The BERING SEA, a marginal sea in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean between the continents of Eurasia and North America, washes the shores of the United States and Russia (the largest of its Far Eastern seas). It is connected in the north by the Bering Strait with the Chukchi Sea, separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Aleutian Ridge and the Commander Islands. The area is 2315 thousand km 2, the volume is 3796 thousand km 3. The greatest depth is 5500 m. Coastline strongly indented, forms many bays (the largest; Karaginsky, Olyutorsky, Anadyrsky - Russia; Norton, Bristol - USA), bays, peninsulas and capes. Islands Karaginsky (Russia), St. Lawrence, Nunivak, Nelson, St. Matthew, Pribylova (USA).

coast Bering Sea diverse, predominantly developed high, rocky, strongly indented bay shores, as well as fjord and abrasion-accumulative ones. Leveled accumulative banks prevail in the east, where the deltas of the large Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers are located.

relief and geological structure bottom . By the nature of the bottom topography, the Bering Sea is clearly divided into shallow and deep water parts approximately along the line from Cape Navarin to Unimak Island. The northern and southeastern parts lie on a shelf with depths of up to 200 m (predominant depths of 50-80 m) and a width in the northeast of up to 750 km (46% of the sea area) - one of the widest in the World Ocean. It is a vast plain, slightly inclined to the southwest. In the Quaternary period, the shelf was periodically drained and a land bridge arose between the continents of Eurasia and North America. Within the shelf there are large depressions - Anadyr, Navarin, Khatyr and others, filled with Cenozoic terrigenous deposits. Depressions can be reservoirs of oil and natural combustible gas. The narrow continental slope with depths of 200-3000 m (13%) and with large bottom slopes almost throughout its entire length passes into the deep-water bed with steep ledges, cut in many places by underwater valleys and canyons. The sides of the canyons are often steep, sometimes steep. In the central and southwestern parts there is a deep-water zone with depths over 3000 m (37%), bordered in the coastal zone by a narrow strip of the shelf. The Shirshov submarine ridge with depths of 500-600 m above the ridge, stretching south from the Olyutorsky Peninsula, divides the deep-water part of the sea into the Commander and Aleutian basins, it is separated from the island arc by the Ratmanov trough (about 3500 m deep). The flat bottom of both basins is slightly inclined to the southwest. The Shirshov Ridge is a complexly constructed zone of junction of two lithospheric plates (Komandor and Aleutian), along which the oceanic crust was crowded (possibly with subduction) until the middle of the Miocene. The basement of the Aleutian Basin is of Early Cretaceous age and is a fragment of the Mesozoic oceanic lithospheric Kula plate, separated in the Cretaceous from the Pacific plate by a large transform fault, transformed in the Paleogene into the Aleutian island arc and the deep-water trench of the same name. The thickness of the Cretaceous-Quaternary sedimentary cover in the central part of the Aleutian Basin reaches 3.5-5 km, increasing to 7-9 km towards the periphery. The basement of the Commander Basin is of Cenozoic age; it was formed as a result of local spreading (the spreading of the bottom with the neoformation of the oceanic crust), which continued until the end of the Miocene. The paleospreading zone can be traced to the east of Karaginsky Island in the form of a narrow trough. The thickness of the Neogene-Quaternary sedimentary cover in the Commander Basin reaches 2 km. In the north, from the Aleutian Islands, the Bowers Ridge (a former Late Cretaceous volcanic arc) departs in an arc to the north, outlining the basin of the same name. The maximum depths of the Bering Sea are located in the Kamchatka Strait and near the Aleutian Islands.

On the shelf, the bottom sediments are mainly terrigenous, near the shore they are coarse detrital, then sands, sandy silts and silts. Sediments of the continental slope are also predominantly terrigenous, in the area of ​​Bristol Bay - with an admixture of volcanic material, and outcrops of bedrocks are numerous. The thickness of sediments in deep-water basins reaches 2500 m, the surface layer is represented by diatomaceous silt.

Climate. Most of the Bering Sea has a subarctic climate, small area north of 64° north latitude - arctic, south of 55° north latitude - temperate maritime. The climate is formed under the influence of the cold masses of the Arctic Ocean in the north, the open spaces of the Pacific Ocean in the south, the adjacent land and the centers of action of the atmosphere. In the open part of the Bering Sea, remote from the influence of the continents, the climate is maritime, mild, with small amplitudes of air temperature fluctuations, the weather is cloudy, with fogs and a lot of precipitation. In winter, under the influence of the Aleutian Low, northwestern, northern, and northeastern winds predominate, bringing cold maritime arctic, as well as cold, dry continental air. The wind speed near the coast is 6-8 m/s, in the open sea - up to 12 m/s. Often, especially in the western part of the sea, storm conditions develop with winds up to 30-40 m/s (last up to 9 days). average temperature air in January - February from 0, -4 °С in the south and southwest to -15, -23 °С in the north and northeast. Off the coast of Alaska, air temperatures dropped to -48 °C. In summer, the influence of the Hawaiian anticyclone increases; southerly winds with speeds of 4-7 m/s prevail over the Bering Sea. Tropical typhoons with hurricane-force winds penetrate the southern part on average once a month. The frequency of storms is lower than in winter. The air temperature in the open sea varies from 4 °С in the north to 13 °С in the south; in coastal areas it is noticeably warmer. The annual amount of precipitation is from 450 mm in the northeast to 1000 mm in the southwest.

Hydrological regime. The river flow is about 400 km 3 per year. Up to 70% of the runoff is provided by the Yukon (176 km 3), Anadyr (50 km 3), Kuskokwim (41 km 3) rivers, while more than 85% of the runoff occurs in the spring summer time. Compared with the volume of the sea, the amount of freshwater runoff is small, but river waters enter mainly into the northern regions of the sea, leading in summer to a noticeable desalination of the surface layer. Peculiarities hydrological regime are determined by limited water exchange with the Arctic Ocean, relatively free connection with the Pacific Ocean, continental runoff, and water freshening during ice melting. The exchange with the Chukchi Sea is difficult due to the small cross-sectional area of ​​the Bering Strait (3.4 km 2 , the average depth above the threshold is 39 m). Numerous straits connecting the Bering Sea with the Pacific Ocean have a cross section with total area 730 km 2 and depths over 4000 m (Kamchatsky Strait), which contributes to good water exchange with the Pacific waters.

In the structure of the Bering Sea, four water masses are mainly distinguished in the deep part: surface, subsurface intermediate cold, intermediate Pacific warm and deep. Changes in salinity with depth are small. Both intermediate water masses are absent only near the Aleutian Islands. In some parts of the Bering Sea, in particular in coastal areas, other water masses are formed depending on local conditions.

The surface currents of the Bering Sea form a counterclockwise circulation, which is significantly influenced by the prevailing winds. Along the coast of Alaska, the Bering Sea branch of the Kuroshio warm currents follows to the north, which partially leaves through the Bering Strait and, taking in the cold waters of the Chukchi Sea, moves along the Asian coast to the south and forms the cold Kamchatka Current, which intensifies in summer. The velocities of permanent currents in the open sea are low, about 6 cm/s, in the straits the speed increases to 25-50 cm/s. In coastal areas, circulation is complicated by periodic tidal currents, reaching 100-200 cm/s in the straits. The tides in the Bering Sea are irregular semidiurnal, irregular diurnal and regular diurnal, their nature and magnitude vary greatly from place to place. On average, the height of the tide is 1.5-2.0 m, the highest - 3.7 m - is noted in Bristol Bay.

The water temperature on the surface in February varies from -1.5 °С in the north to 3 °С in the south, in August, respectively, from 4-8 °С to 9-11 °С. The salinity of surface waters in winter is from 32.0‰ in the north to 33.5‰ in the south; in summer, under the influence of ice melting and river runoff, salinity decreases, especially in coastal areas, where it reaches 28‰, in the open part of the sea, respectively, from 31.0‰ in the north to 33‰ in the south. The northern and northeastern parts of the sea are annually covered with ice. The first ice appears in September in the Bering Strait, in the northwest - in October and gradually spreads to the south. During the winter, the Bering Sea is covered with heavy ice up to 60° north latitude. All ice forms and melts in the Bering Sea. Only a small part sea ​​ice carried out through the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea and by the Kamchatka Current into the northwestern region of the Pacific Ocean. The ice cover breaks up and melts in May - June.

Research History. The Bering Sea is named after the captain-commander Russian fleet V. Bering, whose name is associated with discoveries in the 1st half of the 18th century - the Bering Strait, the Aleutian and Commander Islands. Modern name put into use in the 1820s by V. M. Golovnin. Previously it was called Anadyrsky, Bobrov, Kamchatsky. The first geographical discoveries of the coasts, islands, peninsulas and straits of the Bering Sea were made by Russian explorers, fur traders and sailors at the end of the 17th and 18th centuries. Comprehensive studies of the Bering Sea were carried out by Russian naval sailors, hydrographers and naturalists especially intensively until the 1870s. Before the sale of Russian America (1867), the entire coast of the Bering Sea was owned by Russian Empire.

Economic use. There are about 240 species of fish in the Bering Sea, of which at least 35 species are commercial. Cod, flounder, halibut, Pacific perch, herring, salmon are being caught. Kamchatka crab and shrimp are mined. Walruses, sea lions, sea otters live. On the Commander and Aleutian Islands - fur seal rookeries. Baleen whales, sperm whales, beluga whales and killer whales are found in the open sea. On the rocky shores - bird colonies. The Bering Sea is of great transport importance as part of the Northern Sea Route. Main ports- Anadyr, Provideniya (Russia), Nome (USA).

The ecological state of the Bering Sea is consistently satisfactory. The concentration of pollutants increases in the mouth areas of rivers, in bays, in ports, which leads to some reduction in the size of hydrobionts in coastal areas.

Lit .: Dobrovolsky A.D., Zalogin B.S. Seas of the USSR. M., 1982; Bogdanov N.A. Tectonics of deep-sea basins of marginal seas. M., 1988; Zalogin B.S., Kosarev A.N. Seas. M., 1999; Dynamics of the ecosystems of the Bering and Chukchi seas. M., 2000.

Square2,315,000 km² Volume3,796,000 km³ Greatest depth4151 m Average depth 1600 m Bering Sea Bering Sea K:Water objects in alphabetical order

Story

sea ​​name

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 C. P. Fliorier in early XIX century, however, it was introduced into use only in 1818 by the Russian navigator V. M. Golovnin. However, on New geographical road map of the Russian Empire 1833, it is still marked - beaver sea .

Modern history

Physical location

Area 2.315 million sq. km. The average depth is 1600 meters, the maximum is 4151 meters. The length of the sea from north to south is 1,600 km, from east to west - 2,400 km. The volume of water is 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 boundary of the sea is drawn along the chain of the Commander and Aleutian Islands, which form a giant arc curved to the south and separate 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 chain of the Commander-Aleutian Ridge in the south - with the Pacific Ocean.

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

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

Fall into the sea major rivers Yukon and Anadyr.

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 annually covered with ice for about ten months (about five months half of the sea, about seven months, from November to May, - the northern third of the sea). The Gulf of Laurentia in some years is not cleared of ice at all. In the western part of the Bering Strait, ice brought by the current can occur even in August.

Bottom relief

The bottom of the sea is covered with terrigenous sediments - sand, gravel, shell rock in the shelf zone and gray or green diatom silt in deep water places.

temperature and salinity

The surface water mass (up to a depth of 25-50 meters) throughout the sea in summer has a temperature of 7-10 °C; 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 over the seasons, is approximately -1.7 ° C, salinity - 33.7-34.0 ‰.

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

The deep water mass occupies all the near-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 inhabited by 402 species of fish of 65 families, including 9 species of gobies, 7 species of salmon, 5 species of eelpouts, 4 species of flatfish and others. Of these, 50 species and 14 families are commercial fish. Fishing objects are also 4 species of crabs, 4 species of shrimp, 2 species of cephalopods.

The main marine mammals of the Bering Sea are animals from the order of pinnipeds: ringed seal (akiba), common seal (larga), bearded seal (beared seal), lionfish and Pacific walrus. From 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 website of the World Digital Library
2. // Military encyclopedia: [in 18 volumes] / ed. V. F. Novitsky [i dr.]. - St. Petersburg. ; [M .] : Typ. t-va I. V. Sytin, 1911-1915.
3. Leontiev V.V., Novikova K. A. Bering Sea // Toponymic Dictionary of the North-East of the USSR / scientific. ed. G. A. Menovshchikov; FEB AS USSR. North-East complex. Research Institute. Lab. archeology, history and ethnography. - Magadan: Magadan. book. publishing house, 1989. - S. 86. - 15,000 copies. - ISBN 5-7581-0044-7.
4. A new geographical road map of the Russian Empire with the designation of 57 provinces, 8 regions, 4 townships, 4 departments, 8 voivodships, the Lands of Greater and Lesser Kabarda and Kirghiz Kaisakov. With the indication of educational districts, cities, places of interest, water communications, postal carriageways, and the distance between them in versts. Compiled and published by Captain Mednikov, an employee of the Military Printing Depot. 1833. St. Petersburg. The publication of this map serves as the sole guide for teachers and students of Russian geography at the course of G. G. Professor. Arseniev and Zyaslavsky and for travelers in Russia
5. Leonov A.K. Regional oceanography. - Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 1960. - T. 1. - S. 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 of Moscow. un-ta, 1982.
• [national atlas.rf/cd1/274-275.html Bering Sea ( physical map, scale 1:5,000,000)] // National Atlas of Russia. - M .: Roskartografiya, 2004. - T. 1. - S. 274-275. - 496 p. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 5-85120-217-3.

An excerpt characterizing the Bering Sea

Princess Mary, lowering her head, left the circle and went into the house. Having repeated the order to Dron 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 by the open window in her room, listening to the sounds of peasants talking 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 made by worries about the present, has already become past for her. She could now remember, she could cry and she could pray. As the sun went down, the wind died down. The night was calm and cool. At twelve o'clock the voices began to subside, a rooster crowed, the full moon began to emerge from behind the linden trees, a fresh, white dew mist rose, and silence reigned over the village and over the house.
One after another, she imagined pictures of the close past - illness and the last moments of her father. And with sad joy she now dwelled on these images, driving away from herself with horror only one last idea 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 in such detail that they seemed to her either reality, or the past, or the future.
Then she vividly imagined the moment when he had a stroke and he was being dragged from the garden in the Bald Mountains by the arms and he was muttering something in an impotent tongue, twitching his gray eyebrows and looking restlessly and timidly at her.
“He wanted to tell me even then what he told me on the day of his death,” she thought. “He always thought what he said to me.” And now she remembered with all the details that night in the Bald Mountains on the eve of the blow that happened to him, when Princess Mary, anticipating trouble, stayed with him against his will. She did not sleep and went downstairs on tiptoe at night and, going to the door to the flower room, where her father spent the night that night, she listened to his voice. He was saying something to Tikhon in an exhausted, tired voice. He seemed to want to talk. "Why didn't he call me? Why didn't he allow me to be here in Tikhon's place? thought then and now Princess Marya. - He will never tell anyone now all that was in his soul. This moment will never return for him and for me when he would say everything that he wanted to express, and I, and not Tikhon, would listen and understand him. Why didn't I come into the room then? she thought. “Perhaps he would have told me then what he said on the day of his death. Even then, in a conversation with Tikhon, he asked twice about me. He wanted to see me, and I was standing there, 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 Liza, as if alive - he forgot that she was dead, 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, groaning, he lay down on the bed and shouted loudly: “My God! Why didn’t I go up then? What would he do to me? What would I lose? Or maybe then he would have consoled himself, he would have said this word to me. And Princess Marya uttered aloud that affectionate word that he had spoken to her on the day of his death. “Dude she nka! - Princess Marya repeated this word and sobbed tears that relieved her soul. She saw his face in front of her now. And not the face she had known since she could remember, and which she had always seen from afar; and that face - timid and weak, which on the last day, bending down to his mouth in order to hear what he was saying, for the first time examined closely with all its wrinkles and details.
"Darling," she repeated.
What was he thinking when he said that word? What does he think now? - suddenly a question came to her, and in response to this she saw him in front of her with the expression on his face that he had in the coffin on his face tied with a white handkerchief. And the horror that seized her when she touched him and became convinced that it was not only not him, but something mysterious and repulsive, seized her even now. She wanted to think about something else, she wanted to pray, and there was nothing she could do. She looked at her with wide open eyes. Moonlight and shadows, every second she waited to see his dead face and felt that the silence that stood over the house and in the house chained her.
- Dunyasha! she whispered. - Dunyasha! she cried 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 and the escort hussar, who had just returned from captivity, from their Yankovo ​​camp, fifteen miles from Bogucharov, went riding - to try a new horse bought by Ilyin and find out if there is hay in the villages.
Bogucharovo had been between the two enemy armies for the last three days, so that the Russian rearguard could just as easily enter there as the French avant-garde, and therefore Rostov, as a caring squadron commander, wanted to take advantage of the provisions that remained in Bogucharov before the French.
Rostov and Ilyin were in the most cheerful mood. On the way to Bogucharovo, to the princely estate with a manor, where they hoped to find a large household and pretty girls, they first asked Lavrushka about Napoleon and laughed at his stories, then they drove, trying Ilyin's horse.
Rostov did not know and did not think that this village to which he was going was the estate of that same Bolkonsky, who was his sister's fiancé.
Rostov and Ilyin let the horses out for the last time in the cart in front of Bogucharov, and Rostov, having overtaken Ilyin, was the first to jump into the street of the village of Bogucharov.
“You took it ahead,” said Ilyin, flushed.
“Yes, everything is forward, and forward in the meadow, and here,” answered Rostov, stroking his soaring bottom with his hand.
“And I’m in French, Your Excellency,” Lavrushka said from behind, calling his draft horse French, “I would have overtaken, but I just didn’t want to shame.
They walked up to the barn, where a large crowd of peasants was standing.
Some peasants took off their hats, some, without taking off their hats, looked at the approachers. Two long old peasants, with wrinkled faces and sparse beards, came out of the tavern and with smiles, swaying and singing some awkward song, approached the officers.
- Well done! - said, laughing, Rostov. - What, do you have hay?
“And the same ones…” said Ilyin.
- Weigh ... oo ... oooh ... barking demon ... demon ... - the men sang with happy smiles.
One peasant left the crowd and approached Rostov.
- Which one will you be? - he asked.
“French,” answered Ilyin, laughing. "That's Napoleon himself," he said, pointing to Lavrushka.
- So, the Russians will be? the man asked.
- How much of your power is there? asked another small man, approaching them.
“Many, many,” answered Rostov. - Yes, what are you gathered here for? he added. Holiday, huh?
“The old men have gathered, on a worldly matter,” answered the peasant, moving away from him.
At this time, two women and a man in a white hat appeared on the road from the manor house, walking towards the officers.
- In my pink, mind not beating! said Ilyin, noticing Dunyasha resolutely advancing towards him.
Ours will be! Lavrushka said with a wink.
- What, my beauty, do you need? - said Ilyin, smiling.
- The princess was ordered to find out what regiment you are and your names?
- This is Count Rostov, squadron commander, and I am your obedient servant.
- Be ... se ... e ... du ... shka! sang the drunk peasant, smiling happily and looking at Ilyin, who was talking to the girl. Following Dunyasha, Alpatych approached Rostov, taking off his hat from a distance.
“I dare to disturb, your honor,” he said with deference, but with relative disdain for the youth of this officer, and putting his hand in his bosom. “My lady, the daughter of General-in-Chief Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, who died this fifteenth day, being in difficulty on the occasion of the ignorance of these persons,” he pointed to the peasants, “asks you to come in ... if you don’t mind,” Alpatych said with a sad smile, “move off a few, otherwise it’s not so convenient when ... - Alpatych pointed to two men who were rushing around him from behind, like horseflies near a horse.

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 islands Pribylov - more canopy 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 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 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. The average 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 southerly winds dominate over the Bering Sea, which are the summer monsoon in the western part of the sea. 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 by climatic conditions, water exchange with the Chukchi Sea and the Pacific Ocean, continental runoff and freshening 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 of river waters and melting ice is much lower than in the ocean, and is 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 with floating ice, which begins to form in the north 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).

Bering Sea

The largest of the Far Eastern seas washing the shores of Russia, the Bering Sea is located between two continents - Asia and North America - and is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the islands of the Commander-Aleutian arc. Its northern border coincides with the southern border of the Bering Strait and stretches along the line of Cape Novosilsky (Chukotsky Peninsula) - Cape York (Seward Peninsula), the eastern border runs along the coast of the American continent, the southern one - from Cape Khabuch (Peninsula Alaska) through the Aleutian Islands to Cape Kamchatsky, western - along the coast of the Asian continent.

The Bering Sea is one of the largest and deepest seas in the world. Its area is 2315 thousand km 2, volume - 3796 thousand km 3, average depth - 1640 m, maximum depth - 4097 m. The area with depths of less than 500 m occupies about half of the entire area of ​​the Bering Sea, which belongs to the marginal seas of the mixed - ocean type.

There are few islands in the vast expanses of the Bering Sea. Apart from the border Aleutian island arc and the Commander Islands, there are large Karaginsky Islands in the west and several islands (St. Lawrence, St. Matthew, Nelson, Nunivak, St. Paul, St. George, Pribylova) in the east.

The coastline of the Bering Sea is heavily indented. It forms many bays, bays, peninsulas, capes and straits. For the formation of many natural processes in this sea, the straits are especially important, providing water exchange with the Pacific Ocean. The total area of ​​their cross section is approximately 730 km 2, the depths in some of them reach 1000-2000 m, and in Kamchatsky - 4000-4500 m, as a result of which water exchange occurs not only in the surface, but also in the deep horizons. The cross-sectional area of ​​the Bering Strait is 3.4 km 2, and the depth is only 60 m. 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 Chukchi Sea.

The borders of the seas of the Pacific Ocean

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

Landscapes of the coast of the Bering Sea

Bottom relief

The main morphological zones are clearly distinguished in the relief of the bottom of the Bering Sea: the shelf and insular shoals, the continental slope and the deep-water basin. 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. Here it adjoins the geologically ancient regions of Chukotka and Alaska. The bottom in this area 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 off the coast of Kamchatka and the islands of the Commander-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 seismic activity are common.

The continental slope stretches from the northwest to the southeast approximately along the line from Cape Navarin to about. Unimac. Together with the island slope zone, it occupies approximately 13% of the sea area, has depths from 200 to 300 m, and is characterized by a complex bottom topography. The zone of the continental slope is dissected by submarine valleys, many of which are typical submarine canyons, deeply cut into the seabed and having steep and even steep slopes. Some canyons, especially near the Pribylov Islands, are distinguished by their complex structure.

The deep water zone (3000-4000 m) is located in the southwestern and central parts sea ​​and is bordered by a relatively narrow strip of coastal shoals. Its area exceeds 40% of the sea area. The bottom relief is very calm. It is characterized by the almost complete absence of isolated depressions. The slopes of some bottom depressions are very gentle; these depressions are weakly isolated. Of the positive forms, the Shirshov Ridge stands out, but it has a relatively shallow depth on the ridge (mainly 500–600 m with a saddle of 2500 m) and does not come close to the base of the island arc, but ends 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 relief determines the possibility of water exchange between separate parts of the sea: without restrictions within the depths of 2000–2500 m and with some limitation (determined by the section of the Ratmanov trough) to depths of 3500 m.

Bottom relief and currents of the Bering Sea

Climate

The geographical position and large spaces determine the main features of the climate of the Bering Sea. It is almost entirely located in the subarctic climatic zone, only the northernmost part (north of 64 ° N) belongs to the arctic zone, and the southernmost part (south of 55 ° N) belongs to the zone of temperate latitudes. In accordance with this, climatic differences between different areas of the sea are also determined. North of 55-56°N in the climate of the sea (especially its coastal regions), the features of continentality are noticeably pronounced, but in areas remote from the coast they are much weaker. South of these parallels, the climate is mild, typically maritime. It is characterized by small daily and annual air temperature amplitudes, high cloud cover and a significant amount of precipitation. As you get closer to 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, the western regions 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 Hawaiian maxima, the position and intensity of which change from season to season, and the degree of their influence on the sea changes accordingly. It is no less influenced by seasonal large-scale baric formations: the Aleutian Low, the Siberian High, and the Asian Depression. Their complex interactions seasonal features atmospheric processes.

In the cold season, especially in winter, the sea is mainly influenced by the Aleutian Low, the Polar High, and the Yakutsk spur of the Siberian Anticyclone. Sometimes the influence of the Hawaiian high is felt, which at this time occupies the extreme southern position. Such a synoptic situation leads to a wide variety of winds, the entire meteorological situation over the sea. At this time, winds of almost all directions are observed here. However, the northwestern, northern and northeastern ones noticeably predominate. Their total repeatability is 50-70%. Only in the eastern part of the sea, south of 50°N, south and southwest winds are quite often observed, and in some places also southeast. 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, and increases from north to south. The winds of 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 southerly winds, sea polar, and sometimes sea tropical air comes here. Above the sea, mainly the masses of continental arctic and maritime polar air interact, on the border of which the arctic front is formed. It is located somewhat north of the Aleutian arc and generally extends from the southwest to the northeast. On the frontal section of these air masses, cyclones form, moving approximately along the front to the northeast. The movement of these cyclones contributes to the strengthening of the northern winds in the west and their weakening or even changing to the southern ones in the east of the sea. Large pressure gradients caused by the Yakutian spur of the Siberian anticyclone and the Aleutian low cause very strong winds in the western part of the sea. During storms, the wind speed often reaches 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 it reaches 15-20 per month.

The temperature of the water on the surface of the Bering and Seas of Okhotsk in summer

The air temperature in winter decreases from south to north. The average monthly temperature of the coldest months - January and February - is 1-4° in the southwestern and southern parts of the sea and -15-20° in the northern and northeastern regions. In the open sea, the air temperature is higher than in the coastal zone. Off the coast of Alaska, it can drop to -40-48°. In open spaces, temperatures below -24 ° are not observed.

In the warm season, the pressure systems are restructured. Starting from spring, the intensity of the Aleutian minimum decreases, and in summer it is very weakly expressed, the Yakut spur of the Siberian anticyclone disappears, the Polar maximum shifts to the north, and the Hawaiian maximum occupies its extreme northern position. As a result of such a synoptic situation in warm seasons, southwestern, southern and southeastern winds prevail, the frequency of which is 30-60%. Their speed in the western part high seas 4-6 m/s, and in the eastern regions - 4-7 m/s. In the coastal zone, the wind speed is less. The decrease in wind speeds compared to winter values ​​is explained by the decrease in atmospheric pressure gradients over the sea. In summer, the Arctic front shifts south of the Aleutian Islands. Cyclones are born here, with the passage of which a significant increase in winds is associated. In summer, the frequency of storms and wind speeds is less than in winter. Only in the southern part of the sea, where tropical cyclones (typhoons) penetrate, do they cause severe storms with hurricane-force winds. Typhoons in the Bering Sea are most likely from June to October, usually occur no more than once a month and last for several days. The air temperature in summer generally decreases from south to north, and it is somewhat higher in the eastern part of the sea than in the western part. The average monthly air temperatures of the warmest months - July and August - within the sea vary from about 4 ° in the north to 13 ° in the south, and they are higher near the coast than in the open sea. Relatively mild winters in the south and cold in the north, and cool, overcast summers everywhere are the main seasonal features of the weather in the Bering Sea. The continental runoff into the sea is approximately 400 km 3 per year. Most of the river water enters its very northern part, where the largest rivers flow: Yukon (176 km 3), Kuskokwim (50 km 3 / year) and Anadyr (41 km 3 / 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.

Hydrology and water circulation

The geographical position, vast expanses, 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 determine the hydrological conditions of the Bering Sea. The components of its thermal budget depend mainly on climatic conditions and, to a much lesser extent, on heat advection by currents. In this regard, various 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.

For the water balance of the Bering Sea, on the contrary, water exchange is of decisive importance. Very large amounts of surface and deep ocean waters enter through the Aleutian Straits, and water flows out through the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea. Precipitation (approximately 0.1% of the volume of the sea) and river runoff (approximately 0.02%) are very small in relation to the vast area and volume of sea water, therefore they are less significant in the water balance 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 mass of the deep ocean water enters the sea in three areas: through the eastern half of the Middle Strait, through almost all the straits of the Fox Islands and through the Amchitka, Tanaga and other straits between the Rat and Andrian Islands. It is possible that deeper waters penetrate into the sea and 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, structure formation and general circulation of the 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. Only in the southernmost part of the sea, in the areas immediately adjacent to the Aleutian ridge, waters of a different structure were found, where both intermediate layers are absent.

Water temperature and salinity

Salinity on the surface of the Bering and Okhotsk seas in summer

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. Such 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° on the surface and 4-6° at the lower boundary and a salinity of about 33‰. 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 here as a result of winter convective mixing and subsequent summer heating of the upper water layer. This layer has an insignificant thickness in the southeastern part of the sea, but as it approaches the western shores, it reaches 200 m or more. The minimum temperature was recorded 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 area of ​​the Karaginsky Bay. The salinity of the cold intermediate layer is 33.2-33.5‰ At the lower boundary of this layer, the salinity rapidly rises to 34‰.

Vertical distribution of water temperature (1) and salinity (2) in the Bering Sea

IN warm years in the south, in the deep part of the sea, a cold intermediate layer may be absent in summer, then the temperature decreases relatively smoothly with depth, with a general warming of the entire water column. The origin of the intermediate layer is associated with the influx of Pacific water, which is cooled from above as a result of winter convection. Convection here reaches horizons of 150-250 m, and under its lower boundary there is an increased temperature - 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 the sea is about 300 m, to the south it decreases to 200 m, and to the north and west it increases to 400 m or more. The lower boundary of the warm intermediate layer is eroded, approximately it is outlined in the 650-900 m layer.

The deep water mass, which occupies most of the volume of the sea, does not differ significantly both in depth and in the area of ​​the sea. For more than 3000 m, the temperature varies from about 2.7-3.0 to 1.5-1.8 ° at the bottom. Salinity is 34.3-34.8‰.

As you move south to the straits of the Aleutian ridge, the stratification of waters is gradually erased, the temperature of the core of the cold intermediate layer rises, approaching in value the temperature of the warm intermediate layer. The waters are gradually acquiring a qualitatively different structure of the Pacific water.

In some areas, especially in shallow water, the main water masses change, new masses appear that are of local importance. For example, in the western part of the Gulf of Anadyr, a freshened water mass is formed under the influence of continental runoff, and in the northern and eastern parts - a cold water mass of the Arctic type. There is no warm intermediate layer here. In some shallow areas of the sea, cold waters are observed in the bottom layer in summer. Their formation is associated with the eddy circulation of water. The temperature in these cold "spots" drops to -0.5-1°.

Due to autumn-winter cooling, summer warming and mixing in the Bering Sea, the surface water mass, as well as the cold intermediate layer, are most strongly transformed. Intermediate Pacific water changes its characteristics during the year very little and only in a thin upper layer. Deep waters do not change noticeably during the year.

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 winter, in the south of the western part of the sea, the surface water temperature is usually 1-3°, and in the eastern part - 2-3°. In the north, throughout the sea, the water temperature is kept in the range from 0 ° to -1.5 °. In spring, the water begins to warm up, and the ice begins to melt, while the temperature rises slightly. In summer, the water temperature on the surface 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° in the west and 4-6° in the east. In shallow coastal areas, the surface water temperature is somewhat higher than in the open areas of the Bering Sea.

The vertical distribution of water temperature in the open part of the sea is characterized by seasonal changes up to 150-200 m horizons, below which they are practically absent.

Water exchange scheme in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea

In winter, the surface temperature, equal to about 2°, extends to horizons of 140-150 m, below it rises to about 3.5° at horizons of 200-250 m, then its value almost does not change with depth.

In spring, the water temperature on the surface rises to about 3.8 ° and remains up to horizons of 40-50 m, then to horizons of 65-80 m it sharply, and then (up to 150 m) very smoothly decreases with depth and slightly increases from a depth of 200 m to the bottom.

In summer, the water temperature on the surface reaches 7-8°, but very sharply (up to 2.5°) drops with a depth of up to 50 m, below its vertical course is almost the same as in spring.

In the general water temperature in the open part of the Bering Sea, the relative uniformity of the spatial distribution in the surface and deep layers and relatively small seasonal fluctuations are characteristic, which manifest themselves only up to horizons of 200-300 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 Kuskokwim rivers. However, the direction of the main currents along the coast limits the influence of the 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 the horizon of 100-125 m, it is approximately equal to 33.2-33.3‰. Salinity slightly increases from horizons 125-150 to 200-250 m, deeper remains almost unchanged to the bottom.

In accordance with small spatiotemporal changes in temperature and salinity, the density also changes insignificantly. 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 more sharply stratified and the winds are weaker than in autumn and winter, wind mixing penetrates to horizons of 75-100 m in deep and up to 50-60 m in coastal areas.

Significant cooling of the waters, and in the northern regions and intense ice formation, contribute to the good development of autumn-winter convection in the sea. During October - November, it captures the surface layer of 35-50 m and continues to penetrate deeper.

The boundary of penetration of winter convection deepens when approaching the coast due to enhanced cooling near the continental slope and shallows. In the southwestern part of the sea, this depression is especially large. The observed sinking of cold waters along the coastal slope is associated with this.

Due to the low air temperature due to the high latitude of the northwestern region, winter convection develops very intensively here and, probably, already in mid-January (due to the shallow water of the region) reaches the bottom.

currents

As a result of the complex interaction of winds, the inflow of water through the straits of the Aleutian ridge, tides and other factors, a field of constant currents in the sea is created.

The predominant mass of water from the ocean enters the Bering Sea through eastern part the Middle Strait, as well as through other significant straits of the Aleutian ridge.

The waters entering through the Near Strait and spreading first into eastbound, then turn north. At a latitude of about 55°, these waters merge with the waters coming from the Amchitka Strait, forming the main flow of the central part of the sea. This current maintains the existence of two stable circulations here - a large, cyclonic one, covering the central deep part of the sea, and a less significant, anticyclonic one. The waters of the main stream are directed to the northwest and reach almost to the Asian shores. Here, most of the water turns along the coast to the southwest, giving rise to the cold Kamchatka Current, and exits into the ocean through the Kamchatka Strait. Part of this water is discharged into the ocean through the western part of the Middle Strait, and a very small part 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-north-west. Approximately at a latitude of 60 °, these waters are divided into two branches: a northwestern one, heading towards the Gulf of Anadyr and further northeast, into the Bering Strait, and a northeastern one, moving towards Norton Sound Bay, and then northward, into the Bering Strait. strait.

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.

In the Aleutian Straits, the tides have an irregular diurnal and irregular semidiurnal character. Near the coast of Kamchatka, during the intermediate phases of the Moon, the tide changes from semidiurnal to diurnal, at high declinations of the Moon it becomes almost purely diurnal, and at low declinations it becomes semidiurnal. At the Koryak coast, from the Olyutorsky Bay to the mouth of the river. Anadyr, the tide is irregular semi-diurnal, and near the coast of Chukotka - the correct semi-diurnal. In the area of ​​Provideniya Bay, the tide again changes into an irregular semi-diurnal one. In the eastern part of the sea, from Cape Prince of Wales to Cape Nome, 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 are circular in nature, and their speed is 15-60 cm/s. Near coasts and in straits tidal currents reversible, and their speed reaches 1-2 m/s.

The cyclonic activity that develops over the Bering Sea causes the occurrence of very strong and sometimes prolonged storms. Especially strong excitement develops from November to May. At this time of the 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 over 5 points reaches 20-30%, and in the northern part of the sea, due to ice, it is absent. In August, waves and swell over 5 points reach their greatest development in the eastern part 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 is up to 40%.

With prolonged winds of medium strength and significant acceleration of waves, their height reaches 6-8 m, with a wind of 20-30 m / s or more - up to 10 m, and in some cases - up to 12 or even 14 m. Periods of storm waves reach up to 9-11 s, and with moderate excitement - up to 5-7 s.

Kunashir Island

In addition to wind waves, swell is observed in the Bering Sea, the highest frequency of which (40%) occurs in autumn. In the coastal zone, the nature and parameters of the waves are very different depending on the physical and geographical conditions of the area.

ice coverage

Most of the year, a significant part of the Bering Sea is covered with ice. Ice in the sea is of local origin, i.e. formed, destroyed and melted in the sea itself. Winds and currents bring an insignificant amount of ice from the Arctic Basin into the northern part of the sea through the Bering Strait, which usually does not penetrate south of about. St. Lawrence.

The northern and southern parts of the sea differ in terms of ice conditions. The approximate boundary between them is the extreme southern position of the ice during the year - in April. This month, the edge goes from Bristol Bay through the Pribylov Islands and further west along the 57-58th parallel, and then drops 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 at all. Warm Pacific waters entering the Bering Sea through the Aleutian Straits push the floating ice to the north, and the ice edge in the central part of the sea is always curved to the north.

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 to the north.

In the Gulf of Anadyr and Norton Sound, 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. Off the coast of Kamchatka 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, approximately up to the 60 ° parallel, is filled with heavy, hummocky ice, the thickness of which reaches 6-10 m. South of the parallel of the Pribylov Islands, there are broken ice and separate ice fields.

However, even during the greatest development of ice formation open part The Bering Sea is never covered in 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 reach up to 20 m. Due to periodic compression and rarefaction of ice associated with tides, ice heaps, numerous polynyas and leads are formed.

The immovable ice that 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.

In April, the border floating ice moves as far south as possible. Since May, the ice begins to gradually break down and retreat to the north. 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.

In bays and gulfs, where the freshening effect of river runoff is felt, the 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. Offshore winds, on the contrary, carry the ice into the sea, sometimes clearing the entire coastal area.

bird market

Economic importance

The fish of the Bering Sea are represented by more than 400 species, of which only no more than 35 are important commercial ones. These are salmon, cod, flounder. Perch, grenadier, capelin, coalfish, etc. are also caught in the sea.

The Bering Sea is the easternmost Russian sea, stretching between Kamchatka and America. Area - 2304 thousand square meters. km. Volume - 3683 thousand cubic meters. km. The average depth is 1598 meters.

In the north, the Bering Sea connects with the Chukchi Sea, in the south it borders on the Aleutian Islands and the open ocean.

Many rivers flow into the Bering Sea, the largest are Anadyr, Yukon, Apuka. The sea is named after Vitus Jonassen Bering, leader of the Great Northern Expedition.

The history of the discovery and development of the Bering Sea goes back to the distant past and is associated with the names of the great pioneers who left their names in history forever.

After the conquest of Siberia by Ermak, the Cossack gangs, and with them many Russian merchants and hunters, began to penetrate further east, to the very coast of the Pacific Ocean. From them, the Russian rulers and the boyars learned about the untold riches of Eastern Siberia. Furs, red caviar, valuable fish, skins, gold and the wealth of unknown China became the reason for the rapid development of this region. Since the delivery of these goods by land route was fraught with great difficulties, they began to think about opening a sea route along north coast to get to America, Japan and China by sea.

Peter the Great paid special attention to this and contributed to this in every possible way. Even in his last days, he gave instructions to Admiral General Apraksin in which he wrote his orders:

1 . It is necessary to make one or two boats with decks in Kamchatka or in another customs place.
2 . On these boats near the land that goes to the north, and by hope (they don’t know the end of it) it seems that that land is part of America.
3 . And in order to look for where it met with America; and in order to get to which city of the European possessions, or if they see which European ship, visit from it, as it is called, and take the kust on a letter, and visit the shore themselves, and take a genuine statement, and putting it on the map, come here.

Peter did not live to see the implementation of these plans, although in January 1725, just three weeks before his death, he appointed one of the best sailors of that time, Vitus Bering, a Dane who served in the Russian fleet, as the leader of the first Kamchatka expedition. Already after his death, Vitus Bering led an expedition that traveled by land through all of Siberia to Okhotsk. In winter, the expedition crossed on dogs to Kamchatka and there in Nizhnekamchatsk a ship was built for a sea voyage. It was a packet boat 18 meters long, 6.1 meters wide, with a draft of 2.3 meters. It was made according to the drawings of the St. Petersburg Admiralty and at that time was considered one of the best warships. On June 9, 1728, during the launching of the boat, the day of the holy archangel Gabriel was celebrated and the boat was given the name "Saint Gabriel".

July 13, 1728 on the boat "St. Gabriel" the expedition moved north. During the voyage was made detailed map coasts and islands. The weather was favorable, and the ship sailed through the strait between Chukotka and America and on August 16 reached latitude 67°19′. Since the coast went west on the left, and the land was not visible on the right, besides, a storm was beginning, Bering turned back and returned to Kamchatka on September 3.

After wintering, on June 5, 1729, Bering and his team set sail for the second time in order to reach the land in the east, which was talked about by the inhabitants of Kamchatka. They almost reached the Commander Islands, but with the worsening weather, they were forced to return back and, fulfilling the requirement of the Admiralty Board, they were engaged in surveying and describing east coast Kamchatka. The result of the voyage was a detailed map and description, which Bering presented to the Admiralty Board in St. Petersburg. The materials of the expedition were highly appreciated, and Bering was awarded the rank of captain-commander.

Under the rule of Anna Ioannovna, passions about the northern and eastern seas subsided somewhat. But after Vitus Bering presented his report and a new project for an expedition to the shores of America and Japan and the exploration of the northern coast of Siberia with the promise of profits to the Admiralty Board, interest in new sea routes resumed. The project was expanded and the task was to explore the northern seas and coasts of Russia. It was planned to draw up Full description North in geographical, geological, botanical, zoological and ethnographic aspect. For this, seven independent detachments were created, five of which were to work on the entire coast of the Arctic Ocean from Pechora to Chukotka, and two in the Far East.

Bering was the commander of the detachment, which was to find a way to North America and islands in the North Pacific. In 1734, Bering went to Yakutsk, where it was necessary to prepare equipment and food for the campaign. But Peter's times have passed and the local authorities were not particularly zealous in organizing, on the contrary, much intended for the expedition was plundered or was of poor quality. Bering was forced to stay in Yakutsk for three years. Only in 1737 did he end up in Okhotsk. The local authorities of Okhotsk were also not very helpful in organizing the expedition and building ships. Only by the end of the summer of 1740, two packet boats, St. Peter and St. Paul, intended for the expedition, were built.

And only in September, Vitus Bering on the "St. Peter" and Alex Chirikov on the "St. Paul" were able to get to Avacha Bay in Kamchatka. There they were forced to stand up for the winter. The crews of the ships laid a prison, which became the capital of Kamchatka, named after the ships Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

After a difficult winter, only on June 4, 1741, Bering on the "St. Peter" and Chirikov on the "St. Paul" went on a campaign to the shores of America. But on June 20, in thick fog, the ships missed each other. After vain attempts to find each other, the ships followed separately.

Bering, moving east, on July 16, 1741, at a latitude of 58 ° 14 ′, reached the coast of North America. Having landed on Kayak Island and having replenished fresh water supplies, the expedition moved on. The landing on the American coast was very short-lived and, of course, did not give anything in terms of research. Either Bering was afraid of meeting with the local population, or he did not want to stay there for the winter. But he, without consulting anyone, gave the command to turn back.

I follow along the coast of Alaska and further along the Aleutian Islands, making their descriptions and putting on the map: the islands of St. John, the Shumaginsky and Evdokeevsky Islands, St. Stephen, St. Markian and Kodiak Island, St. Peter almost approached the shores of Kamchatka. But on November 5, only 200 km short of Kamchatka, the ship entered one of the islands to replenish water supplies. A storm broke out, a sharp cold snap, snow did not allow to continue swimming and the team was forced to stay for the winter. On November 28, during a storm, the packet boat was washed ashore.

Not everyone endured the difficult wintering conditions, out of 75 team members 19 people died of scurvy, on December 8 Vitus Bering, who at that time was already 60 years old, also died. The navigator, lieutenant Sven Waxel became the commander of the expedition. Vitus Beging was buried there on the island, which was named Bering Island in his honor, and the archipelago the Commander Islands.

During the following summer, 46 surviving crew members built a small vessel from the wreckage of a packet boat - a gookor, which was also named "St. Peter" and only in August 1742 they were able to get to Kamchatka.

Campaign "St. Paul" also abounded in adventure. Alexy Chirikov, after they missed Bering, continued sailing to the east and on July 15, at a latitude of 55 ° 21 ′, he approached the land on which mountains covered with forest were visible. The boat sent to the shore did not find a suitable place for setting up the vessel and disembarking, and they continued to move along the coast to the east. A second landing attempt was made two days later. A boat was sent to the shore, but it disappeared without a trace. On July 23, seeing a light on the shore, they sent a second boat, but it did not return either. So 15 crew members disappeared, either they became victims of the Indians, or drowned at high tide, the story is silent about this.

After waiting 10 days, Chirikov gave the command to move on. After passing another 230 miles along the coast, the team was unable to land on the beach. It was impossible to get close to the shore without damaging the ship, and there were no more boats. Fresh water ended, the products were running out. Nevertheless, they tried once again to land on the shore on rafts, but for two days a bay suitable for landing was not found. At the council convened by Chirikov, there was a decision to go back.

On the way home, near the Aleutian Islands, they twice met local residents on boats. Attempts to stock up on water and provisions did not lead to anything, the Aleuts asked for weapons for water, which the Russian sailors refused. And so, without a supply of water and food, they continued on their way to the house. On the way, many, including Chirikov, fell ill, midshipman Elagin took command of the ship, who on October 12, 1741 brought the packet boat St. Paul to Kamchatka. Of the 68 crew members, 49 returned from the campaign.

The next year, 1742, Chirikov tried to find Bering's missing ship. On May 25, he again went to sea, but because of the headwinds, he could only reach the islands of Attu. On the islands he came across along the way, he did not find anyone. As it turned out later, they passed very close to the island where Bering's expedition wintered, but the coast was invisible in thick fog, and on July 1 Chirikov returned to Kamchatka. This is how the route of the packet boats St. Peter and St. Paul looks on the map.

In August 1742, while in Yakutsk, Chirikov sent a report on the expedition to St. Petersburg. And in 1746 he himself was summoned to St. Petersburg, where he personally reported on the campaign. Being in the Admiralty Board, he proposed to found a city at the mouth of the Amur, in order to build a ship pier there and lay a fortress, which could be reached from the depths of Russia along the Amur. But no one considered his opinion, although later it was considered very far-sighted and in 1856 the port city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur was built there.

Subsequently, Chirikov worked for a long time in Yeniseisk, compiled maps of Russian discoveries in the east, which were considered lost for a long time and only in Soviet times were discovered and used to map the Soviet Union. The brilliant officer of the Russian fleet, who reached the shores of North-West America, Alexei Chirikov, died in need in 1748 at the age of only 45, and his family was left forgotten and without a livelihood.

And yet, the work of Russian sailors, although many years later, gave its results. On the coast of the Far East and in Kamchatka, large seaports transformed into modern cities. Russian Pacific Fleet, despite numerous wars, became the most powerful in that region, and the Kamchatka Sea itself since 1818, at the suggestion of the Russian navigator and the head of two round-the-world expeditions, Vice-Admiral V. M. Golovnin, became known as the Bering Sea.

Due to its geographical position, the Bering Sea has its own characteristics. In the Bering Strait, the two continents closest to each other are Asia and America. The distance between them is about 90 kilometers. In the middle of the strait lie the Diomede Islands, separated by only five kilometers. West Island- Ratmanova - belongs to Russia, east island- Kruzenshtern - USA. Between the islands passes our state border with America.

The inhabitants of Ratmanov Island are the first in the country to welcome the coming day. Their time is 10 hours ahead of Moscow. Here, starting between the islands of the Bering Strait and following to the passage between the Commander and Aleutian Islands, the boundary of the change of day is drawn, which continues further south along the 180 ° meridian in the Pacific Ocean and is called the date change line, or demarcation line. Navigators going east to America, when crossing this line, rearrange the calendar a day ago and count the same day of the week twice. Navigators going west to Russia add a day ahead to the calendar date and skip one day of the week.

Strictly speaking, this operation should have been carried out not in the Bering Strait, but to the west of it, on the 180° meridian. But this meridian passes through the Chukchi Peninsula. Having two calendars in the same area would be extremely inconvenient. Therefore, it was agreed to move the line of the boundary of the day to the east, to the Bering Strait. And in the southern part of the Bering Sea, this line is shifted, on the contrary, to the west from the meridian 180 ° to the Commander Islands. This is done in order not to change the calendar day in the Aleutian Islands.

Thus, the Bering Strait plays an important role both in political relations and in the system of the modern calendar.

Of all the fourteen seas of Russia, the Bering Sea is the deepest. Depths greater than this lie only in the open ocean behind the Kuril and Aleutian Islands and east of Kamchatka. However, the northern part of the sea does not resemble the southern one in terms of bottom topography. The depths in it, on a vast area of ​​about 1 million square kilometers, do not exceed several tens of meters.

The rise of the bottom in the northern part of the sea between the Koryak coast and the tip of the Alaska Peninsula is rather steep. The transition of the relief from the southern to the northern half of the sea can be compared with a sharp transition to a high mountainous country, on the top of which there is a large plateau, indented by a number of hollows. This plateau is the bottom of the northern part of the sea. And the hollows are reminiscent of that geological era, when the entire plateau stood above sea level and was crossed by numerous rivers. Geologists have established that the rise and fall of land in this area occurred several times.

During the last glaciation, the land was above its current level. In place of the northern part of the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait, a wide plain then spread. As with previous land uplifts, then the Pacific Ocean had no connection with the Arctic Ocean. Asia and America were connected by a dry isthmus. This explains why now in Asia and America, despite their separation by the sea, there are identical land animals and plants.

They spread across two continents at a time when there was a "land bridge" between them. Mammoths, in particular, crossed this "bridge". People, the distant ancestors of the current North American tribes, could also pass through it from Asia to North America. This is reminiscent of the similarities in the appearance and culture of some tribes of Asia and America.

Then the land sank, the lowlands were covered with water, and the sea again lay between the two continents, as if no communication by land had ever existed. It took a long development of mankind and the growth of science to restore the history of the development of oceans and land.

The sinking of the "land bridge" happened not so long ago, only a few tens of thousands of years ago. Hence, from the point of view of geology, the northern part of the Bering Sea should be considered young.

The Bering Sea is now one of the most developed in the world, despite the harsh climatic conditions. The water temperature on the surface in summer + 7-8 °, in winter + 2 °. The salinity of the water is from 28-33‰. The tides in the Bering Sea are diurnal and semidiurnal. The average height of the water level fluctuation is 1.5-2m, in the Bering Strait it is only about 0.5m, and in the Bristol Bay it is sometimes 8 meters or more, the speed of the tides is 1-2 m/s. Cyclones with winds up to 20-30 m/s are quite frequent in the sea area, which cause strong and prolonged storms, the wave height is up to 14 m. For a long time in the year, most of the Bering Sea is covered with ice.

The Bering Sea has long been considered one of the most commercial seas. Only underwater inhabitants, there are more than 400 species. About 35 species are commercial, mainly salmon, cod and flounder. For many years, red caviar, obtained from salmon fish, has been the most expensive delicacy, which has been exported and exported from here in tons, while destroying millions of fish of valuable species. Some order is being introduced in this, but poaching is still flourishing.

A special article is occupied by crab fishing. Crab meat was once a food product only for Asians: Chinese, Japanese, etc. Over time, it gained popularity in many countries of the world. The Bering Sea is the place where the largest population of king crab and during the crab fishing season, thousands of ships from many countries come to the Bering Sea. Although the crab fishing season is only a few days, during this time more than 30 thousand tons of crab are managed to get out of the waters. Moreover, the allocated quotas are constantly violated by foreigners. But for many, this is the main income and often a family business.

The fauna of the Bering Sea is very diverse. A huge number of walruses, sea lions, seals, fur seals live in the waters. Often they can be seen on the open sea on ice floes.

On the Aleutian, Commander Islands, on the coast of Alaska and Chukotka, these marine animals arrange numerous rookeries where they breed their offspring.

Quite a lot of whales live in the waters of the Bering Sea. Once there were more of them here than anywhere else on the globe, but for many years they were actively hunted. Special whaling fleets were created here, including the Russian Slava and Aleut, which killed hundreds of whales and their population plummeted. In recent years, the number of whales has been gradually increasing.

It is not uncommon to meet swimming polar bears in the open sea. Sometimes they stay for a long time on the shores, where there is more food than in the neighboring Chukchi Sea.

Very rich and varied animal world coast of the Bering Sea. Lives in the forests a large number of various animals: bears, elks, wolves, foxes, sable, martens, squirrels, arctic fox, ermine, etc. On the Chukotka Peninsula, numerous herds of reindeer have become one of the main wealth of this region.

Created a few years ago national park Beringia, located between Chukotka and Kamchatka, due to its protected status, has now become so populated with rare animals that it is becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations.

The number and variety of birds in the Bering Sea is simply incredible. They arrange huge bird markets on the rocky shores, where they breed their chicks. The population density of birds on some islands exceeds 200,000 birds per 1 sq. km.

This sea is the easternmost border of our country and therefore it is reliably protected. Border ships are on duty around the clock in the eastern maritime border our homeland.

Climatic conditions in the Bering Sea region: in Kamchatka, Kuril Islands and on the Chukotka Peninsula are quite severe. The temperature is below zero for almost 9 months of the year. Severe snowy winters and cold winds are common here. And still, few of their people living on the coast of this very east sea agrees to move to the mainland.