A water body north of the Pacific Ocean, 875,000 mi2 (2,268,000 km2) in area, bounded by Siberia, Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands. The Bering Sea is a biologically productive area, with large populations of marine birds and mammals. An active pollock fishery and a developing bottom-fish industry are evidence of its rich biological resources. The Bering Sea consists of a large, deep basin in the southwest portion, where depths as great as 9900 ft (3000 m) are encountered. To the north and east, an extremely wide, shallow continental shelf extends north to the Bering Strait. The two major regions are separated by a shelf break, the position of which coincides with the southernmost extent of sea ice in a cold season. Ice is a prominent feature of the Bering Sea shelf during the cold months. Coastal ice begins to form in late October, and by February coastal ice is found in the Aleutians. The sea ice may extend as far south as 58°N. Thus, the ice edge in the eastern Bering Sea advances and retreats seasonally over a distance as great as 600 mi (1000 km). Ice-free conditions can be expected throughout the entire region by early July. Sea ice The main water connections with the Pacific are in the west of the Aleutian Islands, the 6600-ft-deep (2000-m) pass between Attu and Komandorskiye Islands and the 14,000-ft-deep (4400-m) pass between the Komandorskiyes and Kamchatka. Aleutian passes also serve to exchange water. The Bering Sea connection with the Arctic Ocean (Chukchi Sea) is the Bering Strait, 53 mi (85 km) wide and 30 mi (45 m) deep. Tides in the Bering Sea are semidiurnal, with a strong diurnal inequality typical of North Pacific tides. Three water masses are associated with Bering sea water—Western Subarctic, Bering Sea, and the Alaskan Stream. The general circulation of the Bering Sea is counterclockwise, with many small eddies superimposed on the large-scale pattern. The currents in the Bering Sea are generally a few centimeters per second except along the continental slope, the coast of Kamchatka, and in certain eddies, where somewhat higher values have been found. Ocean circulation |
