Bering Sea Facts: Curious Geography Facts Revealed For Kids!

The Bering Sea, located near the Aleutian Islands chain, is one of the world's most turbulent seas.

Strong winds, subzero temperatures, and icy water are all common occurrences. The combination results in some of the world's most powerful waves.

The Bering Sea is a northern Pacific Ocean marginal sea. The North Pacific Ocean is a large body of saltwater that stretches from Antarctica in the south to the Arctic in the north, sandwiched between the Asian continents. Russia (Asia) and Alaska (United States) are separated by the Bering Strait (North America). The distance between mainland Russia and mainland Alaska is around 55 mi (88 km) on its narrow slope. However, there are two small islands known as Big Diomede and Little Diomede in the Bering Strait, which separates Alaska from Russia.

The Bering Sea has 29 marine mammals. The Steller's Sea Cow, one of the Bering Sea marine mammals, is extinct. The Bering Sea supports the survival of the beluga whale, bowhead whale, humpback whale, blue whale, and grey whale, as well as the endangered sperm whale, sei whale, endangered fin whale, and the world's rarest whale, the North Pacific right whale, Pacific ocean perch. Opilio, king crab, tanner crabs, pollock, Bristol Bay salmon, and other groundfish are among the most productive and profitable fisheries of Bering Sea species. This commercial fishing relies on the Bering Sea's productivity via a complex and poorly understood food system.

Glaciers have been melting sea ice into the Bering Sea for 2 million years, producing gold-rich sediments in its waters. The lonely, ramshackle hamlet of eccentrics and outcasts of Nome erupts with excitement as the ice pack melts throughout the summer, as pioneer gold hunters scramble to get out onto the ocean.

Bering Sea Geographic Location

The Bering Sea and Bering Strait are located in the region of the Pacific Ocean's northward portion. The Bering Sea is separated by Asia and North America. The Bering Sea connects the Arctic Ocean to the north via the Bering Strait, which is approximately 53 mi (85 km) wide at its narrowest point. The sea and the Bering Strait serve as the border between the United States and Russia.

This Bering Sea is formed like a triangle, including its apex in the far north and its bottom in the east, because of the 1,100 mi (1770 km) arc of the Alaska Peninsula. Its total size, including its islands, is approximately 890,000 sq mi (2,304,000 sq km). The maximum breadth from east to west is around 1,490 mi (2397 km), and even from north to south, it is approximately 990 mi (1593 km).

The Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands separate the Bering Sea from the Gulf of Alaska. Alaska is bordered on the east and northeast by Russia's Siberia and the Kamchatka Peninsula, and on the west by the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. The Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands are to the south, while the Bering Strait, which divides the Bering Sea from the Arctic Ocean's Chukchi Sea, is to the north. Bristol Bay is the Bering Sea section that separates the Alaska Peninsula from the rest of the state.

Bering Sea Strait Features

The Bering Sea is classified into two almost distinct parts: a shallow area in the east and north along the continental and insular shelves, and a much broader portion in the southwest.

The shelf, which really is a wide underwater plain, has depths of fewer than 500 ft (152 m) in most situations. The sea's deepest point in the region of the southwest is also plain, with depths of approximately 12,000-13,000 ft (3,657- 3,962 m) and three basins divided by ridges: to the east and north, the Aleutian Basin, to the region in the south, the Bowers Basin, and to the west, the Komandor Basin. The Bowers Basin has the deepest point in the sea, at 13,442 ft (4,097 m).

Along the shallow shelves and in the Aleutian Islands, the continental crust is indeed thicker than 12 mi (19 km). The crust may be 6 -9 mi (9-14 km) thick in the sea's deep-water basin while it is thinner on the slopes. The bottom ooze contains a lot of boulders, stones, and gravel that the Bering sea ice has torn from the shores and transported out to sea, in addition to a lot of silica. The volcanic debris is abundant in the southern deposits.

Two Oceans Are Joined By The Bering Strait

The Bering Strait connects the Arctic Ocean to the Bering Sea region, separating Asia and North America at their closest point. The Bering Strait serves as both a bottleneck and a passageway, and it is home to species that have evolved to thrive in this challenging environment. It's a place unlike any other on the planet, and it's one that we must strive to preserve.

The Bering Strait, which connects Alaska and Russia, is the only sea route between the frigid Arctic and the warm Pacific. The strait is only 55 m (88 km) wide at its narrowest point. Although the Bering Strait is tiny, it is rich in species, including polar bear varieties, beluga whales, species of the bowhead whale, walruses, grey whales, and ringed and ribbon seals. One of the world's largest wildlife migrations passes through this small passageway each spring on its route to the Arctic's nutrient-rich and fertile waters.

However, as the Arctic seasonal sea ice melts earlier in the season, more ships are beginning to use this restricted passageway. Increased ship traffic means increased noise and pollution in the ocean, as well as a higher chance of ship impacts on the many endangered whale species and oil spills, including toxic and long-lasting heavy fuel oil spills.

Islands Of Bering Sea

In addition to the Aleutian and Komandor groups, there are several more major islands in the sea and strait. Nunivak, St. Lawrence, and Nelson islands are located in Alaskan waters, whereas Karagin Island is located in Russian waters.

The Fox Islands' various straits, the Amchitka and Tanaga traverses, as well as, to a significant extent, the Blizhny Strait between Attu and Mendy islands, all allow hot oceanic waves from the south to reach the Bering Sea environment. The Attu, Tanaga, and transverse currents carry the hot water to the region in the northwest.

The Bering Sea supports fish biodiversity. There are about 300 species of fish in the Bering Sea, including 50 deep-commercial fish species, 25 of which are commercially harvested.

Salmon, cod, herring, halibut, flounder, and pollack are the most significant species of fish. The northern fur seal and the sea otter both have nesting habitats on the islands.