Bering Sea

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Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean

The Bering (or Imarpik) Sea is a body of water north of, and separated from, the north Pacific Ocean by the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. Covering over two million square kilometers (775,000 sq. miles), it is bordered on the east and northeast by Alaska, on the west by Russia's Siberia and Kamchatka Peninsula, on the south by the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands and on the far north by the Bering Strait which separates the Bering Sea from the Arctic Ocean's Chukchi Sea. It is named for the first white discoverer to sail its waters, the Danish navigator Vitus Bering.

During the most recent ice age, the sea level was thought to be low enough to allow humans and other animals to migrate from Asia to North America on foot across what is now the Bering Strait, located on the northern side of the sea. This is commonly referred to as the "Bering land bridge" and is believed by some scholars (in dispute by others) to be the first entry of humans into the Americas.

The [Bering Sea] is one of the world's richest fisheries, and landings from Alaskan waters represents half the U.S. catch of fish and shellfish. Because of the [changes going on in the Arctic], future evolution of the Bering Sea climate/ecosystem is more uncertain. This is a symmetric problem: climate change impacts ecosystems, and ecosystems serve as indicators for climate change. Track the [current State of the Bering Sea] with [link]near-realtime ecological and climatic indicators.

Islands of the Bering Sea include:

• Pribilof Islands
• Komandorski Islands, including Bering Island
• St. Lawrence Island
• Diomede Islands
• King Island
• St. Matthew Island

See also

• Bering Sea Arbitration
• Bristol Bay
• Alaska Peninsula
• Timeline of environmental events

External links

• [Bering Sea Climate and Ecosystem] Comprehensive resource on the physical and biological factors affecting life in the Bering Sea, with maps, photos, essays on key Bering Sea issues, organizations, ecosystem information, and viewable data with narratives on trends and ecosystem relevance.
• [North Pacific Ocean theme page]

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