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

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

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

The mainland slope for the most part has a significant steepness (8-15 °), is dissected by submarine canyons, and is often complicated by steps; south of the Pribylov Islands - more flat and wide. The continental slope of the Bristol Bay is intricately dissected by ledges, uplands, and depressions, which is associated with intense tectonic fragmentation. Sediments of the continental slope are predominantly terrigenous (sandy silts), numerous outcrops of primary Paleogene and Neogene-Quaternary rocks; in the area of ​​Bristol Bay - a large admixture of volcanic material.

The Shirshov and Bowers submarine ridges are vault-like uplifts with volcanic forms. Diorite outcrops have been found on the Bowers Ridge, which, along with arcuate outlines, brings it closer to the Aleutian island arc. The Shirshov Ridge has a structure similar to the Olyutorsky Ridge, composed of volcanic and flysch rocks of the Cretaceous period.

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

The climate is formed under the influence of adjacent land, the proximity of the polar basin in the north and open Pacific Ocean in the south and, accordingly, the centers of action of the atmosphere developing above them. The climate of the northern part of the sea is arctic and subarctic, with pronounced continental features; southern part - temperate, maritime. In winter, under the influence of the Aleutian minimum of air pressure (998 mbar), cyclonic circulation develops over the Bering Sea, due to which the eastern part of the sea, where air is brought from the Pacific Ocean, is somewhat warmer than the western part, which is under the influence of cold Arctic air (which comes with the winter monsoon) . Storms are frequent in this season, the frequency of which in some places reaches 47% per month. average temperature Air temperature in February varies from -23°C in the north to 0.4°C in the south. In summer, the Aleutian Low disappears and winds dominate the Bering Sea. southern directions, which in the western part of the sea are the summer monsoon. Storms are rare in summer. The average air temperature in August varies from 5°С in the north to 10°С in the south. The average annual cloudiness is 5-7 points in the north, 7-8 points per year in the south. The amount of 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 the surface waters of the sea during ice melting. Surface currents form a counterclockwise circulation, along the eastern periphery of which warm waters from the Pacific Ocean follow to the north - the Bering-sea branch of the Kuroshio warm currents system. Some of these waters enter the Chukchi Sea through the Bering Strait, 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 to the Pacific Ocean. This pattern of currents is subject to noticeable changes depending on the prevailing winds. The tides of the Bering Sea are mainly due to the propagation of a tidal wave 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 the Gulf of the Cross 3 m, in the eastern part 6.4 m (Bristol Bay). The surface water temperature in February only in the south and south-west reaches 2°C, in the rest of the sea it is below -1°C. In August the temperature rises to 5°-6°C in the north and 9°-10°C in the south. Salinity under the influence river waters and melting of ice is much 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 is 34.6‰.

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 along the Kamchatka Peninsula to the Pacific Ocean. The phenomenon of "glow of the sea" is characteristic of the Bering Sea.

In accordance with the difference in the hydrological conditions of the northern and southern parts of the Bering Sea, representatives of arctic forms of flora and fauna are typical for the northern part, while boreal forms are typical for the southern part. There are 240 species of fish in the south, of which there are especially many flounders (flounder, halibut) and salmon (pink salmon, chum salmon, chinook salmon). Mussels, balanus, polychaete worms, bryozoans, octopuses, crabs, shrimps, etc. are numerous. Sixty species of fish, mainly cod, live in the north. Of the mammals of the Bering Sea, the fur seal, sea otter, seals, bearded seal, spotted seal, sea lions, gray whale, humpback, sperm whale, etc. are characteristic. The bird fauna is abundant (guillemots, guillemots, puffins, kittiwakes, etc.) living on "bird bazaars". In the Bering Sea, there is an intensive whaling industry, mainly for sperm whales, fishing and fishing for sea animals (fur seals, sea otters, seals, 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).

The Bering Sea is located between 51 and 66 ° N. sh. and 157 s. and 163° E. is generally regarded as an extension of the North Pacific Ocean. The area of ​​the Bering Sea is 2300 thousand km2, the average volume of water is 3700 thousand km3, the average depth is 1636 m. mediterranean sea largest of the relatively closed (semi-enclosed) seas.

The Bering Sea, which has the shape of a sector with a radius of 1500 km, lies between the shores of the Asian continent of Russia in the west, the Alaska Peninsula in the east and the chain of the Aleutian Islands (USA) in the south. At the top of the Bering Sea is the Bering Strait. The sea and the strait are named after the navigator Vitus Bering, who commanded a large Russian expedition in 1725-1742, which explored the coast of Kamchatka and Alaska.

The relief of the bottom of the Bering Sea

The relief of the bottom of the Bering Sea is unusual: the neritic (0-200 m) and abyssal (more than 1000 m) zones are almost the same in area and make up about 90% of the total area. The vast continental shelf, over 400 miles wide, in the northeastern part of the Bering Sea is one of the largest in the world. The continental shelf continues northwards through the narrow Bering Strait. to the Chukchi Sea and is sometimes referred to as the Bering-Chukotka platform.

Although the platform is currently covered with water, geological and paleontological evidence suggests that Siberia and Alaska are two parts of the same continent, the connection between which was interrupted by periodic bottom subsidence several times in the last 50-60 million years. The last subsidence is believed to have occurred around the end of the Pliocene or beginning of the Pleistocene, about a million years ago. The continental shelf along the Aleutian island arc and the coast of Russia is very narrow. The continental slope almost along its entire length passes into the deep-sea bed with steep ledges. The slope is 4-5°, except for the southeastern region, where the Bering Canyon, apparently the largest in the world, has a slope of 0.5°. The Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Island Arc, which limit the water exchange of the Bering Sea in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, are of volcanic origin; their formation dates back to the end of the Cenozoic era.

The island arc, the northernmost in the Pacific Ocean, consists of six groups of islands: Commander, Near, Krys'i, Andreyanovsk, Chetyrekhsopochnye, and Lis'i, which rise from a depth of about 7,600 m in the Aleutian Trench and from a depth of 4,000 m in the Bering Sea depression.

The deepest strait (4420 m) is located in the west of the Bering Sea between Kamchatka and the western tip of Bering Island (Commander Islands). It also has the greatest depths measured in the Bering Sea.

Climate of the Bering Sea

The average air temperature in winter is from -25°C in the Bering Strait to 2°C near the Aleutian Islands, in summer it is -10°C. 35% of the days are rainy in the year, snow is a common occurrence from September to June. The mean pressure at sea level ranges from 1000 mb in winter, when the low pressure area shifts to the south of the central part of the Bering Sea under the influence of the Aleutian Low, to 1011 mb in summer, when the influence of the East Pacific high pressure area affects. Over the Bering Sea, the sky is usually covered with clouds (the average annual cloudiness in the north is 5-7 points, in the south 7-6 points per year.) And there is often fog. On the rivers of the western and eastern mainland coasts, ice begins to form in October. By early November, fast ice is found in most bays and harbors, and sea ice is found in the south of the Bering Strait. By January, sea ice reaches its maximum development and extends to the 200 m isobath, with the exception of the Kamchatka coast, where cold air masses coming from the mainland cause ice formation beyond the 200 m isobath, the coasts of the Aleutian Islands and the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula, where the relatively warm Alaskan current delays the formation of sea ice.
Sea ice usually covers 80-90% of the surface of the Bering Sea, and the Bering Sea has never been observed to be completely covered by a solid ice sheet (the same applies to the Bering Strait). Ice fields usually have a thickness of up to 2 m, however, podsov and hummocking, especially near the coast, can increase the thickness of the ice up to 5-10 m.
The area occupied by ice is relatively constant until April, after which there is a rapid destruction and displacement of the ice boundary to the north. First of all, the destruction of ice occurs in coastal areas, where it melts under the influence of continental runoff, and usually by the end of July the Bering Sea is free of ice.

Hydrological regime

The tides off the coast of the southwestern part of the Bering Sea are diurnal and approximately at 60° N. mixed; north of 62° N. sh. only semidiurnal tides are observed. Off the coast of Alaska, from the Bering Strait to the Alaska Peninsula, mixed tides are observed, and diurnal tides are found only off the coast of the central (Krys'i and Andreyanovskie) and western (Four Hills and Fox) groups of islands of the Aleutian island arc. The average semi-monthly tides are small (from 0.5 to 1.5 m), with the exception of the Anadyr and Bristol Bays, where they are 2.5 and 5.0 m, respectively.

According to modern concepts, the currents in the narrow straits of the Aleutian Islands are mainly tidal with equally strong components of the tide and low tide and with a speed of 150 to 400 cm/s. The main current in the Bering Sea, which is important for the water balance, is observed at a longitude of 170° E, where the flow converges with waters going north in the western subarctic circulation, resulting in the formation of a cyclonic gyre in the western part of the Aleutian Basin and an anticyclonic gyre near the Krys'ye ridge. The main current continues to go north, skirting the Rat Ridge, then turns to the east, forming a general cyclonic circulation over the deep-water basin of the Bering Sea.

In the eastern part of the Bering Sea, in the area where the main current exits to the continental shelf and turns to the north, cyclonic and anticyclonic gyres are formed. In the northern part of the Bering Sea, the current diverges, with one branch going north into the Bering Strait, the other going southwest along the coast of Kamchatka, where it apparently becomes the East Kamchatka Current and returns to the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The currents over the continental shelf along the coast of Alaska are mostly tidal, except for the coastal region, where the waters of the river flow move northward and exit through the Bering Strait. In the eastern part of the Bering Strait, currents up to 300 cm/s were observed.

The current speed is about 3-4 times greater in August and September than in February and March, when the sea is covered with ice. The features of this current, supplying about 20% of the inflow to the Arctic Basin, can generally be explained by the winds that prevail over the Arctic Basin, the Bering Sea and the Greenland Sea. In the extreme western part of the Bering Strait, a southward countercurrent, or "polar" current, periodically arises.

Currents at depths are not well understood. Although the water temperature in the northern areas of the continental shelf is very low in winter, the salinity of surface water is not high enough to form deep water in the Bering Sea.

Fish and mammals

About 315 species of fish live in the Bering Sea, of which 25 are of commercial importance. Among the most important game fish are herring, salmon, cod, halibut, Pacific perch and flounder. Among crustaceans, king crab and shrimp are of commercial importance. There are sea otters, sea lions and walruses, and the Pribylov and Commander Islands are rookeries for fur seals. There are also whales and killer whales, sperm whales and beluga whales.

The Bering Sea is a sea that washes the shores of the United States and Russia, located in the north of the largest ocean in the world - the Pacific.

The Bering Strait connects the Bering Sea with the North Arctic Ocean, as well as with the Chukchi Sea.

Historical events

For the first time, the Bering Sea was mapped only in the 18th century, when it was called the Beaver Sea or the Kamchatka Sea.

In 1725, the navigator and officer of the Russian fleet Viktor Bering, who had Danish roots, equipped his expedition to explore the then Beaver Sea. Bering passed the strait, which was named after him and explored the sea, but did not find the coast of North America.

Bering was convinced that the shores of North America were not too far from the shores of Kamchatka, which, if the theory was confirmed, would make it possible to trade with the American tribes. In 1741, he nevertheless reached the shores of North America, thereby overcoming the Kamchatka Sea.

Later, the sea changed its name in honor of the great navigator and geographer - it became known as the Bering Sea, also as a strait that separates the continents of Eurasia and North America. The sea received its current name only in 1818 - such an idea was proposed by French researchers who appreciated Bering's discoveries. However, on the maps of the thirties of the XIX century, it still bore the name Bobrovoe.

Characteristic

The total area of ​​the Bering Sea reaches 2,315,000 square kilometers, and its volume is 3,800,000 cubic kilometers. The most deep point The Bering Sea is located at a depth of 4150 meters, and the average depth does not exceed 1600 meters. Seas like the Bering Sea are usually called marginal, because it is located on the very edge of the Pacific Ocean. It is this sea that separates the two large continent: North America and Asia.

The rather impressive coastline is mainly capes and small bays - the coast is simply indented by them. Only a couple flows into the Bering Sea big rivers: the North American Yukon River, whose length reaches more than three thousand kilometers and the Russian Anadyr River, which is much shorter - only 1150 km.

The climate is influenced by arctic air masses that collide with southern warm ones coming from tropical and temperate latitudes. As a result, a cold climate is formed - the weather is unstable, there are protracted (about a week) storms. Wave height reaches 7 - 12 meters.

Since the Bering Sea is located in the northern latitudes, from the beginning of September the temperature here drops to minus and the surface of the water is covered with a layer of ice. The ice in the Bering Sea only melts in July, which means that it is not covered with ice for only two months. The Bering Strait is not covered with ice because of the current. The salt level in the water fluctuates from 33 to 34.7%.

Bering Sea. sunset photo

In summer, the water surface temperature reaches approximately 7-10 degrees Celsius. However, in winter the temperature drops seriously and reaches -3 degrees Celsius. The intermediate layer of water is constantly cold - its temperature never rises above -1.7 degrees - this applies to the layer from 50 to 200 meters. And the water at a depth of 1000 meters reaches approximately -3 degrees.

Relief

The bottom relief is very heterogeneous, often transitioning into deep depressions. In the south is the deepest point of the sea at more than four thousand meters. There are also several underwater ridges at the bottom. The seabed is covered mainly with shells, sand, diatomaceous silt and gravel.

Cities

There are few cities on the coast of the Bering Sea, and there are certainly no large ones among them due to the very far location from civilization and severe weather throughout the year. However, attention should be paid to the following cities:

• Provideniya is a small port settlement, which was founded in the middle of the 17th century, as a bay for crafts - mainly whaling ships stood here. Only in the middle of the 20th century did the construction of the port begin here, which led to the construction of the town around it. The official founding date of Providence is 1946. Now the population of the town is only slightly more than 2 thousand people;
• Nome is an American town in the state of Alaska, where, according to the latest census, almost four thousand people live. Nome was founded as a settlement of gold miners in 1898 and already in the next year its population was about 10 thousand - everyone fell ill with the "gold rush". Already in the thirties of the XX century, the boom of the "gold rush" came to naught and a little more than a thousand inhabitants remained in the city;

Anadyr photo

• Anadyr is one of the largest cities on the coast, with a population of over 14,000 and growing steadily. The city is located in a zone of almost permafrost. There is a large port of the same name and a fish factory. In addition, gold and coal are mined in the vicinity of the city. The population also breeds deer, is engaged in fishing and, of course, hunting.

Animal world

Despite the fact that the Bering Sea is quite cold, this does not in the least prevent it from being home to many species of fish, the number of species of which reaches more than four hundred, all of which are widespread, with a few exceptions. These four hundred hundred species of fish include seven species of salmon, about nine species of gobies, five species of eelpouts, and four species of flounder.

Birds over the Bering Sea photo

Of the four hundred species, 50 of them are industrial fish. Also objects for industrial production are four types of crab, two types of cephalopods and four types of shrimp.

Among mammals, a large population of seals can be noted, including seals, bearded seals, common seals, Pacific walruses and lionfish. Walruses and seals form huge rookeries on the coast of Chukotka.

Coastal Sea. Walrus photo

In addition to pinnipeds, cetaceans are also found in the Bering Sea, among which are quite rare species such as narwhal, humpback whales, bowhead whales, southern or Japanese whales, incredibly rare northern blue whales and no less rare fin whales.

• The Gulf of Laurentia, in the Bering Sea, sometimes does not clear ice on its surface for years at all;
• The city of Nome on the coast of the Bering Sea hosts the most prestigious husky races, and also took place here. real story, which formed the basis of the cartoon Balto, where the dog saved the children from diphtheria.

The former inland sea of ​​the Russian Empire is now the easternmost possession of our state. The northeastern territories are still waiting for their conquerors. One of the treasures of the natural wealth 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 great prospects for Russia's expanding economic activity in the Arctic latitudes.

Bering Sea. Description

The northern margin of the Pacific Basin is the largest of all the seas washing the shores of Russia. Its area is 2,315 thousand km2. For comparison: the surface of the Black Sea is five and a half times smaller. The Bering Sea is the deepest coastal sea and one of the deepest in the world. The lowest mark is at a depth of 4,151 m, and the average depth is 1,640 m. Deep-water areas are located on the southern side of the water area and are called the Aleutian and Commander basins. Surprisingly, with such indicators, about half of the seabed is only half a kilometer away from the sea surface. Relative shallow water allows us to attribute the sea to the continental-oceanic type. The Northern Far Eastern reservoir holds 3.8 million km 3 of water. Most scientists explain the origin of the Bering Sea by cutting off from the rest of the ocean by the Commander-Aleutian ridge, which arose as a result of global tectonic processes in the distant past.

History of discovery and development

The modern hydronym comes from the name of the first European explorer Vitus Bering. A Dane in Russian service organized two expeditions in 1723-1943. The purpose of his travels was to find the border between Eurasia and America. Although the strait between the continents was discovered by topographers Fedorov, Gvozdev and Mashkov, it was later named after a hired navigator. During Bering's second expedition, the territories of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean were explored and Alaska was discovered. On old Russian maps, the northern water area is called the Bobrov, or the Kamchatka Sea. The coast has been explored by Russian explorers since the beginning of the 18th century. So, Timofey Perevalov in the 30s compiled a map of some territories of Kamchatka and Chukotka. Thirty years later, D. Cook visited these places. The tsarist government sent expeditions here under the leadership of Sarychev, Bellingshausen and Kotzebue. Modern name was proposed by the Frenchman Fliorier. This term came into wide use thanks to the Russian navigator Admiral Golovnin.

Description of the geographical position of the Bering Sea

Geomorphological features are defined by natural coastline boundaries to the east and west, a group of islands to the south, and a speculative frontier to the north. The northern border adjoins the waters of the strait of the same name, which connects with the Chukchi Sea. The demarcation runs from Cape Novosilsky in Chukotka to Cape York on the Seward Peninsula. From east to west, the sea stretches for 2,400 km, and from north to south - 1,600 km. southern border designated by the archipelagos of the Commander and Aleutian Islands. Pieces of land in the ocean outline a kind of giant arc. Beyond it is the Pacific Ocean. The northernmost edge of the world's largest body of water is the Bering Sea. The geometric pattern of the water area is characterized by the narrowing of the water space towards the Arctic Circle. The Bering Strait separates two continents: Eurasia and North America - and two oceans: the Pacific and the Arctic. The northwestern waters of the sea wash the shores of Chukotka and the Koryak Upland, the northeastern - the west of Alaska. The runoff of continental waters is negligible. From the side of Eurasia, Anadyr flows into the sea, and the legendary Yukon has its mouth on the shores of Alaska. The Kuskokuim River flows into the sea in the bay of the same name.

Coast and islands

Numerous bays, inlets and peninsulas form the indented coastline that characterizes the Bering Sea. The Olyutorsky, Karaginsky and Anadyrsky bays are the largest on the Siberian shores. The vast bays of Bristol, Norton and Cuscoquim are on the coast of Alaska. A few islands are different in origin: mainland islands are small areas of land within the boundaries of continental plateaus, islands of volcanic origin make up the inner, and folded type - the outer belt of the Commander-Aleutian arc. The ridge itself stretches for 2,260 km from Kamchatka to Alaska. The total area of ​​the islands is 37,840 km2. The Commander Islands belong to Russia, all the rest of the USA: Pribylova, St. Laurentia, St. Matvey, Karaginsky, Nunivak and, of course, the Aleuts.

Climate

Significant fluctuations in average daily temperatures, more typical for continental areas of land, distinguish the Bering Sea. Geographic location is a determining factor in the formation of the region's climate. Most of the sea area is subarctic. The north side belongs to the arctic zone, and the south to temperate latitudes. The western side is getting colder. And due to the fact that adjacent to the sea Siberian territories warm up more weakly, this part of the water area is much colder than the eastern one. Over the central part of the sea in the warm season, the air warms up to +10 °C. In winter, despite the penetration of arctic air masses, it does not fall below -23 °C.

Hydrosphere

In the upper horizons, the water temperature decreases towards northern latitudes. The waters washing the Eurasian coast are colder than the North American zone. In the coldest season off the coast of Kamchatka, the sea temperature on the surface is +1…+3 °C. Off the coast of Alaska, it is one or two degrees higher. In summer, the upper layers warm up to +9 °C. The considerable depth of the straits of the Aleutian ridge (up to 4,500 m) contributes to active water exchange with the Pacific Ocean at all horizons. The influence of the waters of the Chukchi Sea is minimal due to the small depth of the Bering Strait (42 m).

In terms of the degree of wave formation, the first place among the seas of Russia is also occupied by the Bering Sea. Which ocean is the higher water area is reflected in the characteristics of the degree of roughness of the periphery. Significant depths and storm activity are derivatives of heavy seas. For most of the year, waves are observed with a height of water crests up to 2 m. winter period there are a number of storms with wave heights up to 8 m. Over the past hundred years of observations, ship logbooks have recorded cases of the appearance of waves up to 21 m high.

ice conditions

The ice cover is local by type of origin: the massif forms and melts in the water area itself. The Bering Sea in the northern part is covered with ice at the end of September. First of all, the ice shell binds closed bays, gulfs and the coastal zone, and the area reaches its greatest distribution in April. Melting ends only in the middle of summer. Thus, the surface in the zone of high latitudes is covered with ice for more than nine months of the year. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off the coast of Chukotka, in some seasons the ice does not melt at all. The south side, on the other hand, does not freeze throughout the year. Warm masses from the ocean come through the Aleutian straits, which squeeze the ice edge closer to the north. The sea strait between the continents is clogged with pack ice for most of the year. Some ice fields reach a thickness of six meters. Off the coast of Kamchatka, drifting massifs are found even in August. Wiring sea ​​vessels navigating the Northern Sea Route requires the participation of icebreakers.

Animal and plant world

Gulls, guillemots, puffins and other feathered inhabitants of subpolar latitudes arrange their colonies on coastal rocks. On the gently sloping shores, you can find rookeries of walruses and sea lions. These real monsters of the Bering Sea reach a length of more than three meters. IN in large numbers sea ​​otters meet. Marine flora is represented by five dozen coastal plants. In the south, the vegetation is more diverse. Phytoalgae promote the development of zooplankton, which in turn attracts many marine mammals. Humpback whales, representatives of gray and toothy species of cetaceans - killer whales and sperm whales come here to feed. The Bering Sea is extremely rich in fish: the underwater fauna is represented by almost three hundred species. Sharks also live in northern waters. The polar fish keeps at great depths, and the dangerous predator - salmon - does not show aggression towards people. Without a doubt, the depths of the sea have not yet revealed all their secrets.

Between Asia and America

Small groups of animal traders began to explore the northeastern waters from the 40s of the 18th century. The islands of the Aleutian archipelago, like a huge natural bridge, allowed merchants to reach the shores of Alaska. The position of the Bering Sea, namely its non-freezing part, contributed to the establishment of a busy navigation between Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka and the newly built strongholds on the American mainland. True, Russian expansion in America did not last long, only about eighty years.

Territorial disputes

During the reign of M. S. Gorbachev, an agreement was concluded on concessions in favor of the United States of a significant part of the sea and the continental shelf with total area almost 78 thousand km 2. In June 1990, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, E. Shevardnadze, together with the State Secretary, D. Baker, signed an appropriate agreement. The domestic trawl fleet lost the opportunity to fish in the middle part of the sea. In addition, Russia has lost a significant segment of a promising oil-bearing province on the shelf. The bill was approved by the US Congress in the same year. In Russia, the agreement is subject to constant criticism and has not yet been ratified by parliament. The dividing line was named Shevardnadze-Baker.

Economic activity

The economy of the region consists of two components: fishing industry and maritime transport. Inexhaustible fish resources contribute to the vigorous activity of Russian fishing companies. Many processing plants have been built on the coast of Kamchatka. On an industrial scale, fishing for herring, salmon cod and flounder species is carried out. On a small scale, mainly in the interests of the indigenous population, hunting of marine animals and cetaceans is allowed. IN last years increased scientific interest in this Far Eastern region. This is mainly due to the search for hydrocarbon deposits on the shelf. Three small oil-bearing basins have been discovered off the coast of Chukotka.

Klondike at the bottom of the ocean

At the depths of the sea, complex studies have not yet been carried out, the purpose of which would be to search for minerals or collect geological data for further promising searches. Mineral deposits are unknown within the boundaries of the water area. And on the coastal areas, deposits of tin and semiprecious stones have been discovered. Hydrocarbon deposits have been discovered in the Anadyr Basin. But on the opposite coast, they have been plowing up the bottom for several years in search of the yellow metal. One hundred years ago, the impetus for the development of the region was gold found on the shores of the Yukon and the gold rush that followed. The Bering Sea at the beginning of the 21st century gives new hopes. Thirst for profit gives rise to ingenious technical devices. An ordinary excavator, a screen for sifting inert materials and an impromptu room resembling a construction trailer, which houses an electric generator, are installed on an old barge. Such technical "monsters" of the Bering Sea are becoming more and more widespread.

Original Discovery Channel Project

For the fifth season in a row, the popular science American TV channel Discovery has been following the fate of the seekers of easy money. As soon as the water area is freed from ice, prospectors from all over the world gather on the coast of Alaska, and the gold rush resumes in the northern latitudes. The Bering Sea off the coast has a shallow depth. This will allow you to use improvised means. A makeshift fleet defies the elements. The treacherous sea tests everyone for stamina and masculinity, and sea ​​bottom reluctant to share their treasures. Only a few lucky ones were enriched by the gold rush. The ice of the Bering Sea allows some enthusiasts to continue working in the winter. For several episodes of the documentary, you can watch three teams of gold miners risking their lives for the treasured handful of yellow metal.

The Bering Sea is the largest of the Far Eastern seas washing the shores of Russia, located between two continents - Asia and North America- and is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the islands of the Commander-Aleutian arc.

The Bering Sea is one of the largest and deepest seas in the world. Its area is 2315 thousand km2, volume - 3796 thousand km3, average depth - 1640 m, maximum depth - 5500 m. type.

There are few islands in the vast expanses of the Bering Sea. Apart from the border Aleutian island arc and, in the sea there are: a large Karaginsky island in the west and several islands (St. Matthew, Nunivak, Pribylova) in the east.

The coastline of the Bering Sea is heavily indented. It forms many bays, bays, capes and straits. For the formation of many natural processes in this sea, straits are especially important, providing water exchange with. The waters of the Chukchi Sea practically do not affect the Bering Sea, but the Bering Sea waters play a very significant role in.

The continental runoff into the sea is approximately 400 km3 per year. Most of the river water enters its northernmost part, where the most major rivers: Yukon (176 km3), Kuskokuim (50 km3 per year). About 85% of the total annual runoff occurs during the summer months. The influence of river waters on sea waters is felt mainly in the coastal zone on the northern margin of the sea in summer.

In the Bering Sea, the main morphological zones are clearly distinguished: the shelf and insular shallows, the continental slope and. The shelf zone with depths up to 200 m is mainly located in the northern and eastern parts of the sea and occupies more than 40% of its area. The bottom in this region is a vast, very gently sloping underwater plain 600–1000 km wide, within which there are several islands, hollows, and small bottom elevations. The continental shelf near the coast of Kamchatka and the islands of the Commander-Aleutian ridge is narrow, and its relief is very complex. It borders the shores of geologically young and very mobile areas of land, within which there are usually intense and frequent manifestations of seismic activity.

The continental slope stretches from northwest to southeast approximately along the line from Cape Navarin to Unimak Island. Together with the island slope zone, it occupies approximately 13% of the sea area and is characterized by a complex bottom. The zone of the continental slope is dissected by underwater valleys, many of which are typical submarine canyons, deeply cut into the bottom of the sea and having steep and even steep slopes.

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. It is characterized by the almost complete absence of isolated depressions. Of the positive forms, the Shirshov and Bowers ridges stand out. The relief of the bottom determines the possibility of water exchange between the individual parts of the sea.

Different parts of the coast of the Bering Sea belong to different geomorphological types of coasts. Mostly the coast is abrasion, but there are also. The sea is surrounded mainly by high and steep shores, only in the middle part of the western and eastern coasts wide strips of flat lowland tundra approach it. Narrower strips of the low-lying coast are located near the mouths in the form of a deltaic alluvial valley or border the tops of bays and bays.

The geographical position and large spaces determine the main features of the climate of the Bering Sea. It is located almost entirely in the subarctic climatic zone, only the northernmost part belongs to the arctic zone, and the southernmost part to the zone. North of 55–56° N. sh. the features of continentality are noticeably pronounced in the seas, but in areas remote from the coast they are much weaker. South of these parallels, the climate is mild, typically maritime. Throughout the year, the Bering Sea is under the influence of permanent centers of action - the Polar and Hawaiian highs. It is no less influenced by seasonal large-scale baric formations: the Aleutian Low, the Siberian High, and the Asian Depression.

In the cold season, northwestern, northern and northeastern winds prevail. The wind speed in the coastal zone is on average 6–8 m/s, and in open areas it varies from 6 to 12 m/s. Above the sea, mainly masses of continental arctic and marine polar air interact, at the border of which cyclones are formed, along which cyclones move to the northeast. The western part of the sea is characterized by storms with wind speeds of up to 30–40 m/s and a duration of more than a day.

The average monthly temperature of the coldest months - January and February is -1 ... -4°С in the southwestern and southern parts of the sea and -15 ... -20°С in the northern and northeastern regions. In the open sea it is higher than in the coastal zone.

In the warm season, southwestern, southern and southeastern winds prevail, the speed of which in the western part high seas 4–6 m/s, and in the eastern regions - 4–7 m/s. In summer, the frequency of storms and wind speeds is less than in winter. Tropical cyclones () penetrate into the southern part of the sea, causing severe storms with hurricane force. Average monthly temperatures The air temperatures of the warmest months - July and August - within the sea vary from 4 ° C in the north to 13 ° C in the south, and they are higher near the coast than in the open sea.

For the water balance of the Bering Sea, water exchange is of decisive importance. Very large amounts of surface and deep ocean waters enter through the Aleutian Straits, and flow out through the waters into the Chukchi Sea. The water exchange between the sea and the ocean affects the distribution of temperature, the formation of the structure and waters of the Bering Sea.

The bulk of the waters of the Bering Sea is 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.

The temperature of the water on the sea surface generally decreases from south to north, and in the western part of the sea the water is somewhat colder than in the eastern part. In shallow coastal areas, the surface water temperature is somewhat higher than in the open areas of the Bering Sea.

In winter, the surface temperature, equal to about 2°C, extends to horizons of 140–150 m, below it rises to about 3.5°C at 200–250 m, then its value almost does not change with depth. In summer, the water temperature on the surface reaches 7–8°C, but drops very sharply (up to 2.5°C) with a depth of up to 50 m.

The salinity of the surface waters of the sea varies from 33–33.5‰ in the south to 31‰ in the east and northeast, and up to 28.6‰ in the Bering Strait. Water is most significantly desalinated in spring and summer in the confluence areas of the Anadyr, Yukon and Kuskokuim rivers. However, the direction of the main currents along the coast limits the impact on the deep sea. The vertical distribution of salinity is almost the same in all seasons of the year. From the surface to a horizon of 100–125 m, it is approximately equal to 33.2–33.3‰. Salinity slightly increases from the horizons of 125–150 m to 200–250 m; deeper it remains almost unchanged to the bottom. In accordance with small spatiotemporal changes in temperature and salinity, the density of water also changes slightly.

The depth distribution of oceanological characteristics 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 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 deep areas and up to 50–60 m in coastal areas.

The velocities of constant currents in the sea are small. The highest values ​​(up to 25–50 cm/s) are observed in the areas of the straits, and in the open sea they are equal to 6 cm/s, and the velocities are especially low in the zone of the central cyclonic circulation.

Tides in the Bering Sea are mainly due to the propagation of a tidal wave from the Pacific Ocean. Tidal currents in the open sea are circular in nature, and their speed is 15–60 cm/s. Near the coasts and in the straits, the currents are reversible, and their speed reaches 1–2 m/s.

Most of the year, a significant part of the Bering Sea is covered with ice. Ice in the sea is of local origin, that is, it forms, breaks up and melts in the sea itself. The process of ice formation begins first in the northwestern part of the Bering Sea, where ice appears in October and gradually moves south. Ice appears in the Bering Strait in September. In winter, the strait is filled with solid broken ice drifting north. However, even at the time of the greatest development 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, maximum height which can reach up to 20 m. Immovable ice, which forms in winter in closed bays and gulfs, can be broken and carried out to sea during storm winds. The ice of the eastern part of the sea is carried to the north, into the Chukchi Sea. During July and August, the sea is completely ice-free, but even during these months, ice can be found in the Bering Strait. Strong winds contribute to the destruction of the ice cover and the cleansing of the sea from ice in summer.

The nature of the distribution of biogenic elements in the sea is associated with the biological system (consumption of products, destruction) and therefore has a pronounced seasonal course.

The horizontal and vertical distribution of all forms of biogens is significantly affected by numerous mesocirculations of water, which are associated with spotting in the distribution of biogens.

For the Bering Sea with its highly developed shelf, large and very intense water dynamics, the average annual primary production is estimated at 340 gC/m2.

The annual production of the main groups of aquatic organisms that are components of the Bering Sea ecosystem is (in million tons of fresh weight): phytoplankton - 21,735; bacteria - 7607; protozoa - 3105; peaceful zooplankton - 3090; predatory zooplankton - 720; peaceful zoobenthos - 259; predatory zoobenthos - 17.2; fish - 25; squid - 12; benthic commercial invertebrates - 1.42; sea ​​birds and sea mammals - 0.4.

No deposits have yet been discovered on the Russian shelf of the Bering Sea. Within East Coast Chukotka autonomous region, in the area of ​​the village. Khatyrka, three small oil fields were discovered: Verkhne-Echinskoye, Verkhne-Telekayskoye and Uglovoe; A small Zapadno-Ozernoye gas field was discovered in the Anadyr River basin. However, the shelf of the Bering Sea is estimated as promising for the search for hydrocarbon deposits in the Cretaceous, Paleogene and Neogene deposits, and within the Anadyr Bay - as a promising placer-bearing region of the Far East.

The coastal parts of the sea are subjected to the most intense anthropogenic load: the Anadyr Estuary, Coal Bay, and the shelf of the peninsula (Kamchatsky Bay).

The Anadyr estuary and Coal Bay are mostly polluted with wastewater from housing and communal services. Petroleum hydrocarbons and organochlorine hydrocarbons enter the Kamchatka Bay with the flow of the Kamchatka River.

coastal and open areas the seas experience minor heavy metal pollution.