Information AboutBering Sea |
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The Bering (or '''Imarpik''') '''Sea''' is a body of water in the Pacific Ocean that comprises a deep water basin (the Aleutian Basin) which rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves. The Bering Sea is separated from the Gulf Of Alaska by the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands . Covering over two million Square Kilometer s (''775,000 sq mi''), it is bordered on the east and northeast by Alaska , on the west by Russia 's Siberia and Kamchatka Peninsula , on the south by the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands and on the far north by the Bering Strait which separates the Bering Sea from the Arctic Ocean 's Chukchi Sea . Bristol Bay is the portion of the Bering Sea which separates the Alaska Peninsula from mainland Alaska . The Bering Sea is named for the first European discoverer to sail its waters, the Danish navigator Vitus Bering . The Bering Sea ecosystem includes resources within the jurisdiction of the United States and Russia, as well as International Waters in the ‘Donut Hole’. The interaction between currents, sea ice, and weather make for a vigorous and productive ecosystem. HISTORY in the Bering sea in order to load food and equipment for the expedition to the Chukchi sea in the north. Drawing by Louis Choris in 1817.]] During the most recent Ice Age , the Sea Level was thought to be low enough to allow Human s and other animals to migrate from Asia to North America on foot across what is now the Bering Strait , located on the northern side of the sea. This is commonly referred to as the " Bering Land Bridge " and is believed by some scholars (in dispute by others) to be the first entry of humans into The Americas . There is a small portion of the Kula Plate in the Bering Sea. The Kula Plate is an ancient Tectonic Plate that used to Subduct under Alaska during the Triassic period. GEOGRAPHY Islands of the Bering Sea include:
Regions of the Bering Sea include The Bering Sea contains 16 Submarine Canyon s including the largest submarine canyon in the world, Zhemchug Canyon . ECOSYSTEM coordinate system, from 56U to 10W. The Kamchatka Peninsula and national borders between Alaska , Canada , and the continental United States are also shown.]] The drops off into the Aleutian Basin is also known as the “ Greenbelt ”. Nutrient upwelling from the cold waters of the Aleutian basin flowing up the slope and mixing with shallower waters of the shelf provide for constant production of phytoplankton. The second driver of productivity in the Bering Sea is seasonal causes a reduction of sea ice in the Bering Sea. Some evidence suggests that great changes to the Bering Sea ecosystem have already occurred. Warm water conditions in the summer of 1997 resulted in a massive bloom of low energy of the Bering Sea is much lower now than it has been in the past. BIODIVERSITY , a non-commercial fish, caught in the eastern Bering Sea.]] The Bering Sea is home to some of the world's most interesting wildlife. This sea supports many endangered whale species including Bowhead Whale , Blue Whale , Fin Whale , Sei Whale , Humpback Whale , Sperm Whale , and the rarest whale in the world, the Northern Right Whale . Other marine mammals include Walrus , Steller's Sea Lion , Northern Fur Seal , Beluga Whales , Killer Whales (or Orca s), and Polar Bears . The Bering Sea is very important to the seabirds of the world. Over 30 species of seabirds and approximately 20 million individuals breed in the Bering Sea region. Seabird species include Tufted Puffin s, the endangered Short-tailed Albatross , Spectacled Eider , and Red-legged Kittiwake s. Many of these species are unique to the area, which provides highly productive foraging habitat, particularly along the shelf edge and in other nutrient-rich upwelling regions, such as the Pribilof, Zhemchug , and Pervenets canyons. Two Bering Sea species, the Steller's Sea Cow (''Hydrodamalis gigas'') and Spectacled Cormorant (''Phalacrocorax perspicillatus''), are extinct because of overexploitation by man. In addition, a small subspecies of Canada goose, the Bering Canada goose (''Branta canadensis asiatica'') is extinct due to overhunting and introduction of rats to their breeding islands. The Bering Sea supports many species of fish. Some species of fish support large and valuable commercial fisheries. Commercial fish species include 6 species of Pacific Salmon , Walleye Pollock , Red King Crab , Pacific Cod , Pacific Halibut , Yellowfin Sole , Pacific Ocean Perch and Sablefish . Fish biodiversity is high, and at least 419 species of fish have been reported from the Bering Sea. BERING SEA FISHERIES s.]] The Bering Sea is a world renowned treasure for its enormously productive and profitable fisheries, such as king crab, Red King Crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Retrieved 2007-04-07 . Bristol Bay salmon, pollock and other groundfish. These fisheries rely on the productivity of the Bering Sea via a complicated and little understood food web. The continued existence of these fisheries requires an intact, healthy, and productive ecosystem. Commercial fishing is big business in the Bering Sea. Some of the largest seafood companies in the world rely on the Bering Sea to produce fish and shellfish. On the U.S. side, commercial fisheries in the Bering Sea catch approximately $1 billion worth of seafood annually, while Russian Bering Sea fisheries are worth approximately $600 million annually. LINKS TO BERING SEA DATA The Bering Sea supports some of the world's richest fisheries, and landings from Alaskan waters represents half the U.S. catch of fish and shellfish. Because of the changes going on in the Arctic , future evolution of the Bering Sea climate/ecosystem is more uncertain. This is a symmetric problem: climate change impacts ecosystems, and ecosystems serve as indicators for climate change. Track the current State of the Bering Sea with near-realtime ecological and climatic indicators. Bering climate NOAA. Retrieved 2007-04-07 . SEE ALSO
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