Ice forms every year from the end of September, which melts in July. The sea surface (except for the Bering Strait) is covered with ice annually for about ten months (about five months, half of the sea, about seven months, from November to May, - the northern third of the sea). In some years, the Gulf of Lawrence 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.
Our planet is a beautiful blue ball, on which there are many natural and artificial reservoirs. They support the life of all living things on earth, giving shelter to many fish, molluscs and other organisms.
One of the natural reservoirs of our planet is the Bering Sea, the depth, bottom topography and fauna of which are of great interest to many naturalists, tourists and naturalists around the world. It is these indicators that will be discussed in this article.
Between two continents
What is the average depth of the Bering Sea? Before answering this question, let's find out where the body of water is.
The Bering Sea, which belongs to the Pacific Basin, is a conditional border between two continents - Asia and North America. On the north-western side, the reservoir washes the coast of Kamchatka and Chukotka, and on the north-eastern side - the coast of Western Alaska.
From the south, the sea is closed by a series of islands (Aleutian and Commander islands), and from the north it is connected by the strait of the same name with the Arctic Ocean.
Here are the islands located along the border of the Bering Sea (the depth of which we will talk about below):
- From the side of the United States of America (more precisely, the Alaska Peninsula) there are such territories as Kruzenshtern Island, Nunivak, Pribilov Islands, Aleutian Islands, King Island, St. Matthew Island and others.
- From the side Russian Federation The Bering Sea is washed by only three island territories. These are (from the Chukotka Autonomous District), as well as the Commander Islands and the Karaginsky Island (the latter are part of the Kamchatka Territory).
A little about geographical discoveries
What is the story of the discovery of the Bering Sea, the depth and remoteness of which at all times has led many sailors to indescribable awe?
It is known that the reservoir got its name in honor of the first explorer who went on an expedition to Kamchatka in the distant 1730s. This man was a Dane by nationality, a Russian officer by vocation - Vitus Ianassen Bering. By order of Emperor Peter I, the captain of the fleet was instructed to study in detail northern places and define the border between the two continents.
The first expedition was devoted to the inspection and development of the eastern coast of Kamchatka and the southern coast, as well as the exploration of the strait, which serves as the border between America and Eurasia. Bering is considered to be the first representative of Europe to sail these places.
After his return to St. Petersburg, the brave navigator applied for the equipment of the second expedition, which took place pretty soon and became the largest in history. Six thousand people, led by the fearless Bering, scrupulously explored the water area up to Japan. Alaska, the Aleutian archipelago and many other unexplored lands were discovered.
The captain himself reached the American coast and carefully examined the island of Kayak, studying its flora and fauna.
The conditions of the Far North adversely affected the travel of the numerous expedition. Sailors and explorers faced incredible cold and snow drifts, and experienced several storms and storms.
Unfortunately, returning to Russia, Bering died during a forced wintering on one of the islands.
Statistical facts
What is the depth of the Bering Sea? This reservoir is considered the largest and deepest in the Russian Federation and one of the largest in the world. Why can I say so?
The fact is that the total area of \u200b\u200bthe sea is 2.315 million square meters. km. This is due to the fact that the length of the reservoir from north to south covers one thousand six hundred kilometers, and from east to west - two thousand four hundred kilometers. Scientists have even calculated the volume of sea water. It reaches 3,795,000 cubic kilometers. It is not surprising that the average depth of the Bering Sea impresses with the impressiveness of its numbers and values.
Briefly about the main
The average and maximum depth of the Bering Sea reaches one thousand six hundred meters and four thousand fifty-one meters, respectively. As you can see, the difference between the indicators is very large. This is due to the fact that more than half water space the reservoir occupies an area with depth indicators of less than five hundred meters. According to the calculations of some scientists, this indicator is the minimum depth of the Bering Sea. That is why it is considered a marginal water body of the continental oceanic type.
Location of the most important points
Where is the average and maximum depth of the Bering Sea? As mentioned above, the average indicators of the reservoir cover about half of its entire area. As for the maximum indicators (or the maximum depth of the Bering Sea), they are recorded in the southern part of the reservoir. Here is the specific coordinate: fifty-four degrees north latitude and one hundred seventy-one degrees west longitude. This part of the sea is called deep water. It was divided by the Bowers and Shirshov underwater ridges into three basins, the names of which are Aleutian, Komandorskaya and Bowers.
However, this also applies to the maximum depth of the Bering Sea. The minimum depth is recorded in its northeastern region. Its length, according to the estimates of many researchers, reaches about seven hundred kilometers.
The bottom and its characteristics
Scientists have long determined that the structure of the seabed is highly correlated with its depth. The bottom relief of the Bering Sea has clear divisions:
- Shelf. This zone, located in the northern and east side sea, differs in depths up to two hundred meters and occupies more than forty percent of the entire territory of the reservoir. It is a flat plain with several islets, hollows and low elevations.
- Island shoal. This area is located off the coast of Kamchatka and the Commander-Aleutian island ridge. The surface topography is very complex and may undergo some changes due to the proximity of volcanic and seismic manifestations.
- Continental slope. It is located between Cape Navarin and Unimak Island and is characterized by depth indicators from two hundred to three thousand meters. This area also has a complex sloping relief, the angle of inclination of which ranges from one to three degrees to twenty degrees and more. There are beautiful underwater valleys and canyons with steep steep slopes.
- Deep sea basin. This zone is located in the center and in the southwest of the reservoir. It is characterized by small underwater ridges. Due to the complexity of its relief, the deep-sea basin ensures constant water exchange between different parts of the sea.
Temperature regime
What about air and water temperatures? In summer, it is quite cool over the water area (about seven to ten degrees Celsius). In winter, the temperature can range from minus one to minus thirty.
The average temperature of water masses in many cases depends on the depth of the Bering Sea. The maximum depth has a temperature of one to three degrees Celsius (with a plus mark), while at the minimum depth warmer values \u200b\u200bare noted (from seven to ten degrees). At medium depths, the temperature range varies between two to four degrees Celsius.
Salinity information
The same principle applies to water salinity: the deeper the water, the higher the performance.
IN minimum depths the salinity of water fluctuates between twenty two to thirty two ppm. The middle zone is characterized by marks of thirty-three to thirty-four ppm, while the salinity of deep-sea waters almost reaches thirty-five ppm.
Freezing water
Interestingly, the surface of the Bering Sea is covered with ice annually in the following ratio: half of the reservoir freezes over within five months, while its northern part can be under the influence of glaciers for seven months or longer.
It is noteworthy that the Lawrence Bay, located off the eastern coast of the Bering Sea, may not be cleared of ice masses all year round, while the waters of the Bering Strait are almost never severely frozen.
Rich animal world
Despite low temperatures and deep waters, the reservoir between America and Eurasia is actively inhabited. Here you can find four hundred and two types of fish, four types of crabs, four types of shrimp, two types of molluscs, as well as a large number of mammals, especially pinnipeds.
Let's talk in more detail about the living things that inhabit the cold and deep waters of the Bering Sea.
Fish
In the reservoir, different types of gobies are most often found. The goby family belongs to the bottom fish living in the coastal area.
The body of an adult individual, slightly flattened at the back, can reach forty centimeters in length. It has dorsal fins (usually in the amount of two) and a sucker on the belly, with which the fish is attached to the stones. Goby spawns in March-August.
Among the salmonids in the Bering Sea, whitefish and nelma are especially distinguished, as well as Pacific salmon, which are valuable commercial fish.
This family is diverse with numerous species and representatives. The body length of salmonids can vary from three centimeters to two meters, and the weight of adults and large individuals can reach seven to ten kilograms.
The body of fish is elongated, compressed at the sides. It has multi-rayed pelvic and pectoral fins. There are two pectoral fins (one is normal, and the other is a leathery outgrowth of adipose tissue - a characteristic feature of all salmonids).
Spawning of this species of fish is carried out only in fresh waters.
Pinnipeds
The most common mammals in the Bering Sea are seals and walruses, which make real rookeries on the shores of the reservoir.
Seals are very massive sea creatures. For example, an adult can reach about two meters in length, while its weight exceeds one hundred and thirty kilograms. Bearing offspring in this family can last about a year.
The Pacific walrus is another inhabitant of the northern reservoir. Its weight can vary from eight hundred to seventeen hundred kilograms. This family is highly prized for its long tusks, which can weigh about five kilograms each.
Walrus skin is wrinkled and very thick (in some places it can reach ten centimeters in thickness). The subcutaneous fat layer is also large - about fifteen centimeters.
Quite often, in the Bering Sea, there are various large cetaceans - narwhals, humpbacks, sei whales and other mammals, the length of which is measured in several tens of meters, and the weight can reach one hundred tons or more.
Yes, it is impossible to describe in detail all the inhabitants of the underwater depths of the Bering Sea. However, this reservoir is famous not only for its rich underwater world, but also for its fascinating history of development, and beautiful bottom topography, and an important strategic location. After all, the Bering Sea is the border of two continents, two continents, two states.
The former inland sea of \u200b\u200bthe Russian Empire is now the most eastern possessions of our state. The northeastern territories are still waiting for their conquerors. One of the natural treasures of this part of the planet is the Bering Sea, geographical position which not only plays a significant role in the development of local regions, but also opens up huge prospects for the expanding economic activity of Russia in the Arctic latitudes.
Bering Sea. Description
The northern edge of the Pacific Basin is the largest of all the seas washing the shores of Russia. Its area is 2,315 thousand km 2. For comparison: the surface of the Black Sea is five and a half times smaller. The Bering Sea is the deepest among the coastal seas and one of the deepest in the world. The lowest mark is at a depth of 4,151 m, and the average depth is 1,640 m. Deep-water areas are located in the southern side of the water area and are called the Aleutian and Komandorskaya hollows. Surprisingly, with such indicators, about half of the seabed is only half a kilometer away from the sea surface. The relative shallow water allows the sea to be classified as a continental oceanic type. The northern Far Eastern reservoir contains 3.8 million km 3 of water. Most scientists explain the origin of the Bering Sea by cutting off the Commander-Aleutian ridge from the rest of the ocean, which arose as a result of global tectonic processes in the distant past.
History of discovery and development
The modern hydronym comes from the name of the first European explorer Vitus Bering. The Dane in the Russian service organized two expeditions in 1723-1943. The purpose of his travels was to find the border between Eurasia and America. Although the strait between the continents was discovered by topographers Fedorov, Gvozdev and Mashkov, it was later named after a hired navigator. During Bering's second expedition, the territories of the North Pacific Ocean were studied and Alaska was discovered. On old Russian maps, the northern water space is called the Bobrov, or Kamchatka Sea. The coast has been explored by Russian explorers since the beginning of the 18th century. So, Timofey Perevalov in the 30s made a map of some territories of Kamchatka and Chukotka. D. Cook visited these places thirty years later. The tsarist government sent here expeditions led by Sarychev, Bellingshausen and Kotzebue. The modern name was suggested by the Frenchman Fliorier. This term came into wide use thanks to the Russian navigator Admiral Golovnin.
Description of the geographical location of the Bering Sea
Geomorphological characteristics are determined by natural boundaries coastline in the east and west, a group of islands in the south and a speculative border in the north. The northern border adjoins the waters of the strait of the same name, which connects with the Chukchi Sea. The demarcation runs from Cape Novosilsky in Chukotka to Cape York on the Seward Peninsula. The sea stretches for 2,400 km from east to west, and 1,600 km from north to south. The southern border is marked by the archipelagos of the Commander and Aleutian Islands. Scraps of land in the ocean outline a kind of giant arc. Outside the Pacific Ocean. The northernmost edge of the world's greatest reservoir is the Bering Sea. The geometrical pattern of the water area is characterized by the narrowing of the water space towards the Arctic Circle. The Bering Strait divides two continents: Eurasia and North America - and two oceans: the Pacific and the Arctic. The northwestern waters of the sea wash the shores of Chukotka and the Koryak Upland, the northeastern - west of Alaska. The runoff of continental waters is negligible. Anadyr flows into the sea from the side of Eurasia, and the legendary Yukon has its mouth on the shores of Alaska. The Kuskokuim River flows into the sea in the bay of the same name.
Coast and islands
Numerous bays, bays and peninsulas form the rugged coastline that characterizes the Bering Sea. The bays Olyutorsky, Karaginsky and Anadyrsky are the largest on the Siberian shores. The vast bays of Bristol, Norton and Kuskoquim lie on the shores of Alaska. The few islands are different in their origin: mainland islands are small areas of land within the boundaries of continental plateaus, islands of volcanic origin make up the inner, and folded type - the outer belt of the Commander-Aleutian arc. The ridge itself stretches for 2,260 km from Kamchatka to Alaska. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe islands is 37,840 km 2. The Commander Islands belong to Russia, all the rest of the United States: Pribyvalova, St. Larentia, St. Matvey, Karaginsky, Nunivak and, of course, the Aleuts.
Climate
Significant fluctuations in average daily temperatures, which are more typical of continental land areas, are characteristic of the Bering Sea. Geographical location is a determining factor in the formation of the climate of the region. Most of the sea area is subarctic. The northern side belongs to the Arctic zone, and the southern side to the temperate latitudes. The western side is getting cooler. And due to the fact that the Siberian territories adjacent to the sea are warming up weaker, this part of the water area is much colder than the eastern one. Over the central part of the sea in the warm season, the air warms up to +10 ° C. In winter, despite the penetration of Arctic air masses, it does not drop below -23 ° C.
Hydrosphere
In the upper horizons, the water temperature decreases towards northern latitudes. The waters washing the Eurasian coastline are colder than the North American zone. In the coldest time of the year off the coast of Kamchatka, the sea temperature on the surface is + 1 ... + 3 ° C. Off the coast of Alaska, one or two degrees higher. In summer, the upper layers warm up to +9 ° C. The considerable depth of the straits of the Aleutian ridge (up to 4,500 m) promotes active water exchange with the Pacific Ocean at all horizons. The influence of the Chukchi Sea waters is minimal due to the shallow depth of the Bering Strait (42 m).
In terms of the degree of wave formation, the Bering Sea also occupies the first place among the seas of Russia. Which ocean is the higher water area, then is reflected in the characteristics of the degree of turbulence of the periphery. Significant depths and storm activity are derivatives of strong waves. For most of the year, waves are observed with a height of water ridges up to 2 m.In winter, there are a number of storms with a wave height of up to 8 m.Over the last hundred years of observations, cases of waves with a height of up to 21 m have been recorded in ship's logbooks.
Ice conditions
The ice cover is local by type of origin: the massif forms and melts in the water area itself. The Bering Sea in the northern part is covered with ice at the end of September. First of all, the ice shell fetters closed bays, bays and coastal zone, and the greatest distribution reaches in April. The melting is completed only in the middle of summer. Thus, the surface in the high latitude zone is covered with ice for more than nine months a year. In the bay of St. Lawrence, off the coast of Chukotka, in some seasons the ice does not melt at all. The southern side, on the other hand, does not freeze throughout the year. Warm masses from the ocean come through the Aleutian straits, which squeeze the ice edge closer to the north. The sea strait between the continents is packed with pack ice for most of the year. Some ice fields are up to six meters thick. Off the coast of Kamchatka, drifting massifs are found even in August. The escorting of sea-going vessels going along the Northern Sea Route requires the participation of icebreakers.
Fauna and flora
On the coastal rocks, gulls, guillemots, puffins and other feathered inhabitants of the polar latitudes arrange their colonies. On the gently sloping shores you can find rookeries for walruses and sea lions. These real monsters of the Bering Sea are over three meters long. Sea otters are found in large numbers. The marine flora is represented by five dozen coastal plants. In the south, the vegetation is more diverse. Phytoplankton contribute to the development of zooplankton, which in turn attracts many marine mammals. Humpback whales, representatives of gray and toothed species of cetaceans - killer whales and sperm whales come here to feed. The Bering Sea is extremely rich in fish: the underwater fauna is represented by almost three hundred species. Sharks also live in the northern waters. The polar one keeps at great depths, and the dangerous predator - the salmon - does not show aggression towards people. Without a doubt, the depths of the sea have not yet revealed all their secrets.
Between Asia and America
Small groups of fur traders began to explore the northeastern waters from the 40s of the 18th century. The islands of the Aleutian archipelago, like a huge natural bridge, allowed traders to reach the shores of Alaska. The position of the Bering Sea, namely its non-freezing part, contributed to the establishment of brisk shipping between Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka and newly built strongholds on the American mainland. True, Russian expansion in America did not last long, only about eighty years.
Territorial disputes
During the reign of Mikhail Gorbachev, an agreement was concluded on concessions in favor of the United States of a significant part of the sea and continental shelf with a total area of \u200b\u200balmost 78 thousand km 2. In June 1990, USSR Foreign Minister E. Shevardnadze and Secretary of State D. Baker signed a corresponding agreement. The domestic trawl fleet has lost the ability to catch fish in the middle of the sea. In addition, Russia has lost a significant segment of a promising oil-bearing province on the shelf. The bill was approved by the US Congress the same year. In Russia, the agreement is under constant criticism and has not yet been ratified by parliament. The dividing line was named Shevardnadze - Baker.
Economic activity
The region's economy consists of two components: the fishing industry and sea \u200b\u200btransport... Inexhaustible fish resources contribute to the vigorous activity of Russian fishing companies. Many processing plants have been built on the coast of Kamchatka. On an industrial scale, fishing is carried out for herring, salmon cod and flounder species. On a small scale, mainly in the interests of the indigenous population, hunting of marine animals and cetaceans is allowed. In recent years, scientific interest in this Far Eastern region has increased. This is mainly due to the search for hydrocarbon deposits on the shelf. Three small oil-bearing basins have been discovered off the coast of Chukotka.
Klondike at the bottom of the ocean
Comprehensive studies have not yet been carried out at sea depths, the purpose of which would be to search for minerals or collect geological data for further prospective prospecting. Mineral deposits are unknown within the water area. Deposits of tin and semi-precious stones have been discovered in the coastal areas. Hydrocarbon deposits have been discovered in the Anadyr depression. But on the opposite coast, they have been plowing the bottom for several years in search of the yellow metal. A hundred years ago, the development of the region was inspired by the gold found on the shores of the Yukon and the gold rush that followed. The Bering Sea at the beginning of the 21st century gives new hopes. The lust for profit breeds ingenious technical devices. An ordinary excavator, a screen for screening inert materials and an improvised room resembling a construction trailer, in which an electric generator is located, are installed on an old barge. Such technical "monsters" of the Bering Sea are becoming more widespread.
Discovery Channel's original project
For the fifth consecutive season, the popular science American television channel Discovery has been following the fate of those seeking easy money. As soon as the water area is free of ice, prospectors from all over the world gather on the coast of Alaska, and the gold rush resumes in the northern latitudes. The Bering Sea off the coast is shallow. This will allow you to use the tools at hand. An improvised fleet defies the elements. The insidious sea tests everyone for stamina and masculinity, and the seabed is reluctant to share its treasures. Only a few lucky ones were enriched by the gold rush. The ice in the Bering Sea allows some enthusiasts to continue working in the winter. Over the course of several episodes of the documentary, you can watch three teams of gold diggers risking their lives for the cherished handful of yellow metal.
The Bering Sea is the easternmost Russian sea, stretching between Kamchatka and America. Area - 2304 thousand sq. 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: Anadyr, Yukon, Apuka. The sea is named after Vitus Ionassen 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 have left their names in history forever.
After the conquest of Siberia by Yermak, 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 boyars learned about the untold riches of Eastern Siberia. Fur, red caviar, valuable fish, skins, gold and 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 enormous difficulties, they began to think about opening a sea route along the northern coast, in order to reach America, Japan and China by sea.
Peter the Great paid particular attention to this and contributed to this in every possible way. Even in his last days, he gave instructions to General-Admiral 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 bots near the land that goes to the north, and by aspiration (they don't know the end of it) it seems that that land is a 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, to visit from it, as it is called a kust and take it in a letter, and visit the coast ourselves, and take a genuine statement, and, putting on the map, come syudy.
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 head of the first Kamchatka expedition. After his death, Vitus Bering led an expedition, which went overland across Siberia to Okhotsk. In winter, on dogs, the expedition crossed 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, detailed map coast and islands. The weather was favorable, and the ship passed the strait between Chukotka and America in and reached latitude 67 ° 19 ′ on August 16. Since the coast went west on the left along the course, and the land was not visible on the right, besides, a storm began, 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 the inhabitants of Kamchatka were talking about. They almost reached the Commander Islands, but with the deteriorating weather, they were forced to return and, fulfilling the requirement of the Admiralty Collegium, were engaged in surveying and describing the eastern coast of 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 Ioanovna, the passion for the northern and eastern seas subsided somewhat. But after Vitus Bering presented his report to the Admiralty Board and a new project of an expedition to the shores of America and Japan and the exploration of the northern coast of Siberia with promising profits, interest in new sea routes resumed. The project was expanded and the task was to explore the northern seas and coast of Russia. It was planned to make full description Of the North in geographical, geological, botanical, zoological and ethnographic aspects. 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 a detachment that was to find a way to North America and to the islands in the North Pacific Ocean. In 1734 Bering went to Yakutsk, where it was necessary to prepare equipment and provisions for the campaign. But Peter's times have passed and the local authorities were not particularly zealous in organizing, on the contrary, much of the expedition was stolen or was of poor quality. Bering was forced to stay in Yakutsk for three years. Only in 1737 he got to Okhotsk. The local authorities of Okhotsk also did not help much in organizing the expedition and building ships. Only by the end of the summer of 1740 were two packet boats "St. Peter" and "St. Paul" intended for the expedition built.
And only in September Vitus Bering on the "St. Peter" and Alexy Chirikov on the "St. Paul" were able to reach Avacha Bay in Kamchatka. There they were forced to get up for the winter. The crews of the ships laid the fort, which became the capital of Kamchatka, named after the ships, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
After a difficult winter, it was only on June 4, 1741 that Bering on "St. Peter" and Chirikov on "St. Paul" set out on a campaign to the shores of America. But on June 20, in the thick fog, the ships missed each other. After vain attempts to find each other, the ships followed further separately.
Bering, moving eastward, on July 16, 1741 at latitude 58 ° 14 ′ reached the shores of North America. Having landed on Kayak Island and replenishing 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 the research plan. Either Bering was afraid of meeting the local population, or he did not want to stay there for the winter. But he gave the command to turn back without consulting anyone.
Following along the coast of Alaska and further along the Aleutian Islands, making their descriptions and mapping them: St. John Islands, Shumaginsky and Evdokeevsky Islands, St. Stephen, St. Markian and Kodiak Island, St. Peter was almost approaching the shores of Kamchatka. But on November 5, before reaching Kamchatka, only 200 km, the ship entered one of the islands to replenish water supplies. A storm played out, a sharp cold snap, snow did not allow to continue sailing and the team was forced to stay for the winter. On November 28, during a storm, the packet boat was washed ashore.
Not everyone survived the difficult wintering conditions, of the 75 team members, 19 died of scurvy, and Vitus Bering, who was already 60 at the time, also died on December 8. The expedition was commanded by the navigator, lieutenant Sven Waxel. Vitus Beging was buried there on the island, which was named after him by the Bering Island, and the Commander Islands archipelago.
During the summer of the following year, 46 surviving crew members from the wreckage of the packet boat built a small vessel - the Gukor, which was also named "St. Peter "and only in August 1742 they were able to reach Kamchatka.
St Paul's trek was also rife with adventure. Aleksy Chirikov, after they missed Bering, continued sailing to the east and on 15 July at latitude 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 the ship 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, when they saw the light on the shore, a second boat was sent, but it did not return either. So 15 crew members disappeared, either they became victims of the Indians, or they drowned during the high tide, history is silent about this.
After waiting 10 days, Chirikov gave the command to move on. After walking another 230 miles along the coast, the team was never able to land ashore. It was impossible to get close to the shore without damaging the ship, and there were no more boats. Fresh water ran out, food was running out. And yet they tried to disembark on rafts once again, but within two days a bay suitable for disembarkation was not found. At the council convened by Chirikov, it was decided to go back.
On the way home, off the Aleutian Islands, they met twice on boats locals... Attempts to stock up on water and provisions did not lead to anything, the Aleuts demanded 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, the command was taken by midshipman Elagin, who on October 12, 1741 brought the packet boat St. Paul to Kamchatka. Of the 68 crew members, 49 people returned from the campaign.
The next year, 1742, Chirikov tried to find the missing ship of Bering. On May 25, he again went to sea, but due to headwinds, he was able to reach only the Attu Islands. On the islands he came across on 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, being in Yakutsk, Chirikov sent a report on the expedition to St. Petersburg. And in 1746 he himself was summoned to Petersburg, where he personally reported on the campaign. While in the Admiralty College, he proposed to found a city at the mouth of the Amur, so that there would be a ship pier and a fortress, which could be reached from the depths of Russia along the Amur. But no one took his opinion into account, 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 long considered lost and only in Soviet times were discovered and used to draw up maps of the Soviet Union. A brilliant officer of the Russian fleet who reached the shores of North-West America, Alexei Chirikov, in 1748, at the age of only 45, died in poverty, and his family was left forgotten and without a livelihood.
And nevertheless, the work of Russian sailors, albeit many years later, gave its results. On the coast The Far East and large seaports were built in Kamchatka, which turned into modern cities. The 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 of Vice Admiral V.M. Golovnin, began to be called the Bering Sea.
Due to its geographical location, the Bering Sea has its own characteristics. In the Bering Strait, two continents - Asia and America - are closest to each other. The distance between them is about 90 kilometers. In the middle of the strait are the Diomede Islands, separated by only five kilometers of space. The western island - Ratmanova - belongs to Russia, the eastern island - Kruzenshtern - belongs to the USA. Our state border with America runs between the islands.
Residents of Ratmanov Island are the first in the country to meet the coming day. Their time is 10 hours ahead of Moscow time. Here, starting between the islands of the Bering Strait and following to the passage between the Commander and Aleutian Islands, the border 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. Mariners going east to America rearrange the calendar a day ago when they cross this line and count the same day of the week twice. Navigators heading 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 west of it, at the 180 ° meridian. But this meridian passes through the Chukchi Peninsula. Having two calendars on the same territory would be extremely inconvenient. Therefore, we agreed to move the border line 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 180 ° meridian to the Commander Islands. This is done in order not to change the calendar day on the Aleutian Islands.
Thus, the Bering Strait plays an important role both in political relations and in the system of the modern calendar.
The Bering Sea is the deepest of all fourteen seas in Russia. Depths greater than this lie only in the open ocean beyond the Kuril and Aleutian Islands and east of Kamchatka. However, the northern part of the sea in terms of the bottom relief does not in any way resemble the southern one. Its depths, over a vast area of \u200b\u200babout 1 million square kilometers, do not exceed several tens of meters.
The bottom rise in the northern part of the sea between the Koryak coast and the tip of the Alaska Peninsula is quite steep. The transition of the relief from the southern to the northern half of the sea can be compared with an abrupt transition to a high mountainous country, at 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 remind 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.
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During the last glaciation, the land was above the current level. In place of the northern part of the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait, a wide plain was 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 the same land animals and plants.
They spread over two continents at a time when there was a "land bridge" between them. This "bridge" was crossed, in particular, by mammoths. On it, people - the distant ancestors of the present North American tribes could also pass from Asia to North America. This is reminiscent of the similarities in appearance and culture of some tribes in Asia and America.
Then the land sank, the lowland was covered with water, and the sea lay again between the two continents, as if there had never been any communication by land. It took a long development of humanity and the growth of science to restore the history of the development of the oceans and land.
The sinking of the "land bridge" happened not so long ago, just 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 is + 7-8 °, in winter + 2 °. Salinity of water from 28-33 ‰. The tides in the Bering Sea are daily and semi-daily. The average height of water level fluctuations is 1.5-2m, in the Bering Strait it is only about 0.5m, and in the Bristol Bay it is sometimes 8 or more meters, the tidal speed is 1-2 m / s. In the sea, cyclones with winds up to 20-30 m / s are quite frequent, which cause strong and prolonged storms, wave heights are up to 14 m. For a long time a year, most of the Bering Sea is covered with ice.
The Bering Sea has long been considered one of the most commercial seas. There are more than 400 species of underwater inhabitants alone. About 35 species are commercial, mainly salmon, cod and flatfish. For many years, red caviar obtained from salmon fish has been the most expensive delicacy that has been exported and exported from here in tons, ruining millions of valuable fish species. Some order is being established in this, but poaching is still flourishing.
A special article is occupied by the crab fishing. Crab meat was once a food product of only 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 red king crab is 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 they manage to get more than 30 thousand tons of crab from 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. The waters are home to a huge number of walruses, sea lions, seals, fur seals. They can often be seen on the open sea on ice floes.
On the Aleutian and Commander Islands, on the coast of Alaska and Chukotka, these marine animals arrange numerous rookeries, where they breed their offspring.
There are quite a few whales in the waters of the Bering Sea. Once there were more of them than anywhere else in the world, but for many years they were actively hunted. Special whaling fleets were created here, including the Russian "Slava" and "Aleut", which beat hundreds of whales and their population plummeted. Last years the number of whales is gradually increasing.
It is not uncommon to meet in the open sea and swimming polar bears. Sometimes they stay for a long time on the shores, where there is more food than in the neighboring Chukchi Sea.
The fauna of the coast of the Berengov Sea is very rich and varied. A large number of different animals live in the forests: bears, elks, wolves, foxes, sables, martens, squirrels, arctic foxes, ermine, etc. There are numerous herds on the Chukotka Peninsula reindeer became one of the main treasures of this region.
Created a few years ago national park Beringia, located between Chukotka and Kamchatka, thanks 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 incredible. They arrange huge bird colonies 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 guarded. Border ships are on duty around the clock on the eastern maritime border of our homeland.
Climatic conditions in the Bereng Sea region: in Kamchatka, Kuril Islands and on the Chukchi Peninsula are quite severe. The temperature is sub-zero for almost 9 months of the year. Severe snowy winters and cold winds are common here. And still, few of the people living on the coast of this very east sea agrees to move to the mainland.
The Bering Sea is located between 51 and 66 ° N. sh. and 157 h. d. and 163 ° east. are usually viewed as an extension of the North Pacific. The area of \u200b\u200bthe Bering Sea is 2300 thousand km2, the average volume of water is 3700 thousand km3, the average depth is 1636 m. It is the second largest of the relatively closed (semi-enclosed) seas after the Mediterranean Sea.
The Bering Sea, in the form of a sector with a radius of 1500 km, lies between the shores of the Asian mainland of Russia in the west, the Alaskan Peninsula in the east, and the Aleutian Islands chain (USA) in the south. At the top of the Bering Sea is the Bering Strait. The sea and the strait are named after the navigator Vitus Bering, who commanded a large Russian expedition in 1725-1742 that explored the coast of Kamchatka and Alaska.
Bering Sea bottom relief
The bottom relief of the Bering Sea is unusual: nerite (0-200 m) and abyssal (more than 1000 m) zones are almost the same in area and make up about 90% total area... The vast continental shelf, over 400 miles wide in the northeastern Bering Sea, is one of the largest in the world. The continental shelf continues northward through the narrow Bering Strait. Up to the Chukchi Sea and sometimes referred to as the Bering-Chukotka Platform.Although the platform is currently covered with water, geological and paleontological data indicate that Siberia and Alaska are two parts of the same continent, the connection between which has been interrupted by periodic subsidence of the bottom several times in the last 50-60 million years. It is believed that the last plunge took place around the end of the Pliocene or the beginning of the Pleistocene about a million years ago. The continental shelf along the Aleutian island arc and the coast of Russia is very narrow. The continental slope almost along its entire length passes into a deep-sea bed with steep ledges. The slope is 4-5 °, with the exception of the southeastern region, where the Bering Canyon is obviously the largest in the world with a slope of 0.5 °. The Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Island Arc bordering the water exchange in the Bering Sea in the North Pacific Ocean are of volcanic origin; their formation dates back to the end of the Cenozoic era.
The island arc, the northernmost in the Pacific Ocean, consists of six groups of islands: Komandorskie, Blizhnye, Krysi, Andreyanovskie, Chetyrekhsopochnye and Lisy, which rise from a depth of approximately 7600 m in the Aleutian Trench and from a depth of 4000 m in the Bering Sea depression.
The deepest strait (4420 m) is located in the west of the Bering Sea between Kamchatka and the western tip of the Bering Island (Commander Islands). It also has the greatest depths measured in the Bering Sea.
Bering Sea climate
The average air temperature in winter is from - 25 ° С in the Bering Strait to 2 ° С near the Aleutian Islands, in summer - 10 ° С.In the year 35% of days are rainy, snow is a common phenomenon from September to June. The average pressure at sea level ranges from 1000 mb in winter, when the low-pressure area under the influence of the Aleutian minimum shifts to the south of the central part of the Bering Sea to 1011 mb in summer, when the influence of the East Pacific high-pressure region affects. Over the Bering Sea, the sky is usually covered with clouds (average annual cloud cover in the north is 5-7 points, in the south 7-6 points a year) and there is often fog. On the rivers of the western and eastern continental coasts, ice begins to form in October. By early November, fast ice occurs in most bays and harbors, and sea ice in the south of the Bering Strait. By January, sea ice reaches its maximum development and spreads up to the 200 m isobath, with the exception of the Kamchatka coast, where cold air masses coming from the mainland cause ice formation beyond the 200 m isobath, the coasts of the Aleutian Islands and the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula, where the relatively warm Alaska current delays the formation of sea ice.
Sea ice usually covers 80-90% of the Bering Sea surface, and it has never been observed that the Bering Sea was completely covered with solid ice cover (the same applies to the Bering Strait). Ice fields are usually up to 2 m thick, but trapping and hummocking, especially off the coast, can increase the ice thickness to 5-10 m.
The area occupied by ice is relatively constant until April, after which there is a rapid destruction and displacement of the ice boundary to the north. First of all, ice breakdown occurs in coastal areas, where it melts under the influence of continental runoff, and usually by the end of July, the Bering Sea is freed from ice.
Hydrological regime
The tides near the coast of the southwestern part of the Bering Sea are daily and at about 60 ° N. mixed; north of 62 ° N. sh. only semi-daily hot flashes are observed. Mixed tides are observed off the coast of Alaska from the Bering Strait to the Alaska Peninsula, and diurnal tides are found only off the coast of the central (Rat and Andreyanovskie) and western (Chetyrekhsopochnye and Fox) groups of islands of the Aleutian island arc. The average semi-monthly tide values \u200b\u200bare small (from 0.5 to 1.5 m), with the exception of the Anadyr and Bristol gulfs, where they are 2.5 and 5.0 m, respectively.According to modern concepts, the currents in the narrow straits of the Aleutian Islands are mainly tidal with equally strong components of ebb and flow and with a speed of 150 to 400 cm / s. The main current in the Bering Sea, which is important for the water balance, is observed at a longitude of 170 ° E, where the flow converges with the waters going north in the western subarctic circulation, resulting in the formation of a cyclonic gyre in the western part of the Aleutian Basin and an anticyclonic gyre near the Rat ridge. The main stream continues to go north, skirting the Rat Ridge, then turns eastward, forming a general cyclonic circulation over the deep-water basin of the Bering Sea.
Cyclonic and anticyclonic gyres are formed in the eastern part of the Bering Sea in the area where the main current reaches the continental shelf and turns to the north. In the northern part of the Bering Sea, the current diverges, with one branch going north to the Bering Strait, the other to the southwest along the coast of Kamchatka, where it apparently becomes the East Kamchatka Current and returns to the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The currents over the continental shelf along the coast of Alaska are mostly tidal except for coastal areawhere river runoff waters move northward and out through the Bering Strait In the eastern part of the Bering Strait, a current with a speed of up to 300 cm / s was observed.
The current speed is approximately 3-4 times higher in August and September than in February and March, when the sea is covered with ice. The peculiarities of this current, which supplies about 20% of the inflow to the Arctic Basin, can generally be explained by the winds prevailing over the Arctic Basin, the Bering Sea and the Greenland Sea. In the extreme western part of the Bering Strait, a southward countercurrent, or "polar" current, periodically appears.
Deep currents are not well understood. Although the water temperature in the northern areas of the continental shelf is very low in winter, the salinity of the surface waters is not high enough for the formation of deep waters in the Bering Sea
