the Pacific Ocean. This current pattern is subject to noticeable changes depending on the prevailing winds. Bering Sea tides are mainly caused by the propagation of tidal waves from the Pacific Ocean. In the western part of the sea (up to 62° north latitude) the highest tide height is 2.4 m, in Cross Bay 3 m, in the eastern part 6.4 m (Bristol Bay). The surface water temperature in February reaches 2°C only in the south and southwest; in the rest of the sea it is below -1°C. In August, temperatures rise to 5°-6°C in the north and 9°-10°C in the south. Salinity under the influence of river waters and melting ice is significantly lower than in the ocean and is equal to 32.0-32.5‰, and in the south it reaches 33‰. In coastal areas it decreases to 28-30‰. In the subsurface layer in the northern part of the Bering Sea, the temperature is -1.7 ° C, salinity is up to 33‰. In the southern part of the sea at a depth of 150 m, the temperature is 1.7°C, salinity is 33.3‰ and more, and in the layer from 400 to 800 m, respectively, more than 3.4°C and more than 34.2‰. At the bottom the temperature is 1.6°C, salinity 34.6‰.

For most of the year the Bering Sea is covered floating ice, which in the north begin to form in September - October. In February - March, almost the entire surface is covered with ice, which is carried out into the Pacific Ocean along the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Bering Sea is characterized by the phenomenon of "sea glow".

In accordance with the difference in hydrological conditions of the northern and southern parts The northern Bering Sea is characterized by representatives of arctic forms of flora and fauna, while the southern one is characterized by boreal ones. The south is home to 240 species of fish, of which there are especially many flounders (flounder, halibut) and salmon (pink salmon, chum salmon, chinook salmon). There are numerous mussels, balanuses, polychaete worms, bryozoans, octopuses, crabs, shrimps, etc. The north is home to 60 species of fish, mainly cod. Among the mammals that characterize the Bering Sea, the fur seal, sea otter, seals, bearded seal, spotted seal, sea lion, gray whale, humpback whale, sperm whale, etc. are typical. The fauna of birds (guillemots, guillemots, puffins, kittiwake gulls, etc.) is abundant. bazaars." In the Bering Sea, intensive whaling is carried out, mainly for sperm whales, as well as fishing and sea animal hunting (fur seal, sea otter, seal, etc.). The Bering Sea is of great transport importance for Russia as a link in the Northern Sea Route. Main ports: Provideniya (Russia), Nome (USA).