Bering Sea - wikipedia Bering Sea Not to be confused with Barents Sea. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2013 ) Coordinates : 58 ° 0 ′ N 178 ° 0 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 58.000 ° N 178.000 ° W ﻿ / 58.000 ; - 178.000 Bering Sea Map showing the location of the Bering Sea with latitude and longitude zones of the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system The Bering Sea ( Russian : Бе́рингово мо́ре, tr. Béringovo móre ) is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then 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. It covers over 2,000,000 square kilometers ( 770,000 sq mi ) and is bordered on the east and northeast by Alaska, on the west by Russian Far East and the Kamchatka Peninsula, on the south by the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands and on the far north by the Bering Strait, which connects the Bering Sea to 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 Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator in Russian service, who in 1728 was the first European to systematically explore it, sailing from the Pacific Ocean northward to the Arctic Ocean. The Bering Sea ecosystem includes resources within the jurisdiction of the United States and Russia, as well as international waters in the middle of the sea ( known as the `` Donut Hole '' ). The interaction between currents, sea ice, and weather makes for a vigorous and productive ecosystem. In the top - right corner of the image is Alaska 's mainland blanketed with snow, as well as Nunivak Island. At the centre of the image are the islands of Saint Paul and Saint George -- part of the Pribilof Islands. Satellite photo of the Bering Sea -- Alaska is on the top right, Siberia on the top left Bering Sea in the North Pacific Ocean Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Extent 2.2 Islands 2.3 Regions 3 Ecosystem 4 Biodiversity 5 Fisheries 6 Change 7 In media 8 See also 9 References 10 External links History Most scientists believe that during the most recent ice age, sea level was low enough to allow humans to migrate east on foot from Asia to North America across what is now the Bering Strait. Other animals including megafauna migrated in both directions. This is commonly referred to as the `` Bering land bridge '' and is believed by most, though not all scientists, to be the first point of 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. Geography Bering Sea showing the larger of the submarine canyons that cut the margin Extent The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bering Sea as follows : On the North. The Southern limit of the Chuckchi Sea ( sic ) ( The Arctic Circle between Siberia and Alaska ). On the South. A line running from Kabuch Point ( 54 ° 48 ′ N 163 ° 21 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 54.800 ° N 163.350 ° W ﻿ / 54.800 ; - 163.350 ) in the Alaskan Peninsula, through the Aleutian Islands to the South extremes of the Komandorski Islands and on to Cape Kamchatka in such a way that all the narrow waters between Alaska and Kamchatka are included in the Bering Sea. Islands Islands of the Bering Sea include : Pribilof Islands, including St. Paul Island Komandorski Islands, including Bering Island St. Lawrence Island Diomede Islands King Island St. Matthew Island Karaginsky Island Nunivak Island Sledge Island Hagemeister Island Regions Regions of the Bering Sea include : Bering Strait Bristol Bay Gulf of Anadyr Norton Sound The Bering Sea contains 16 submarine canyons including the largest submarine canyon in the world, Zhemchug Canyon. The Russian `` Rurik '' sets anchor near Saint Paul Island 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. Walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ), hauled out on Bering Sea ice, Alaska, June 1978. ( Source : NOAA ) Snailfish, a non-commercial fish, caught in the eastern Bering Sea Red king crab Aerial view of Tutakoke Bird Camp on the coast of the Bering Sea, south of Hooper Bay Ecosystem The Bering Sea shelf break is the dominant driver of primary productivity in the Bering Sea. This zone, where the shallower continental shelf drops off into the North Aleutians 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 sea ice that, in part, triggers the spring phytoplankton bloom. Seasonal melting of sea ice causes an influx of lower salinity water into the middle and other shelf areas, causing stratification and hydrographic effects which influence productivity. In addition to the hydrographic and productivity influence of melting sea ice, the ice itself also provides an attachment substrate for the growth of algae as well as interstitial ice algae. 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 coccolithophorid phytoplankton ( Stockwell et al. 2001 ). A long record of carbon isotopes, which is reflective of primary production trends of the Bering Sea, exists from historical samples of bowhead whale baleen. Trends in carbon isotope ratios in whale baleen samples suggest that a 30 -- 40 % decline in average seasonal primary productivity has occurred over the last 50 years. The implication is that the carrying capacity of the Bering Sea is much lower now than it has been in the past. Biodiversity The sea supports many whale species including the beluga, humpback whale, bowhead whale, gray whale and blue whale, the vulnerable sperm whale, and the endangered fin whale, sei whale and the rarest in the world, the North Pacific right whale. Other marine mammals include walrus, Steller sea lion, northern fur seal, orca and polar bear. 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 puffins, the endangered short - tailed albatross, spectacled eider, and red - legged kittiwakes. 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. The Bering Sea is also home to colonies of crested auklets, with upwards of a million individuals. 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, Alaska pollock, Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, yellowfin sole, Pacific ocean perch and sablefish. Shellfish include red king crab and Chionoecetes. Fish biodiversity is high, and at least 419 species of fish have been reported from the Bering Sea. Fisheries The Bering Sea is world - renowned for its productive and profitable fisheries, such as king crab, opilio and tanner crabs, 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, which is relied upon by the largest seafood companies in the world to produce fish and shellfish. On the U.S. side, commercial fisheries catch approximately $1 billion worth of seafood annually, while Russian Bering Sea fisheries are worth approximately $600 million annually. The Bering Sea also serves as the central location of the Alaskan king crab and opilio crab seasons, which are chronicled on the Discovery Channel television program Deadliest Catch. Landings from Alaskan waters represents half the U.S. catch of fish and shellfish. Change Because of the changes going on in the Arctic, future evolution of the Bering Sea climate / ecosystem is uncertain. Between 1979 and 2012 the region experienced small growth in sea ice extent, standing in contrast to the substantial loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean to the north. In media The film Harbinger Down, which was released on August 7, 2015, was about a group of grad students have booked passage on the crabbing boat Harbinger to study the effects of global warming on a pod of beluga whales in the Bering Sea. One of the central characters in the 1949 film Down to the Sea in Ships has the given name `` Bering '' due to having been born in a ship crossing the Bering Sea. See also Bering Sea Arbitration List of seas Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area Timeline of environmental events References Jump up ^ Fasham, M.J.R. ( 2003 ). Ocean biogeochemistry : the role of the ocean carbon cycle in global change. Springer. p. 79. ISBN 978 - 3 - 540 - 42398 - 0. Jump up ^ McColl, R.W. ( 2005 ). Encyclopedia of World Geography. Infobase Publishing. p. 697. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8160 - 5786 - 3. Retrieved 26 November 2010. Jump up ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. ( 1911 ). `` Area of Bering sea ''. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). Cambridge University Press. Jump up ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. ( 1911 ). `` Vitus Bering ''. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). Cambridge University Press. Jump up ^ `` North Pacific Overfishing ( DONUT ) ''. Trade Environment Database. American University. Archived from the original on 9 April 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2011. Jump up ^ Steinberger, Bernhard, and Carmen Gaina Geology 35 ( 5 ) 407 - 410, 2007 Plate - tectonic_reconstructions_predict_part_of_the_Hawaiian_hotspot_tract_to_be_preserved_in_the_Bering_Sea Jump up ^ `` Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition '' ( PDF ). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Retrieved 7 February 2010. Jump up ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. ( 1911 ). `` Nunivak island in Bering sea ''. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). Cambridge University Press. Jump up ^ `` Alaska Islands of Bering Sea ''. www.stateofalaskaguide.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Wilderness.net - Bering Sea Wilderness - General Information ''. Wilderness.net. Retrieved 24 April 2018. Jump up ^ Springer, A.M. ; McRoy, C.P. ; Flint, M.V. ( 1996 ). `` The Bering Sea Green Belt : Shelf - edge processes and ecosystem production ''. Fisheries Oceanography. 5 ( 3 -- 4 ) : 205. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1365 - 2419.1996. tb00118. x. Jump up ^ Schumacher, J.D. ; Kinder, T.H. ; Pashinski, D.J. ; Charnell, R.L. ( 1979 ). `` A Structural Front over the Continental Shelf of the Eastern Bering Sea ''. Journal of Physical Oceanography. 9 : 79. Bibcode : 1979JPO... 9... 79S. doi : 10.1175 / 1520 - 0485 ( 1979 ) 009 < 0079 : ASFOTC > 2.0.CO ; 2. ^ Jump up to : Schell, D.M. ( 2000 ). `` Declining carrying capacity in the Bering Sea : Isotopic evidence from whale baleen ''. Limnology and Oceanography. 45 ( 2 ) : 459. Bibcode : 2000LimOc... 45... 459S. doi : 10.4319 / lo. 2000.45. 2.0459. Jump up ^ Citta, John J. ; Burns, John J. ; Quakenbush, Lori T. ; Vanek, Vicki ; George, John C. ; Small, Robert J. ; Heide - Jørgensen, Mads Peter ; Brower, Harry ( 12 June 2013 ). `` Potential for bowhead whale entanglement in cod and crab pot gear in the Bering Sea ''. Marine Mammal Science. pp. 445 -- 459. doi : 10.1111 / mms. 12047. Retrieved 24 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Humpback Whales in Alaska ''. www.whale-watching-alaska.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Hundreds of Tufted Puffin Deaths Suggest Dangers of Warming Seas ''. Audubon. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Red - legged Kittiwake ''. Audubon. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2018. Jump up ^ Red King Crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Retrieved 2007 - 04 - 07. Jump up ^ Bering Climate. noaa.gov Jump up ^ `` Groundfish Fisheries in the Eastern Bering Sea ''. Arctic Program. Retrieved 24 April 2018. Jump up ^ Providing information on the present state of Arctic ecosystems and climate in historical context. arctic.noaa.gov Jump up ^ Alex DeMarban ( 19 February 2014 ). `` In a warming world, Alaska 's icy Bering Sea bucks the trend ''. Alaska Dispatch. Retrieved 26 September 2014. Jump up ^ Harbinger Down ( 2015 ) Jump up ^ `` Down to the Sea in Ships ( 1949 ) with Richard Widmark - Classic Film Freak ''. Classic Film Freak. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2018. External links Find more aboutBering Seaat Wikipedia 's sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Wikimedia Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Learning resources from Wikiversity Bering Sea Climate and Ecosystem from NOAA North Pacific Ocean theme page from NOAA Groundfish fisheries and harvest, 2005 from Alaska Department of Fish and Game Video of research on Bering Sea Nautical Chart of the Bering Sea ( Southern Part ) hide Islands in the Bering Sea Adak Adugak Agattu Aiktak Akun Akutan Amak Amaknak Amatignak Amchitka Amlia Amukta Anangula Ananiuliak Arakamchechen Atka Attu Avatanak Aziak Bering Besboro Bobrof Bogoslof Buldir Carlisle Chagulak Chuginadak Chugul Derbin Egg Gareloi Great Sitkin Hagemeister Hall Hawadax Herbert Igitkin Ilak Kagalaska Kagamil Kanaga Karaginsky Kasatochi Khvostof King Kiska Koniuji Kritskoi Little Sitkin Little Tanaga Medny Nelson Nunivak Oglodak Otter Pancake Rock Poa Rootok Sagchudak Samalga Sanak Sea Lion Rock Sea Otter Rocks Sedanka Seguam Segula Semisopochnoi Shemya Sledge St. Lawrence St. Matthew St. Michael St. Paul Stuart Tagalak Tanaga Tigalda Ugamak Ulak Uliaga Umak Umnak Unalaska Unalga Unimak Walrus Walrus ( Pribilof ) Wislow Yttygran Yunaska Island groups Aleutian Andreanof Baby Commander Delarof Diomede Fox Four Mountains Krenitzin Kudobin Near Pribilof Punuk Rat Sanak Seal Walrus Walrus and Kritskoi Earth 's oceans and seas Arctic Ocean Amundsen Gulf Barents Sea Beaufort Sea Chukchi Sea East Siberian Sea Greenland Sea Gulf of Boothia Kara Sea Laptev Sea Lincoln Sea Prince Gustav Adolf Sea Pechora Sea Queen Victoria Sea Wandel Sea White Sea Atlantic Ocean Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Alboran Sea Archipelago Sea Argentine Sea Baffin Bay Balearic Sea Baltic Sea Bay of Biscay Bay of Bothnia Bay of Campeche Bay of Fundy Black Sea Bothnian Sea Caribbean Sea Celtic Sea English Channel Foxe Basin Greenland Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Gulf of Lion Gulf of Guinea Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Saint Lawrence Gulf of Sidra Gulf of Venezuela Hudson Bay Ionian Sea Irish Sea Irminger Sea James Bay Labrador Sea Levantine Sea Libyan Sea Ligurian Sea Marmara Sea Mediterranean Sea Myrtoan Sea North Sea Norwegian Sea Sargasso Sea Sea of Åland Sea of Azov Sea of Crete Sea of the Hebrides Thracian Sea Tyrrhenian Sea Wadden Sea Indian Ocean Andaman Sea Arabian Sea Bali Sea Bay of Bengal Flores Sea Great Australian Bight Gulf of Aden Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Oman Gulf of Suez Java Sea Laccadive Sea Mozambique Channel Persian Gulf Red Sea Timor Sea Pacific Ocean Arafura Sea Banda Sea Bering Sea Bismarck Sea Bohai Sea Bohol Sea Camotes Sea Celebes Sea Ceram Sea Chilean Sea Coral Sea East China Sea Gulf of Alaska Gulf of Anadyr Gulf of California Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf of Fonseca Gulf of Panama Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Tonkin Halmahera Sea Koro Sea Mar de Grau Molucca Sea Moro Gulf Philippine Sea Salish Sea Savu Sea Sea of Japan Sea of Okhotsk Seto Inland Sea Shantar Sea Sibuyan Sea Solomon Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Tasman Sea Visayan Sea Yellow Sea Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea Bellingshausen Sea Cooperation Sea Cosmonauts Sea Davis Sea D'Urville Sea King Haakon VII Sea Lazarev Sea Mawson Sea Riiser - Larsen Sea Ross Sea Scotia Sea Somov Sea Weddell Sea Landlocked seas Aral Sea Caspian Sea Dead Sea Salton Sea Book BNE : XX5164040 GND : 4087282 - 8 NARA : 10038072 NDL : 00629177 SELIBR : 140739 VIAF : 247193422 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bering_Sea&oldid=842359767 '' Categories : Bering Sea Marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean Seas of Russia Seas of the United States Bodies of water of Alaska Bodies of water of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Bodies of water of Kamchatka Krai Pacific Coast of Russia Marine ecoregions Russia -- United States border Seas of Asia Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica without Wikisource reference Articles needing additional references from January 2013 All articles needing additional references Coordinates on Wikidata Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Wikipedia infobox body of water articles without coordinates Articles containing Russian - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2018 Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with NARA identifiers Wikipedia articles with NDL identifiers Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - 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Question: where does the bering sea touch the united states
Answer: Alaska