The northernmost Far Eastern Sea, named after the famous discoverer Bering, is located between two large continents. It is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Commander and Aleutian island groups. It is connected by the Bering Strait with the Chukchi Sea belonging to the Arctic Ocean.
Its northern and eastern parts are shallow, as there is a vast shelf zone here. The southern and western margins are deeper, it is here that the maximum depth is noted, reaching 4151 meters. The Bering Sea, in terms of its size and depth, is in first place among those washing the coast of Russia.
Since most of it is located in the arctic and subarctic climatic zones, the water surface in it warms up a little in the summer, only up to 7-10 degrees. In winter, the temperature drops to -1.7 degrees. The salinity of the water reaches up to 32 ppm.
The coastline is very indented, there are manybays, gulfs, peninsulas, straits. By the way, the straits are very deep - up to 2000 meters or more. In the western part, the Bering Sea is often subject to severe storms, while the southern part is periodically visited by Pacific typhoons.
The bottom relief is heterogeneous, in the northern and eastern parts there is a flat shelf with depths of up to 200 meters. Near the coast of the islands and Kamchatka there is a continental shelf. Many underwater valleys are noted at the bottom, there are also underwater canyons with steep slopes. The central part of the bottom is a deep water zone.
The Bering Sea is considered an important transport area of the World Ocean, through which significant sea transportation is carried out, the Northern and Far Eastern sea routes are connected here. Most of the goods for the Asian part of Russia are transported via these sea routes.
Natural we alth at the bottom and in the water
Situated between two continents, the Bering Sea is a real storehouse of natural resources for many countries. Numerous bird colonies are observed along the coast. Seals, fur seals, shrimps, crabs, octopuses, balanus and more than 60 species of fish live in sea water. There is a commercial catch of pollock, cod, chum salmon, flounder, herring and many others.
At the bottom of the World Ocean and its separate parts there are large reserves of mineral resources. But not all water areas can boast of this, including the Bering Sea, the mineral map confirms this. But significant deposits have already been discovered on its shores.gold, tin and ornamental stones, which makes it possible to assume the presence of the same minerals at the bottom, in the shelf zone.
Geological exploration currently underway has confirmed that the Bering Sea is not so poor, gold was found in samples that were raised from the bottom in its northern part. On the west coast of North America, there is also placer gold in offshore marine sediments. The latest research by scientists has shown that there are oil and gas bearing areas on the sea shelf.
