]. The western part of the sea is located above a gentle continent and has a shallow depth. In the center of the sea are the Deryugin Basins (in the south) and the TINRO Basin. In the eastern part, the Kuril basin is located, in which the depth is maximum. From October to May - June the northern part of the sea is covered with ice. The southeastern part practically does not freeze. The coast in the north is heavily indented, in the northeast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is its largest bay - Shelikhov Bay. Of the smaller bays in the northern part, the most famous are the Eirineiskaya Bay and the Sheltinga, Zabiyaka, Babushkina, and Kekurny bays. In the east, the coastline of the Kamchatka Peninsula is practically devoid of bays. In the west, the coastline is heavily indented, forming the Sakhalin Bay and the Shantar Sea. In the south, the largest are Aniva and Terpeniya bays, Odessa Gulf on Iturup Island. The rivers Amur, Okhota, Kukhtui flow into the river.
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The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is named after the Okhota River, which in turn comes from Evensk. okat - "river". Previously it was called Lamsky (from Even lamas - "sea"), as well as the Kamchatka sea. The Japanese traditionally called this sea Hokkai (北海), literally "North Sea". But since this name now refers to the North Sea of \u200b\u200bthe Atlantic Ocean, they changed the name of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk to Okhotsuku-kai (オ ホ ー ツ ク 海), which is an adaptation of the Russian name to the norms of Japanese phonetics.
Legal regime
The water area of \u200b\u200bthe Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk consists of internal waters, a territorial sea and an exclusive economic zone of two coastal states - Russia and Japan. According to its international legal status, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is closest to a semi-enclosed sea (Article 122 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea), since it is surrounded by two or more states and mainly consists of a territorial sea and an exclusive economic zone of two states, but it is not, since connected to the rest of the world's oceans not by a single narrow passage, but by a series of passages. In the central part of the sea, at a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines, there is a stretch in the meridional direction, traditionally called Peanut Hole in the English language literature, which is not part of the exclusive economic zone and is an open sea outside the jurisdiction of Russia; in particular, any country in the world has the right here to fish and carry out other activities permitted by the UN convention on the law of the sea, excluding activities on the shelf. Since this region is an important element for the reproduction of the population of some species of commercial fish, the governments of some countries explicitly prohibit their vessels from fishing in this area of \u200b\u200bthe sea.
On November 13-14, 2013, the Sub-Commission established within the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf agreed with the arguments of the Russian delegation as part of the consideration of the RF application for recognizing the bottom of the above-mentioned section of the high seas as an extension of the Russian continental shelf. On March 15, 2014, the 33rd session of the Commission in 2014 adopted a positive decision on the Russian application, which was first filed in 2001 and filed in a new version in early 2013, and the central part of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk outside the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation was recognized continental shelf of Russia. Consequently, in the central part, other states are prohibited from harvesting "sedentary" biological resources (for example, crab, molluscs) and mining. Fishing of other biological resources, for example, fish, is not subject to the restrictions of the continental shelf. Consideration of the application on the merits became possible thanks to the position of Japan, which, by an official note dated May 23, 2013, confirmed its consent to the consideration by the Commission of the essence of the application, regardless of the resolution of the Kuril Islands issue.
Temperature regime and salinity
Fifteen ships were captured by ice, with about 700 people on board.
The operation was carried out by the forces of the icebreaker flotilla: the icebreakers Admiral Makarov and Krasin, the icebreaker Magadan and the tanker Victoria worked as auxiliary vessels. The coordination headquarters of the rescue operation was located in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, work was carried out under the leadership of the Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Viktor Olersky.
Most of the vessels got out on their own, icebreakers rescued four vessels: the trawler Cape Elizabeth, the research vessel Professor Kizevetter (first half of January, Admiral Makarov), the refrigerator Coast of Hope and the Sodruzhestvo floating base.
The second freed ship was "Professor Kiesewetter", whose captain, according to the results of the investigation, was deprived of his diploma for six months.
In the area of \u200b\u200bJanuary 14, the icebreakers gathered together the remaining ships in distress, after which the icebreakers escorted both ships of the convoy on a hitch.
After the break of the "mustache" of the "Commonwealth", it was decided to first lead the refrigerator through the heavy ice.
The wiring was suspended around January 20 due to weather conditions, but on January 24, it was possible to bring the refrigerator "Coast of Hope" to clean water.
On January 26, the towing "whiskers" broke again, and I had to lose time for the delivery of new ones by helicopter.
On January 31, the Sodruzhestvo floating base was also withdrawn from the ice captivity, the operation ended at 11:00 Vladivostok time.
Notes
- Old maps of Russian cities - from ancient times to the present day (unspecified) ... www.retromap.ru. Date of treatment January 15, 2016.
- The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is our everything (unspecified) ... // rg.ru. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- FAO: World review of highly migratory species and straddling stocks ...
- Peanut Hole scheme
The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is located in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Asia and is separated from the ocean by the chain of the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. From the south and west it is limited by the coast of Hokkaido Island, the eastern coast of Sakhalin Island and the coast of the Asian continent. The sea is significantly elongated from south-west to north-east within a spherical trapezoid with coordinates 43 ° 43 "- 62 ° 42" N. sh. and 135 ° 10 "–164 ° 45" E. The greatest length of the water area in this direction is 2463 km, and the width reaches 1,500 km. The area of \u200b\u200bthe sea surface is 1603 thousand km2, the length of the coastline is 10 460 km, and the total volume of sea waters is 1316 thousand km3. In their own way geographic location it belongs to the marginal seas of the mixed continental-marginal type. The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk connects with numerous straits of the Kuril island ridge, and with the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan - through the La Perouse Strait and through the Amur estuary - by the Nevelskoye and Tatarsky straits. The average value of the sea depth is 821 m, and the highest is 3521 m (in the Kuril Basin).
The main morphological zones in are: shelf (continental and island shoals of Sakhalin Island), continental slope, on which separate seamounts, depressions and islands are distinguished, etc. The shelf zone (0-200 m) is 180-250 km wide and occupies about 20% of the sea area. A wide and gentle, in the central part of the basin, the continental slope (200-2000 m) occupies about 65%, and the deepest basin (more than 2500 m), located in the southern part of the sea - 8% of the sea area. Within a section of the continental slope, several elevations and depressions are distinguished, where the depths change sharply (the uplift of the Academy of Sciences, the uplift of the Institute of Oceanology and the Deryugin Basin). The bottom of the deep-water Kuril Basin is a flat abyssal plain, and the Kuril Ridge is a natural sill separating the sea basin from the ocean.
The straits of the Amursky Estuary, Nevelskoy in the north and La Perouse in the south connect the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk with the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, and the numerous Kuril straits with the Pacific Ocean. The chain of the Kuril Islands is separated from the Hokkaido Island by the Treason Strait, and from the Kamchatka Peninsula - by the First Strait. The straits connecting the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk with the adjacent areas of the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan and the Pacific Ocean provide the possibility of water exchange between basins, which, in turn, have a significant impact on the distribution of hydrological characteristics. The straits of Nevelskoy and La Perouse are relatively narrow and shallow, which is the reason for the relatively weak water exchange with the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan. The straits of the Kuril Island Ridge, which stretches for about 1200 km, on the contrary, are deeper, and their total width is 500 km. The deepest are the Bussol straits (2318 m) and (1920 m).
The northwestern coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is practically devoid of large bays, and the northern one is significantly indented. The Tauiskaya Bay juts out into it, the shores of which are indented by bays and bays. The bay is separated from the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk by the Koni Peninsula.
The largest bay in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk lies in its northeastern part, extending 315 km into the mainland. This is Shelikhov Bay with Gizhiginskaya and Penzhinskaya bays. Gizhiginskaya and Penzhinskaya bays are separated by the elevated Taigonos Peninsula. In the southwestern part of the Shelikhov Bay, north of the Pyagin Peninsula, there is a small Yamskaya Bay.
The western coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula is leveled and practically devoid of bays.They are complex in shape and form shallow bays on the shores of the Kuril Islands. On the Okhotsk side, the largest bays are located near Iturup Island, which are deep-water and have a very complexly dissected bottom.
Quite a lot mainly flows into the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, therefore, with a significant volume of its waters, the continental runoff is relatively small. It is equal to about 600 km3 per year, while about 65% of the runoff comes from the Amur River. Other relatively large rivers - Penzhina, Okhota, Uda, Bolshaya (in Kamchatka) - bring much less fresh water to the sea. The runoff comes mainly in spring and early summer. At this time, its greatest influence is felt mainly in the coastal zone, near the estuarine areas of large rivers.
The shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk in different regions belong to different geomorphological types, mostly abrasive, altered by the sea, and only on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island there are shores. Basically, the sea is surrounded by high and steep shores. In the north and northwest, rocky ledges descend directly to the sea. The shores are low along the Sakhalin Bay. The southeast is low, and the northeast is low. The shores of the Kuril Islands are very steep. The northeastern coast of Hokkaido is mostly low-lying. The coast of the southern part of Western Kamchatka is of the same character, but the shores of its northern part rise somewhat.
According to the peculiarities of the composition and distribution of bottom sediments, three main zones can be distinguished: the central zone, which is composed mainly of diatomaceous silt, silty-clayey and partly clayey silts; the zone of distribution of hemipelagic and pelagic clays in the western, eastern and northern parts of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk; as well as the zone of distribution of mixed-grained sands, sandstones, gravel and silt - in the northeast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Coarse clastic material is ubiquitous, which is the result of ice spread.
The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is located in the zone. A significant part of the sea in the west juts deep into the mainland and lies relatively close to the cold pole of the Asian land, therefore the main source of cold for the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is to the west of it. The relatively high ridges of Kamchatka impede the penetration of warm Pacific air. Only in the southeast and in the south is the sea open to the Pacific Ocean and the sea, from where a significant amount of heat enters it. However, the influence of cooling factors is stronger than that of warming, therefore the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is generally cold.
In the cold part of the year (from October to April), the Aleutian minimum also affects the sea. The influence of the latter extends mainly to the southeastern part of the sea. This distribution of large-scale baric systems causes strong stable northwestern and north windsoften reaching stormy strength. In winter, the wind speed is usually 10–11 m / s.
In the coldest month - January - the average air temperature in the northwest of the sea is –20 ... –25 ° С, in central regions - –10… –15 ° С, and in the southeastern part of the sea - –5… –6 ° С.
In the autumn winter time cyclones of predominantly continental origin. They bring with them increased winds, sometimes lower air temperatures, but the weather remains clear and dry, since continental air comes from the cooled mainland. In March - April, a restructuring of large-scale baric fields occurs, the Siberian anticyclone collapses, and the Hawaiian maximum increases. As a result, during the warm season (from May to October), the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is under the influence of the Hawaiian maximum and the area located above. At the same time, weak southeast winds prevail over the sea. Their speed usually does not exceed 6–7 m / s. These winds are most often observed in June and July, although stronger northwest and northerly winds are occasionally observed during these months. In general, the Pacific (summer) monsoon is weaker than the Asian (winter) monsoon, since the horizontal pressure gradients are smoothed in the warm season.
In summer, the average monthly air temperature in August decreases from the southwest to the northeast (from 18 ° C to 10–10.5 ° C).
In the warm season, tropical cyclones often pass over the southern part of the sea. They are associated with an increase in wind to a storm, which can last up to 5–8 days. The prevalence of southeastern winds in the spring-summer season leads to significant precipitation.
Monsoon winds and stronger winter cooling of the western part of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk compared to the eastern part are important climatic features of this sea.
Geographical position, great length along the meridian, monsoon change of winds and good communication of the sea with the Pacific Ocean through the Kuril Straits are the main natural factors, which most significantly affect the formation of the hydrological conditions of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk.
The inflow of surface waters from the Pacific Ocean into the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk occurs mainly through the northern straits, in particular through the First Kuril Strait.
In the upper layers of the southern part Kuril ridge runoff of the Okhotsk Sea waters predominates, and in the upper layers of the northern part of the ridge, the inflow of Pacific waters occurs. In the deep layers, the influx of Pacific waters prevails.
The inflow of Pacific waters significantly affects the distribution of temperature, salinity, and the formation of the structure and waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk.
The following water masses are distinguished in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk:
- superficial, with spring, summer and autumn modifications. It is a thin heated layer 15–30 m thick, which limits the upper maximum of stability, mainly due to temperature;
- the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk water mass is formed in winter from surface water and in spring, summer and autumn manifests itself in the form of a cold intermediate layer lying between the horizons of 40–150 m. This water mass is characterized by a rather uniform (31–32 ‰) and different temperature;
- the intermediate water mass is formed mainly due to the release of waters along the underwater slopes, within the sea, ranging from 100–150 to 400–700 m, and is characterized by a temperature of 1.5 ° C and a salinity of 33.7 ‰. This mass of water is spread almost everywhere;
- the deep Pacific water mass is the water of the lower part of the warm layer of the Pacific Ocean entering the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk at horizons below 800–1000 m. This water mass is located at the horizons of 600–1350 m, has a temperature of 2.3 ° C and a salinity of 34.3 ‰ ...
The water mass of the southern basin is of Pacific origin and is the deep water of the northwestern Pacific Ocean near the 2300 m horizon.This water mass fills the basin from the 1350 m horizon to the bottom and is characterized by a temperature of 1.85 ° C and a salinity of 34.7 ‰, which only slightly change with depth.
The water temperature at the sea surface decreases from south to north. In winter, almost everywhere, the surface layers are cooled to a freezing point of –1.5 ... –1.8 ° C. Only in the southeastern part of the sea does it keep about 0 ° С, and near the northern Kuril straits, under the influence of the Pacific waters, the water temperature reaches 1–2 ° С.
Spring warming up at the beginning of the season is mainly used to melt the ice, only towards the end of it the rise begins.In summer, the distribution of water temperature on the sea surface is quite diverse. In August, the warmest (up to 18–19 ° С) waters are adjacent to the island of Hokkaido. In the central regions of the sea, the water temperature is 11–12 ° С. The coldest surface waters are observed near Iona Island, near Cape Pyagin and near the Kruzenshtern Strait. In these areas, the water temperature is kept within 6-7 ° С. The formation of local foci of increased and decreased water temperatures on the surface is mainly associated with the redistribution of heat by currents.
The vertical distribution of water temperature is not the same from season to season and from place to place. In the cold season, the change in temperature with depth is less complex and varied than in the warm seasons.
In winter, in the northern and central regions of the sea, water cooling extends to the horizons of 500-600 m. The water temperature is relatively uniform and varies from –1.5 ... –1.7 ° С on the surface to –0.25 ° С at the horizons of 500–600 m , deeper it rises to 1–0 ° С, in the southern part of the sea and near the Kuril straits the water temperature from 2.5–3 ° С on the surface decreases to 1–1.4 ° С at the horizons of 300–400 m and then gradually increases up to 1.9–2.4 ° С in the bottom layer.
In summer, surface waters are warmed up to temperatures of 10–12 ° С. In the subsurface layers, the water temperature is slightly lower than on the surface. A sharp decrease in temperature to –1 ... –1.2 ° С is observed between the horizons of 50–75 m, deeper, to horizons of 150–200 m, the temperature rapidly rises to 0.5–1 ° С, and then it rises more smoothly, and at 200–250 m horizons it is 1.5–2 ° С. Further, the water temperature almost does not change to the bottom. In the southern and southeastern parts of the sea, along the Kuril Islands, the water temperature from 10-14 ° C on the surface decreases to 3-8 ° C by 25 m, then to 1.6-2.4 ° C at the horizon of 100 m and up to 1.4–2 ° С at the bottom. The vertical temperature distribution in summer is characterized by a cold intermediate layer. In the northern and central regions of the sea, the temperature in it is negative, and only near the Kuril straits does it have positive values. In different areas of the sea, the depth of the cold intermediate layer is different and varies from year to year.
The distribution of salinity in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk varies relatively little over the seasons. Salinity rises in the eastern part, influenced by the Pacific waters, and decreases in the western part, which is freshened by continental runoff. In the western part, the salinity on the surface is 28–31 ‰, and in the east - 31–32 ‰ or more (up to 33 ‰ near the Kuril ridge).
In the northwestern part of the sea, due to desalination, the salinity on the surface is 25 ‰ or less, and the thickness of the desalinated layer is about 30–40 m.
Salinity increases with depth in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. At the horizons of 300–400 m in the western part of the sea, salinity is 33.5 а, and in the eastern - about 33.8 ‰. At a horizon of 100 m, salinity is 34 ‰ and further to the bottom it increases slightly, by only 0.5–0.6 ‰.
In some bays and straits, the salinity and its stratification may differ significantly from the waters of the open sea, depending on local conditions.
In accordance with temperature and salinity, denser waters are observed in winter in the northern and central regions of the sea covered with ice. The density is somewhat lower in the relatively warm Kuril region. In summer, the water density decreases, its lowest values \u200b\u200bare confined to the zones of influence of coastal runoff, and the highest are observed in the areas of distribution of the Pacific waters. In winter, it rises slightly from the surface to the bottom. In summer, its distribution depends on temperature in the upper layers, and on salinity in the middle and lower layers. IN summer time a noticeable vertical density stratification of waters is created, the density increases especially noticeably at the 25–50 m horizons, which is associated with the warming up of waters in open areas and desalination near the coast.
Intense ice formation over most of the sea stimulates enhanced thermohaline winter vertical circulation. At depths of up to 250–300 m, it spreads to the bottom, and below it is hindered by the maximum stability existing here. In areas with a broken bottom, the spread of density mixing to the lower horizons is facilitated by the sliding of waters along the slopes.
Under the influence of winds and the influx of water through the Kuril straits, characteristic features of the system of non-periodic currents of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are formed. The main one is the cyclonic system of currents, covering almost the entire sea. It is caused by the prevalence of cyclonic atmospheric circulation over the sea and the adjacent part of the Pacific Ocean. In addition, stable anticyclonic gyres are observed in the sea.
Strong currents bypass the sea along the coastline against: the warm Kamchatka current, the stable East Sakhalin current and the rather strong Soya current.
And finally, one more feature of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk water circulation is bilateral stable currents in most of the Kuril straits.
The currents on the surface of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are most intense near the western (11–20 cm / s), in the Sakhalin Gulf (30–45 cm / s), in the region of the Kuril straits (15–40 cm / s), over the Kuril Basin (11–20 cm / s) and during the Soybean (up to 50–90 cm / s).
In the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, various types of periodic tidal currents are well expressed: semidiurnal, diurnal and mixed, with a predominance of semidiurnal or diurnal components. The speed of tidal currents is from a few centimeters to 4 m / s. Far from the coast, the current velocities are low - 5–10 cm / s. In straits, bays and off the coast, their speeds increase significantly. For example, in the Kuril straits, current velocities reach 2–4 m / s.
In general, level fluctuations in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are very significant and have a significant impact on its hydrological regimeespecially in the coastal area.
In addition to tidal fluctuations, the level fluctuations are well developed here. They occur mainly when passing deep over the sea. Surge rises in the level reach 1.5–2 m. The largest surges were recorded on the coast of Kamchatka and in the Terpeniya Bay.Considerable size and great depths Of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, frequent and strong winds over it cause the development of large waves here. The sea is especially stormy in autumn, and in some areas in winter. These seasons account for 55–70% of storm waves, including those with wave heights of 4–6 m, and the highest wave heights reach 10–11 m. The most restless are the southern and southeastern regions of the sea, where the average frequency of storm waves is 35 –40%, and in the northwestern part it decreases to 25–30%.
In normal years, the southern boundary of the relatively stable ice sheet bends to the north and runs from the La Perouse Strait to Cape Lopatka.
The extreme southern part of the sea never freezes. However, owing to the winds, significant masses of ice are carried into it from the north, often accumulating near the Kuril Islands.The ice cover in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk lasts for 6–7 months. More than 75% of the sea surface is covered with floating ice. The dense ice of the northern part of the sea presents serious obstacles to navigation, even for icebreakers. The total duration of the ice period in the northern part of the sea reaches 280 days a year. Part of the ice from the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is carried into the ocean, where it collapses and melts almost immediately.
The predicted hydrocarbon resources of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are estimated at 6.56 billion tons in oil equivalent, the explored reserves are over 4 billion tons. The largest deposits on the shelves (along the coast of Sakhalin Island, the Kamchatka Peninsula, Khabarovsk Territory and Magadan region). The most studied are the deposits of Sakhalin Island. Prospecting works on the island's shelf began in the 70s. XX century, by the end of the 90s seven large fields (6 oil and gas condensate and 1 gas condensate) and a small gas field were discovered on the shelf of Northeast Sakhalin. The total gas reserves on the Sakhalin shelf are estimated at 3.5 trillion m3.
The flora and fauna are very diverse. In terms of stocks of commercial crab, the sea ranks first in the world. Salmon fish are of great value: chum salmon, pink salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, sockeye salmon - a source of red caviar. Intensive fishing is carried out for herring, pollock, flounder, cod, navaga, capelin, etc. The sea is inhabited by whales, seals, sea lions, fur seals. Fishing for molluscs and sea urchins is gaining increasing interest. Various algae are ubiquitous in the littoral zone.
In connection with the poor development of the adjacent territories, maritime transport has acquired primary importance. Important sea routes lead to Korsakov on Sakhalin Island, Magadan, Okhotsk and other settlements.The areas of the Tauiskaya Bay in the northern part of the sea and the shelf areas of Sakhalin Island are exposed to the greatest anthropogenic load. The northern part of the sea receives about 23 tons of oil products annually, with 70–80% of c. Pollutants enter the Tauiskaya Bay from coastal industrial and municipal facilities, and they enter the coastal zone practically without purification.
The offshore zone of Sakhalin Island is polluted by coal, oil and gas production enterprises, pulp and paper mills, fishing and processing vessels and enterprises, and waste water from municipal facilities. The annual flow of oil products to the southwestern part of the sea is estimated at about 1.1 thousand tons, with 75–85% of it with river runoff.
Oil carbons enter the Sakhalin Bay mainly with runoff, therefore, their maximum concentrations are usually observed in the central and western parts of the bay along the axis of the Amur waters entering.
The eastern part of the sea - the shelf of the Kamchatka Peninsula - is polluted by river runoff, with which the bulk of the oil-carbons enter the marine environment. In connection with the reduction of work at the fish canning enterprises of the peninsula since 1991, there has been a decrease in the volume of wastewaterdischarged into the coastal zone of the sea.
The northern part of the sea - Shelikhov Bay, Tauiskaya and Penzhinskaya bays - is the most polluted area of \u200b\u200bthe sea with an average content of petroleum hydrocarbons in the water 1–5 times higher than the permissible concentration limit. This is determined not only by the anthropogenic load on the water area, but also by the low average annual water temperatures and, consequently, by the low capacity of the ecosystem for self-cleaning. The highest level of pollution in the northern part of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk was recorded in the period from 1989 to 1991.
The southern part of the sea - the La Perouse Strait and the Aniva Bay - are subject to intense oil pollution in the spring-summer period by merchant and fishing fleets. On average, the content of petroleum carbons in the La Perouse Strait does not exceed the permissible concentration limit. Aniva Bay is slightly more polluted. The highest level of pollution in this area was noted near the port of Korsakov, once again confirming that the port is a source of intense pollution of the marine environment.
The pollution of the coastal zone of the sea along the northeastern part of Sakhalin Island is mainly associated with exploration and production on the shelf of the island and until the end of the 1980s did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration.
The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is located in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean and, in terms of its geographical position, belongs to the type of marginal seas. It washes the shores of Asia in the north and is separated from the ocean in the southeast by the ridges of the Kuril Islands and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Its western border is drawn along the eastern coast of about. Sakhalin and about. Hokkaido.
Sea straits
The straits of the Amur estuary, Nevelskoy in the north and La Perouse in the south connect the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk with the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, and the numerous Kuril straits with the Pacific Ocean. The chain of the Kuril Islands is separated from about. Hokkaido Strait Treason, and from the Kamchatka Peninsula - the First Kuril Strait. The deepest straits of the island chain are Bussol and Krusenstern. Of the others, the largest straits are: Catherine, Frisa, Rikorda, Fourth Kuril. According to N. N. Zubov's classification, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk belongs to the basin seas, since the depth of the straits is much less than the maximum depths of the bottom of the basin.
Coastline
The coastline of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk has complex outlines. Its bends, connected with the protrusions of large capes and peninsulas, form bays and lips. It is most sinuous in the southwestern and northeastern parts of the sea. In the southwest, the largest are Aniva and Terpeniya bays, separated from the open sea by the Tonino-Anivsky and Terpeniya peninsulas, respectively. In the northeast about. Sakhalin is weakly indented, but on the coast, in the immediate vicinity of the sea, there is a chain of large lagoons called bays: Lunsky, Nabilsky, Nyisky, Chayvo, Piltun. These lagoons are separated by spits, between which there are narrow shallow passages. The lagoons are shallow and in most cases covered with algae. North of the hall. Piltun along east coast about. Sakhalin is a chain of lakes and lagoons, which are usually rounded and relatively small in size. Sakhalin Bay juts out 100 km between the north of the island. Sakhalin and the mainland coast. It is bordered by Cape Elizabeth in the east and Cape Alexandra in the west, the width of the bay between them is about 200 km. Two smaller bays protrude into the eastern coast of the Sakhalin Bay: Pomr 'and Baikal, and into the western coast - the bays of Ekaterina, Reineke, Shchastya, etc.
From the Sakhalin Bay to the Udskaya Bay there is the most indented section of the coast with numerous large bays: Alexandra, Akademiya, into the shores of which, in turn, the bays of Nikolai, Ulbansky and Konstantin are wedged; Tugursky, separated from the hall. Academy of the Tugur Peninsula. The northwestern coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is practically devoid of large bays, and the northern one is significantly indented. The Tauiskaya Bay juts out into it, the shores of which are indented by bays and bays (Motykleisky, Akhmatonsky and Odyan bays). The bay is separated from the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk by the Koni Peninsula. Of the smaller bays on the northern coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, the Eirinei Bay and the bays of Ushki, Sheltinga, Zabiyaka, Babushkina, and Kekurny should be noted. The largest bay in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk lies in its northeastern part, extending 315 km into the mainland. This is the hall. Shelikhov from the Gizha and Penzhinsky lips. The southern border of the hall. Shelikhova is a line connecting Cape Tolstoy on the P'ya-gina Peninsula with Cape Utkholoksky on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Gizhinskaya and Penzhinskaya bays are separated by the elevated Taigonos Peninsula. Penzhinskaya Bay narrows sharply to 40 km by the Elistratov Peninsulas in the west and the Mametchinsky Peninsulas in the east. This narrowness is called the throat. In the southwestern part of the hall. Shelikhov, to the north of the Pyagin Peninsula, there is a small Yamskaya Bay with the Perevalochny and Malka-Chansky bays. The western coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula is leveled and practically devoid of bays. They are complex in shape and form shallow bays on the shores of the Kuril Islands. On the Okhotsk side, the largest bays are located at about. Iturup: Dobroe Beginning, Kuibyshevsky, Kurilsky, Prostor, as well as Lion's Mouth, etc. The bays are deep and have a very dissected bottom.
Islands
The islands in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are very diverse both in size and shape, and in origin. Here there are single islands and archipelagos, the islands in which are located in a compact group or are elongated in the form of a ridge. The mainland islands and the islands of the transition zone are distinguished. The mainland islands are land masses located within the same block of the earth's crust with the mainland. The islands of the transitional zone include linear-elongated archipelagos, crowning the ridges of powerful curved underwater ridge-cordilleras. They are called island arcs. King notes a characteristic pattern in the distribution of the island chains of the transition zone. They are usually double. The concave inner ridge is occupied by volcanic edifices, and the outer ridge is occupied by the drained projections of the folded base of the Cordillera. From the mainland islands off the coast of East Sakhalin, small islets are known: Tyuleny and the Rock of Danger Stone. Tyuleniy Island has a flat top and steep shores. An accumulative surface streamer departs from the southern tip. Rock Stone of Danger - a small group of bare stones in the pr. La Perouse.
Iona Island is located 200 km north of the island. Sakhalin. Its height is 150 m, the shores are rocky and almost steep. The Shantar Islands lie in the northwest of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. They are an archipelago of 15 islands with an area of \u200b\u200babout 2,500 km. The largest islands: Bolshoi Shantar (area 1790 km 2), Feklistova (about 400 km 2), Maly Shantar (about 100 km 2), Belichy (about 70 km 2). The climate on the islands is harsh. Of the islands on the northern coast, the most significant are located in the Taui Bay. These are the Zavyalov and Spafariev islands. Spafareva Island rises to 575 m, and about. Zavyalova is mountainous and reaches a height of 1130 m. Its slopes are covered with bushes, the banks are rocky. In the Shelikhov Hall, the islands are located close to the coast and are small in size. The most distant from the coastline are Yamskie (Atykan, Matykil), as well as the small islets of Kokontse, Baran, Hatemalyu. They are located at a distance of up to 20 km east of the Pyagin Peninsula. Small islands: Trety, Extreme, Dobrzhansky, Rovny, Zubchaty, Konus, Chemeivytegartynup - are located in the Penzhinskaya Bay. There is only one noticeable island off the coast of western Kamchatka - Ptichiy, located to the north of Cape Khairyuzovo. The garland of islands in the transition zone, forming the Great Kuril Ridge, stretched from the Siretoko Peninsula (Hokkaido Island) in the southwest to Lopatka Cape (Kamchatka Peninsula) in the northeast. Its length is about 1300 km. In plan, the ridge has the shape of an angle equal to 150 °, with a top in the area of \u200b\u200bthe strait. Boussol facing the Pacific Ocean. It consists of 30 large, 20 small islands and rocks. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe islands of the Great Kuril ridge is 15.6 thousand km 2. The archipelago is divided into three parts by the deep straits of Bussol and Krusenstern: the Southern, Middle and Northern Kuriles.
The southern Kurils include the large islands of the Great Kuril ridge: Kunashir, Iturup Urup, as well as the small islands of Black Brothers and Broughton. A significant area of \u200b\u200bthe large islands is hilly and terraced. Above them rise volcanic structures with a height of 1200-1800 m (Tyatya, Mendeleeva, Atsonupuri, Berutarube, etc.) - Urup Island is somewhat distinguished by the massive basement. The Middle Kurils are represented by the smallest islands of the ridge: Ketoy, Ushishir, Rasshua, Matua, Raikoke. The largest of them is about. Simushir. The islands represent the surface peaks of single volcanoes reaching heights of up to 1500 m. The Northern Kuriles include the islands of Shi-ashkotan, Ekarma, Chirinkotan, Onekotan, Harim-kotan, Makanrushi, Antsiferova, Paramushir, Shumshu, Atlasova. They do not form a single chain. The largest of them (Paramushir and Shumshu islands) are located on the eastern edge of the Great Kuril ridge. On about. Paramushir volcanoes exceed the mark of 1300 m (Karpinsky, Chikurach-ki), slightly below the Ebeko volcano (1183 m). The most high point the island belongs to the top of Fussa volcano - 1772 m.Of other islands, one can mention the Onekotan and Shiashkotan islands - groups of two volcanoes connected by low-lying bridges, as well as the highest island of the Great Kuril ridge - Atlasova, which is the peak of the Alaid volcano and reaches a mark of 2339 m
The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is a semi-enclosed sea located in the northern hemisphere, part of the Pacific Ocean, washing the shores of Russia and Japan.
Earlier this sea was called "Kamchatka". The Japanese called this sea "Hokkai", which literally translates as "North Sea", however traditional name eventually changed to the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk.
What rivers flow
The following flows into the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk big rivers:
- Kukhtuy (a river with a length of 384 kilometers, it is located in the Khabarovsk Territory, as well as the Okhota River);
- Hunting (a small river in the Khabarovsk Territory, the length of which reaches almost 400 kilometers);
- Amur (the length of the river reaches almost 2,900 km, which makes this waterway quite large and important in Eastern Russia and China for infrastructure).
The relief of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk
The western part of the bottom is a flat slab and it is located at a fairly shallow depth. There are large depressions in the very center. However, the maximum depth was recorded in the so-called Kuril Basin, which is located in the eastern part of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. The bottom can be sandy, stony, silt-sandy.
The shores of the sea are mostly high and rocky. In the southwest of Kamchatka, the shores are low-lying. There are volcanoes at the bottom of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, and there are also on the islands. 70 are considered extinct, 30 are active.
The southeastern part of the sea almost never freezes - even in winter, which cannot be said about the northern part of the sea, where ice stays from October to June. The northern coast of the sea is heavily indented, which is why many natural bays have been created here, the largest of which is called Sherikhov's Bay. There are also many bays in the west of the sea, the largest of which are the Shantar Sea and the Sakhalin Bay.
Cities
On the shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk there is a small town called Okhotsk, which became the first Russian settlement built on the Pacific coast. One of the largest cities on the shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is Magadan with a population of more than 90 thousand inhabitants.
Kholmsk photo The relatively small town of Kholmsk with a population of 28 thousand inhabitants is also located on the seashore. Well, the last "big city" on the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk can be called Korsakov with a population of 33 thousand people. The city is actively engaged in fishing and fish processing.
Flora and fauna of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk
The number of fish species in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is large, there have always been a fair amount of it, which is why the sea has become an important industrial site. The largest quantities in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are found in herring, capelin, salmon, pollock and navaga. Among other valuable seafood, one can also highlight the Kamchatka crab - they reach really huge sizes and are a delicacy for humans.
Beluga whale in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk photoIt is inhabited by sea urchins, starfish, shrimps and crabs, mussels, jellyfish, corals. Kamchatka crab is one of the largest crustaceans in the Far Eastern waters.
As in many northern waters, several species of whales can be found in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, including rare fin whales, as well as the largest creatures on the planet that have ever existed - blue whales. Beluga whales, seals and seals live in the waters of the sea.
depths of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk photo The bird world is diverse and numerous. On the islands of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk nest in large colonies of gulls, cormorants, guillemots, guillemots, Ipatka, petrels, geese, etc.
birds on the Okhotsk sea photo Vegetation of the sea: brown and green algae, red algae, kelp, in some places there are abundant thickets of sea grass - zostera.
Characteristics of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk
The area of \u200b\u200bthe Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk reaches 1,603,000 square kilometers, and its volume exceeds 1,300,000 cubic meters. The average depth of the sea is quite large - approximately 1,700 meters, and the deepest point on the seabed is 3,916 meters.
In summer, the sea surface temperature is 18 degrees Celsius. And in winter it is colder - 2 degrees Celsius, and sometimes it can drop to minus temperatures of -1.8 degrees. As for the climate, it is monsoon, very harsh due to northern winds, only in the south the air temperature is relatively high.
Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk in winter photo If we compare the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk with the neighboring seas: Japan and Bering, then it will be the coldest of them. In winter, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is tormented by strong northerly winds and thus make the climate even more severe. The minimum air temperature comes with January and reaches -25 degrees on average. In summer, the temperature rarely exceeds +15 degrees.
Quite often, storms occur in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk that last more than one week. They come to the southern part of the sea from the Pacific Ocean. The waves are high and the storms are long lasting. In very harsh winters, ice forms - floating and also stationary. Ice floes float along Sakhalin and the Amur region, often even in summer.
Sakhalin photos Coastal waters are the least salty and generally do not even reach 30%. But in the rest of the sea, the advantage of the salt level sometimes reaches up to 34%. Surface waters are the least salty - no more than 32-33%, while already at depth the salinity exceeds 34%.
There are also islands in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, but their number is extremely small. Sakmiy big - Sakhalin island. Most of the islands are located in a seismically active zone.
The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is the sea of \u200b\u200bthe Pacific Ocean, separated from it by the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands and the island of Hokkaido.
The sea washes the shores of Russia and Japan.
The area is 1603 thousand km². The average depth is 1780 m, the maximum depth is 3916 m. The western part of the sea is located above the gentle continent and has a shallow depth. In the center of the sea are the Deryugin Basins (in the south) and the TINRO Basin. In the eastern part, the Kuril basin is located, in which the depth is maximum.Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk Far East map
In the chain of our Far Eastern seas, it occupies a middle position, juts out rather deep into the Asian continent, and is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the arc of the Kuril Islands. The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk has natural boundaries almost everywhere, and only in the southwest from the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan it is separated by conventional lines: Cape Yuzhny - Cape Tyk and in the La Perouse Strait Cape Krillon - Cape Soya. The southeastern border of the sea goes from Cape Nosyappu (Hokkaido Island) through the Kuril Islands to Cape Lopatka (Kamchatka), with all the passages between about. Hokkaido and Kamchatka are included in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Within these limits, the sea space extends from north to south from 62 ° 42 ′ to 43 ° 43 ′ N. sh. and from west to east from 134 ° 50 ′ to 164 ° 45 ′ E. e. The sea is significantly elongated from the southwest to the northeast and expanded approximately in its central part.
GENERAL DATA, GEOGRAPHY, ISLANDS
The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is one of the largest and deepest seas in our country. Its area is 1603 thousand km2, volume is 1318 thousand km3, average depth is 821 m, maximum depth is 3916 m.In terms of geographic location, prevalence of depths up to 500 m and significant spaces occupied by great depths, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk belongs to the marginal seas of the mixed continental marginal type.There are few islands in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. The largest border island is Sakhalin. The Kuril ridge has about 30 large, many small islands and rocks. The Kuril Islands are located in a belt of seismic activity, which includes more than 30 active and 70 extinct volcanoes. Seismic activity occurs on islands and under water. In the latter case, tsunami waves are formed. In addition to the named "marginal" islands in the sea are the islands of Shantarskie, Spafareva, Zavyalova, Yamskie and a small island of Iona - the only one remote from the coast.
With a large length, the coastline is relatively weakly indented. At the same time, it forms several large bays (Aniva, Terpeniya, Sakhalinsky, Akademii, Tugursky, Ayan, Shelikhova) and lips (Udskaya, Tauiskaya, Gizhiginskaya and Penzhinskaya).atsonopuri volcano, Iturup island, Kuril Islands
From October to May - June the northern part of the sea is covered with ice. The southeastern part practically does not freeze.
The coast in the north is heavily indented, in the northeast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is its largest bay - Shelikhov Bay. Of the smaller bays in the northern part, the most famous are the Eirineiskaya Bay and the Sheltinga, Zabiyaka, Babushkina, and Kekurny bays.
In the east, the coastline of the Kamchatka Peninsula is practically devoid of bays. In the west, the coastline is heavily indented, forming the Sakhalin Bay and the Shantar Sea. In the south, the largest are Aniva and Terpeniya bays, Odessa Gulf on Iturup Island.
Fishing (salmon, herring, pollock, capelin, navaga, etc.), seafood (Kamchatka crab).
Production of hydrocarbons on the Sakhalin shelf.
The rivers Amur, Okhota, Kukhtui flow into the river.
Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk Cape Velikan, Sakhalin Island
Main ports:
on the mainland - Magadan, Ayan, Okhotsk (port point); on Sakhalin Island - Korsakov, on the Kuril Islands - Severo-Kurilsk.
The sea is located on the Okhotsk subplate, which is part of the Eurasian plate. The crust under most of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is of the continental type.The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is named after the Okhota River, which in turn comes from Evensk. okat - "river". Previously it was called Lamsky (from Even lamas - "sea"), as well as the Kamchatka sea. The Japanese traditionally called this sea Hokkai (北海), literally "North Sea". But since this name now refers to the North Sea of \u200b\u200bthe Atlantic Ocean, they changed the name of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk to Okhotsuku-kai (オ ホ ー ツ ク 海), which is an adaptation of the Russian name to the norms of Japanese phonetics.
cape Medyay Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk
Territorial regime
The water area of \u200b\u200bthe Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is inland waters, a territorial sea and an exclusive economic zone of two coastal states - Russia and Japan. According to its international legal status, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is closest to a semi-enclosed sea (Article 122 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea), since it is surrounded by two or more states and mainly consists of a territorial sea and an exclusive economic zone of two states, but it is not, since connected to the rest of the world's oceans not by a single narrow passage, but by a series of passages.
In the central part of the sea, at a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines, there is a section elongated in the meridional direction, traditionally called Peanut Hole in the English language literature, which is not part of the exclusive economic zone and is an open sea outside the jurisdiction of Russia; in particular, any country in the world has the right here to fish and carry out other activities permitted by the UN convention on the law of the sea, excluding activities on the shelf. Since this region is an important element for the reproduction of the population of some species of commercial fish, the governments of some countries explicitly prohibit their vessels from fishing in this area of \u200b\u200bthe sea.On November 13-14, 2013, the Sub-Commission established within the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf agreed with the arguments of the Russian delegation as part of the consideration of the RF application for recognizing the bottom of the above-mentioned section of the open sea as a continuation of the Russian continental shelf. On March 15, 2014, the 33rd session of the Commission in 2014 adopted a positive decision on the Russian application, which was first filed in 2001 and filed in a new version in early 2013, and the central part of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk outside the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation was recognized continental shelf of Russia.
Consequently, in the central part, other states are prohibited from extracting "sedentary" biological resources (for example, crab) and mining. Fishing for other biological resources, for example, fish, is not subject to the restrictions of the continental shelf. Consideration of the application on the merits became possible thanks to the position of Japan, which, by an official note dated May 23, 2013, confirmed its consent to the consideration by the Commission of the essence of the application, regardless of the resolution of the Kuril Islands issue. Okhotsk sea
Temperature regime and salinity
In winter, the water temperature at the sea surface ranges from -1.8 to 2.0 ° C, in summer the temperature rises to 10-18 ° C.
Below the surface layer, at depths of about 50-150 meters, there is an intermediate cold water layer, the temperature of which does not change throughout the year and is about −1.7 ° C.
The waters of the Pacific Ocean entering the sea through the Kuril straits form deep water masses with a temperature of 2.5-2.7 ° C (at the very bottom - 1.5-1.8 ° C). In coastal areas with significant river runoff, the water temperature in winter is about 0 ° C, in summer - 8-15 ° C.
The salinity of surface sea waters is 32.8–33.8 ppm. The salinity of the intermediate layer is 34.5 ‰. Deep waters have a salinity of 34.3 - 34.4 ‰. Coastal waters have a salinity of less than 30 ‰.RESCUE OPERATION
Occurrence in December 2010 - January 2011
Icebreaker "Krasin" (built in 1976), analogue of the icebreaker "Admiral Makarov" (built in 1975)
From December 30, 2010 to January 31, 2011, a rescue operation was carried out in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, which received wide media coverage.
The operation itself was large-scale, according to Deputy Transport Minister Viktor Olersky and the head of Rosrybolovstvo Andrey Krainy, rescue operations on such a scale had not been carried out in Russia for 40 years.
The cost of the operation was in the range of 150-250 million rubles, 6,600 tons of diesel fuel were spent on it.
Fifteen ships were captured by ice, with about 700 people on board.
The operation was carried out by the forces of the icebreaker flotilla: the icebreakers Admiral Makarov and Krasin, the icebreaker Magadan and the tanker Victoria worked as auxiliary vessels. The coordination headquarters of the rescue operation was located in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, work was carried out under the leadership of the Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Viktor Olersky.Most of the vessels got out on their own, icebreakers rescued four vessels: the trawler Cape Elizabeth, the research vessel Professor Kizevetter (first half of January, Admiral Makarov), the refrigerator Coast of Hope and the Sodruzhestvo floating base.
The first assistance was provided to the seiner "Cape Elizabeth", whose captain steered his ship after the introduction of a ban on entry into the area.
As a result, Cape Elizabeth was frozen into the ice in the Sakhalin Bay area. Okhotsk sea
The second freed ship was Professor Kiesewetter, whose captain, as a result of the investigation, was deprived of his diploma for six months.
In the area of \u200b\u200bJanuary 14, the icebreakers gathered together the remaining ships in distress, after which the icebreakers escorted both ships of the convoy on a hitch.
After the break of the "mustache" of the "Commonwealth", it was decided to first lead the refrigerator through the heavy ice.
The wiring was suspended around January 20 due to weather conditions, but on January 24, it was possible to bring the refrigerator "Coast of Hope" to clean water.
On January 25, after bunkering, the Admiral Makarov returned to navigate the floating base.
On January 26, the towing "whiskers" broke again, and I had to lose time for the delivery of new ones by helicopter.
On January 31, the Sodruzhestvo floating base was also withdrawn from the ice captivity, the operation ended at 11:00 Vladivostok time.
ISLAND HOCKKAIDO
Hokkaido (Japanese for "Governorship of the North Sea"), formerly known as Ezo, in the old Russian transcription Iesso, Ieddo, Iedzo is the second largest island in Japan. Until 1859, it was also called Matsumae by the name of the ruling feudal clan, which owned the castle city of Matsumae - in the old Russian transcription - Matsmai, Matsmai.
It is separated from the island of Honshu by the Sangar Strait, but between these islands under the seabed is the Seikan tunnel. The largest city Hokkaido and the administrative center of the prefecture of the same name - Sapporo. The northern coast of the island is washed by the cold Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and faces the Pacific coast of the Russian Far East. Hokkaido's territory is almost equally divided between mountains and plains. Moreover, the mountains are located in the center of the island and stretch in ridges from north to south. The highest peak is Mount Asahi (2290 m). In the western part of the island, along the Ishikari River (265 km long) there is a valley of the same name, in the eastern part, along the Tokachi River (156 km), there is another valley. The southern part of Hokkaido is formed by the Oshima Peninsula, separated by the Sangar Strait from Honshu.
The island is home to the easternmost point of Japan - Cape Nosappu-Saki. The northernmost point of Japan, Cape Soya, is also located on it.cape Red, Three Brothers Islands
BAY SHELEKHOV
Shelikhov Bay is a bay of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk between the coast of Asia and the base of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The bay got its name in honor of G.I.Shelikhov.
Length - 650 km, width at the entrance - 130 km, maximum width - 300 km, depths up to 350 m.
In the northern part of the peninsula, Taigonos is divided into Gizhiginskaya Bay and Penzhinskaya Bay. The rivers Gizhiga, Penzhina, Yama, Malkachan flow into the bay.
Covered in ice from December to May. The tides are irregular, semi-daily. In the Penzhinskaya Bay, they reach the maximum values \u200b\u200bfor the Pacific Ocean.
The bay is rich in fish resources. The objects of fishing are herring, halibut, flounder, and Far Eastern navaga.
In the southern part of the Shelikhov Bay there is a small archipelago of the Yamskie Islands.
In Shelikhov Bay, the tides reach 14 m.Sakhalin Bay, swans flew the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk
SAKHALIN BAY
Sakhalin Gulf is the gulf of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk between the coast of Asia to the north of the Amur estuary and the northern tip of Sakhalin Island.
In the northern part it is wide, narrows to the south and passes into the Amur estuary. Width up to 160 km The Strait of Nevelskoy is connected with the Tatar Strait and the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan.
Ice covered from November to June.
Irregular daily tides, up to 2-3 m.
Industrial fishing (salmon, cod) is carried out in the bay area.
The port of Moskalvo is located on the coast of the bay.aniva Bay, Korsakov port, Sakhalin Island
ANIVA BAY
Aniva - the bay of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, near south coast Sakhalin islands, between the Krillonsky and Tonino-Anivsky peninsulas. From the south it is wide open into the La Perouse Strait.
The origin of the name of the bay is most likely associated with the Ainu words "an" and "willow". The first is usually translated as “existing, existing”, and the second as “mountain range, rock, peak”; thus, "Aniva" can be translated as "having ridges" or "located among the ridges (mountains)".
Width 104 km, length 90 km, maximum depth 93 meters. The narrowed part of the bay is known as the Salmon Bay. The warm Soy current affects the temperature regime and the dynamics of currents inside the bay, which is variable in nature.Sakhalin (Japanese 樺 太 ， Chinese 库 页 / 庫 頁) is an island off the east coast of Asia. It is part of the Sakhalin Region. Largest island Russia. It is washed by the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan. It is separated from mainland Asia by the Tatar Strait (in the narrowest part, the Nevelskoy Strait, it is 7.3 km wide and freezes in winter); from the Japanese island of Hokkaido - by the La Perouse Strait.
The island got its name from the Manchu name of the Amur River - "Sakhalyan-ulla", which means "Black River" - this name, printed on the map, was mistakenly attributed to Sakhalin, and in further editions of maps it was printed as the name of the island.
The Japanese call Sakhalin Karafuto, this name goes back to the Ainu "kamuy-kara-puto-ya-mosir", which means "land of the god of the mouth." In 1805, a Russian ship under the command of I.F.Kruzenshtern explored most of the Sakhalin coast and concluded that Sakhalin was a peninsula. In 1808 japanese expeditionsheaded by Matsuda Denzuro and Mamiya Rinzo proved that Sakhalin is an island. Most European cartographers were skeptical about the Japanese data. For a long time, on different maps, Sakhalin was designated either an island or a peninsula. Only in 1849 did the expedition under the command of GI Nevelskoy put an end to this issue, passing by the military transport ship "Baikal" between Sakhalin and the mainland. This strait was later named after Nevelskoy.
The island stretches meridionally from Cape Crillon in the south to Cape Elizabeth in the north. The length is 948 km, the width is from 26 km (Poyasok Isthmus) to 160 km (at the latitude of the village of Lesogorskoe), the area is 76.4 thousand km².
THE BAY OF PATIENCE
Gulf of Terpeniya - gulf of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk at the south east coast Sakhalin Islands. In the eastern part it is partially bounded by the Patience Peninsula.
The bay was discovered in 1643 by the Dutch navigator M.G. De Vries and named by him the Bay of Patience, because his expedition had to wait out here for a long time a thick fog, which made it impossible to continue sailing.
The length of the bay is 65 km, the width is about 130 km, the depth is up to 50 m. The Poronai River flows into the bay.
In winter, the bay freezes over.
The waters of the bay are rich in biological resources, including chum salmon and pink salmon.
Poronaysk port is located in the Terpeniya Bay. Okhotsk sea
- a chain of islands between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Hokkaido Island, separating the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk from the Pacific Ocean with a slightly convex arc.
The length is about 1200 km. The total area is 10.5 thousand km². The state border passes to the south of them. Russian Federation with Japan.
The islands form two parallel ridges: the Big Kuril and the Small Kuril. Includes 56 islands. They are of great military-strategic and economic importance. The Kuril Islands are part of the Sakhalin Region of Russia. Southern islands the archipelago - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai group - are disputed by Japan, which includes them as part of the Hokkaido prefecture.Belong to the regions of the Far North
The climate on the islands is maritime, rather harsh, with cold and long winters, cool summers, and high air humidity. The mainland monsoon climate is undergoing significant changes here. In the southern part of the Kuril Islands, frosts in winter can reach −25 ° C, the average temperature in February is −8 ° C. In the northern part, winters are milder, with frosts down to -16 ° C and -7 ° C in February.
In winter, the islands are affected by the Aleutian baric minimum, the effect of which weakens by June.
The average temperature in August in the southern part of the Kuril Islands is + 17 ° C, in the north - + 10 ° C.
List of islands with an area of \u200b\u200bmore than 1 km² in the direction from north to south.
Name, Area, km², height, Latitude, Longitude
Great Kuril ridge
Northern group
Atlasova 150 2339 50 ° 52 "155 ° 34"
Shumshu 388 189 50 ° 45 "156 ° 21"
Paramushir 2053 1816 50 ° 23 "155 ° 41"
Antsiferova 7 747 50 ° 12 "154 ° 59"
Makanrushi 49 1169 49 ° 46 "154 ° 26"
Onekotan 425 1324 49 ° 27 "154 ° 46"
Harimkotan 68 1157 49 ° 07 "154 ° 32"
Chirinkotan 6 724 48 ° 59 "153 ° 29"
Ekarma 30 1170 48 ° 57 "153 ° 57"
Shiashkotan 122 934 48 ° 49 "154 ° 06"Middle group
Raikoke 4.6 551 48 ° 17 "153 ° 15"
Matua 52 1446 48 ° 05 "153 ° 13"
Rasshua 67 948 47 ° 45 "153 ° 01"
Ushishir Islands 5 388 - -
Ryponkich 1.3 121 47 ° 32 "152 ° 50"
Yankich 3.7 388 47 ° 31 "152 ° 49"
Ketoy 73 1166 47 ° 20 "152 ° 31"
Simushir 353 1539 46 ° 58 "152 ° 00"
Broughton 7 800 46 ° 43 "150 ° 44"
Black Brothers Islands 37 749 - -
Chirpoy 21 691 46 ° 30 "150 ° 55"
Brother-Chirpoev 16 749 46 ° 28 "150 ° 50"Southern group
Urup 1450 1426 45 ° 54 "149 ° 59"
Iturup 3318.8 1634 45 ° 00 "147 ° 53"
Kunashir 1495.24 1819 44 ° 05 "145 ° 59"Small Kuril ridge
Shikotan 264.13 412 43 ° 48 "146 ° 45"
Polonsky 11.57 16 43 ° 38 "146 ° 19"
Green 58.72 24 43 ° 30 "146 ° 08"
Tanfilieva 12.92 15 43 ° 26 "145 ° 55"
Yuri 10.32 44 43 ° 25 "146 ° 04"
Anuchina 2.35 33 43 ° 22 "146 ° 00"
Geological structure
The Kuril Islands are a typical ensimatic island arc at the edge of the Okhotsk Plate. It sits above a subduction zone in which the Pacific plate is being absorbed. Most of the islands are mountainous. The highest altitude is 2339 m - Atlasov Island, Alaid volcano. The Kuril Islands are located in the Pacific volcanic ring of fire in a zone of high seismic activity: out of 68 volcanoes, 36 are active, there are hot mineral springs. Large tsunamis are frequent. The most famous tsunami on November 5, 1952 in Paramushira and the Shikotan tsunami on October 5, 1994. The last of the major tsunamis occurred on November 15, 2006 in Simushir.
DETAILED GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA OF OKHOTSK, DESCRIPTION OF THE SEA
Basic physical and geographical features.
The straits connecting the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk with the Pacific Ocean and with the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan and their depths are very important, since they determine the possibility of water exchange. The straits of Nevelskoy and La Perouse are relatively narrow and shallow. The width of the Nevelskoy Strait (between capes Lazarev and Pogibi) is only about 7 km. The width of the La Perouse Strait is slightly larger - about 40 km, and the maximum depth is 53 m.At the same time, the total width of the Kuril straits is about 500 km, and the maximum depth of the deepest of them (the Bussol Strait) exceeds 2300 m. Thus, the possibility of water exchange between the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan and the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is incomparably less than between the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. However, even the depth of the deepest of the Kuril straits is much less than the maximum depth of the sea, therefore, r separating the sea basin from the ocean.
The Bussol and Krusenstern straits are the most important for water exchange with the ocean, since they have the largest area and depth. The depth of the Bussol Strait was indicated above, and the depth of the Krusenstern Strait is 1920 m. The Fries, Fourth Kuril, Rikord and Nadezhda straits, the depths of which are more than 500 m, are of lesser importance. The depths of the remaining straits generally do not exceed 200 m, and the areas are insignificant.The shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, dissimilar in external forms and structure, in different regions belong to different geomorphological types. Fig. 38 it can be seen that for the most part these are abrasive, sea-altered coasts, only in the west of Kamchatka and in the east of Sakhalin there are accumulative shores. Basically, the sea is surrounded by high and steep shores. In the north and northwest, rocky ledges descend directly to the sea. A less high, and then low-lying continental coast approaches the sea near the Sakhalin Bay. The southeastern coast of Sakhalin is low, and the northeast is low. very steep. The northeastern coast of Hokkaido is mostly low-lying. The coast of the southern part of western Kamchatka is of the same character, but its northern part is distinguished by a slight rise in the coast.
The bottom relief of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is varied and uneven. In general, it is characterized by the following main features. The northern part of the sea is a continental shelf - an underwater continuation of the Asian continent. The width of the continental shelf in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Ayano-Okhotsk coast is about 100 miles, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Udskaya Bay - 140 miles. Between the meridians of Okhotsk and Magadan, its width increases to 200 miles. On the western edge of the sea basin is the Sakhalin island bank, on the eastern edge - the Kamchatka continental bank. The shelf occupies about 22% of the bottom area. The rest, most (about 70%) of the sea is located within the continental slope (from 200 to 1500 m), on which there are separate seamounts, depressions and trenches.
The deepest southern part of the sea deeper than 2500 m, which is a section of the bed, occupies 8% of the total area. It stretches out in a strip along the Kuril Islands, gradually narrowing from 200 km against about. Iturup up to 80 km against the Kruzenshtern Strait. Great depths and significant bottom slopes distinguish the southwestern part of the sea from the northeastern one, which lies on the continental shelf.
Among the large relief elements of the bottom of the central part of the sea, two seamounts stand out - the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Oceanology. Together with the projection of the continental slope, they determine the division of the sea basin into three basins: the northeastern TINRO depression, the northwestern Deryugin depression, and the southern deep-water Kuril depression. The depressions are connected by grooves: Makarov, P. Schmidt and Lebed. To the northeast of the TINRO depression, the Shelikhov Gulf trench departs.Kamchatka, race on the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, Berengia 2013
The shallowest TINRO depression is located west of Kamchatka. Its bottom is a plain lying at a depth of about 850 m with a maximum depth of 990 m. The Deryugin depression is located to the east of the Sakhalin submarine basement. Its bottom is a flat, elevated plain at the edges, lying on average at a depth of 1700 m, the maximum depth of the depression is 1744 m. The deepest is the Kuril Basin. It is a huge flat plain, lying at a depth of about 3300 m. Its width in the western part is about 120 miles, its length in the northeast direction is about 600 miles.
The elevation of the Institute of Oceanology has a rounded shape, it is stretched in the latitudinal direction for almost 200 miles, and in the meridional direction for about 130 miles. The minimum depth above it is about 900 m. The height of the USSR Academy of Sciences is cut by the tops of underwater valleys. A remarkable feature of the relief of the hills is the presence of flat peaks that occupy a large area.
CLIMATE OF THE SEA OF OKHOTSK
By its location, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is in the zone of the monsoon climate of temperate latitudes, which is significantly influenced by the physical and geographical features of the sea. Thus, a significant part of it in the west juts deep into the mainland and lies relatively close to the cold pole of the Asian land, so the main source of cold for the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is in the west, and not in the north. The relatively high ridges of Kamchatka impede the penetration of warm Pacific air. Only in the southeast and in the south is the sea open to the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, from where a significant amount of heat enters it. However, the influence of cooling factors is stronger than that of warming, therefore the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk as a whole is the coldest of the Far Eastern seas. At the same time, its large meridional length determines significant spatial differences in synoptic conditions and meteorological indicators in each season. In the cold part of the year from October to April, the sea is affected by the Siberian anticyclone and the Aleutian minimum. The influence of the latter extends mainly to the southeastern part of the sea. Such a distribution of large-scale baric systems determines the dominance of strong stable northwestern and northern winds, often reaching storm strength. Little wind and calm are almost completely absent, especially in January and February. In winter, the wind speed is usually 10-11 m / s.The dry and cold winter Asian monsoon significantly cools the air over the northern and northwestern regions of the sea. In the coldest month (January), the average air temperature in the northwest of the sea is -20-25 °, in the central regions of -10-15 °, only in the southeastern part of the sea it is -5-6 °, which is explained by the warming effect Pacific Ocean.
The fall-winter time is characterized by the appearance of cyclones of predominantly continental origin. They entail intensification, winds, and sometimes a decrease in air temperature, but the weather remains clear and dry, since they are supplied with continental air from the cooled mainland of Asia. In March - April, a restructuring of large-scale baric fields occurs. The Siberian anticyclone collapses, and the Honoluli maximum increases. As a result, during the warm season (from May to October), the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is under the influence of the Honoluli maximum and the area of \u200b\u200blow pressure located above Eastern Siberia. In accordance with such a distribution of the centers of action of the atmosphere at this time, weak southeast winds prevail over the sea. Their speed usually does not exceed 6-7 m / s. These winds are most often observed in June and July, although stronger northwesterly and northerly winds are sometimes observed during these months. In general, the Pacific (summer) monsoon is weaker than the Asian (winter) monsoon, since in the warm season, the horizontal pressure gradients are small.
nagaevo Bay
In summer, the air warms up unevenly over the entire sea. The average monthly air temperature in August decreases from the southwest to the northeast from 18 ° in the south, to 12-14 ° in the center and to 10-10.5 ° in the northeast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. In the warm season, oceanic cyclones often pass over the southern part of the sea, which are associated with an increase in wind to stormy, which can last up to 5-8 days. The prevalence of southeastern winds in the spring-summer season leads to significant cloudiness, precipitation, and fog. Monsoon winds and stronger winter cooling of the western part of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk compared to the eastern part are important climatic features of this sea.
Quite a lot of mainly small rivers flow into the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, therefore, with such a significant volume of its waters, the continental runoff is relatively small. It is equal to about 600 km3 / year, while Amur gives about 65%. Other relatively large rivers - Penzhina, Okhota, Uda, Bolshaya (in Kamchatka) - bring much less fresh water to the sea. It comes mainly in the spring and early summer. At this time, the influence of continental runoff is most noticeable, mainly in the coastal zone, near the estuarine areas of large rivers.Geographical position, great length along the meridian, monsoon change of winds and a good connection between the sea and the Pacific Ocean through the Kuril straits are the main natural factors that most significantly affect the formation of the hydrological conditions of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. The values \u200b\u200bof the arrival and consumption of heat in the sea are mainly determined by the radiation warming up and cooling of the sea. The heat brought by the Pacific waters is of subordinate importance. However, for the water balance of the sea, the arrival and discharge of water through the Kuril Strait plays a decisive role. Details and quantitative indicators of water exchange through the Kuril straits have not yet been studied enough, but the main ways of water exchange through the straits are known. The inflow of surface waters of the Pacific Ocean into the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk occurs mainly through the northern straits, in particular through the First Kuril. In the straits of the middle part of the ridge, both the inflow of the Pacific waters and the runoff of the Okhotsk waters are observed. So, in the surface layers of the Third and Fourth Kuril straits, apparently, there is a runoff of waters from the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, in the bottom layers - an inflow, and in the Bussol Strait, on the contrary: an inflow in the surface layers, in the deep ones - a runoff. In the southern part of the ridge, mainly through the Catherine and Frisa straits, water flows mainly from the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. The rate of water exchange through straits can vary significantly. In general, in the upper layers of the southern part of the Kuril ridge, the runoff of the Okhotsk Sea waters prevails, and in the upper layers of the northern part of the ridge, the inflow of Pacific waters occurs. In the deep layers, the inflow of Pacific waters generally prevails.
The influx of Pacific waters largely affects the distribution of temperature, salinity, the formation of the structure and general circulation of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk waters.cape Column, Kunashir Island, Kuril Islands
Hydrological characteristics.
Sea surface temperatures generally decrease from south to north. In winter, almost everywhere, the surface layers are cooled to a freezing point of −1.5-1.8 °. Only in the southeastern part of the sea does it keep about 0 °, and near the northern Kuril straits the water temperature under the influence of the Pacific waters penetrating here reaches 1-2 °.Spring warming up at the beginning of the season is mainly spent on ice melting, only towards the end of it the water temperature begins to rise. In summer, the distribution of water temperature on the sea surface is rather diverse (Fig. 39). In August, the warmest (up to 18-19 °) waters adjacent to about. Hokkaido. In the central regions of the sea, the water temperature is 11-12 °. The coldest surface waters are observed at about. Iona, near Cape Pyagin and near the Kruzenshtern Strait. In these areas, the water temperature is kept within 6-7 °. The formation of local foci of increased and decreased water temperature on the surface is mainly associated with the redistribution of heat by currents.
The vertical distribution of water temperature is not the same from season to season and from place to place. In the cold season, the change in temperature with depth is less complex and varied than in the warm seasons. In winter, in the northern and central regions of the sea, water cooling extends to the horizons of 100-200 m. The water temperature is relatively uniform and decreases from -1.7-1.5 ° on the surface to -0.25 ° at the horizons of 500-600 m, deeper it rises to 1-2 ° in the southern part of the sea, near the Kuril straits the water temperature from 2.5-3.0 ° on the surface drops to 1.0-1.4 ° at the horizons of 300-400 m and then gradually rises to 1, 9-2.4 ° at the bottom.
In summer, surface waters are warmed up to a temperature of 10-12 °. In the subsurface layers, the water temperature is slightly lower than on the surface. A sharp decrease in temperature to values \u200b\u200bof −1.0-1.2 ° is observed between horizons of 50-75 m, deeper to horizons of 150-200 m, the temperature rises to 0.5-1.0 °, and then its rise occurs more smoothly and by horizons 200-250 m it is equal to 1.5-2.0 °. From here the water temperature hardly changes to the bottom. In the southern and southeastern parts of the sea, along the Kuril Islands, the water temperature from 10-14 ° on the surface drops to 3-8 ° at the 25 m horizon, then to 1.6-2.4 ° at the 100 m horizon and up to 1 , 4-2.0 ° at the bottom. The vertical distribution of temperature in summer is characterized by a cold intermediate layer - the remainder of the winter cooling of the sea (see Fig. 39). In the northern and central regions of the sea, the temperature in it is negative and only near the Kuril straits does it have positive values. In different areas of the sea, the depth of the cold intermediate layer is different and varies from year to year.
The distribution of salinity in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk varies relatively little over the seasons and is characterized by its increase in the eastern part, which is under the influence of the Pacific waters, and a decrease in the western part, which is freshened by the continental runoff (Fig. 40). In the western part the salinity on the surface is 28–31 ‰, and in the eastern part it is 31–32 ‰ and more (up to 33 ‰ near the Kuril ridge). In the northwestern part of the sea, due to desalination, the salinity on the surface is 25 ‰ or less, and the thickness of the desalinated layer is about 30-40 m.
Salinity increases with depth in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. On horizons of 300-400 m in the western part of the sea, salinity is 33.5 ‰, and in the eastern part about 33.8 ‰. At a horizon of 100 m, salinity is 34.0 ‰ and further to the bottom it increases slightly - only by 0.5-0.6 ‰. In some bays and straits, the salinity and its stratification may differ significantly from the open sea, depending on local hydrological conditions.Temperature and salinity determine the values \u200b\u200band distribution of the density of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk waters. Accordingly, denser waters are observed in winter in the northern and central ice-covered areas of the sea. The density is somewhat lower in the relatively warm Kuril region. In summer, the water density decreases, its lowest values \u200b\u200bare confined to the zones of influence of coastal runoff, and the highest are observed in the areas of distribution of Pacific waters. Density increases with depth. In winter, it rises relatively slightly from the surface to the bottom. In summer, its distribution depends on temperature values \u200b\u200bin the upper layers, and on salinity in the middle and lower layers. In summer, a noticeable vertical density stratification of waters is created, the density increases especially significantly at the 25–35–50 m horizons, which is associated with the warming up of waters in open regions and desalination near the coast.
cape Nyuklya (sleeping Dragon) near Magadan
The features of the vertical distribution of oceanological characteristics are largely associated with the development of mixing of the waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Wind mixing is carried out during the ice-free season. It proceeds most intensively in spring and autumn, when strong winds blow over the sea, and the water stratification is not yet very pronounced. At this time, wind mixing extends to a horizon of 20-25 m from the surface. Strong cooling and powerful ice formation in the autumn-winter time contributes to the development of convection in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. However, it proceeds unevenly in its different regions, which is explained by the features of the bottom topography, climatic differences, the influx of Pacific waters and other factors. Thermal convection in most of the sea penetrates up to 50-60 m, since the summer warming of surface waters, and in the zones of influence of coastal runoff and significant desalination cause water stratification along the vertical, which is most pronounced at the indicated horizons. The increase in the density of surface waters due to cooling and the convection caused by this is not able to overcome the maximum stability located at the mentioned horizons. In the southeastern part of the sea, where the Pacific waters mainly extend, there is a relatively weak vertical stratification; therefore, thermal convection extends here to the horizons of 150-200 m, where it is limited by the density structure of the waters.
Intense ice formation over most of the sea stimulates enhanced thermohaline winter vertical circulation. At depths of up to 250-300 m, it spreads to the bottom, and its penetration to deeper depths is prevented by the maximum stability existing here. In areas with rugged bottom relief, the spread of density mixing to the lower horizons is facilitated by the sliding of waters along the slopes. In general, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is characterized by good mixing of its waters.The features of the vertical distribution of oceanological characteristics, mainly water temperature, indicate that the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is characterized by a subarctic structure of waters, in which cold and warm intermediate layers are well expressed in summer. A more detailed study of the subarctic structure in this sea showed that there are Okhotsk, Pacific and Kuril varieties of the subarctic water structure in it. With the same nature of the vertical structure, they have quantitative differences in the characteristics of the water masses.
Based on the analysis of T, S-curves in combination with consideration of the vertical distribution of oceanological characteristics in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, the following water masses are distinguished. Surface water mass with spring, summer and autumn modifications. It represents the upper maximum of stability, mainly due to temperature. This water mass is characterized by the values \u200b\u200bof temperature and salinity corresponding to each season, on the basis of which its mentioned modifications are distinguished.
The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk water mass is formed in winter from surface water and in spring, summer and autumn manifests itself in the form of a cold intermediate layer flying between the 40-150 m horizons. This water mass is characterized by a fairly uniform salinity (about 32.9-31.0 ‰) and different from place to place temperature. In most of the sea, its temperature is below 0 ° and reaches -1.7 °, and in the Kuril straits, it is above 1 °.
The intermediate water mass is formed mainly due to the sinking of waters along the slopes of the bottom, within the sea it ranges from 100-150 to 400-700 m and is characterized by a temperature of 1.5 ° and a salinity of 33.7 ‰. This water mass is distributed almost everywhere, except for the northwestern part of the sea, Shelikhov Bay and some areas along the Sakhalin coast, where the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk water mass reaches the bottom. The thickness of the intermediate water layer generally decreases from south to north.
The deep Pacific water mass is the water of the lower part of the warm layer of the Pacific Ocean, which enters the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk at horizons below 800-2000 m, ie, below the depth of waters sinking in the straits, and in the sea it manifests itself as a warm intermediate layer. This water mass is located at the horizons of 600-1350 m, has a temperature of 2.3 ° and a salinity of 34.3 ‰. However, its characteristics change in space. The highest values \u200b\u200bof temperature and salinity are noted in the northeastern and partly in the northwestern regions, which is associated here with the rise of waters, and the smallest values \u200b\u200bof the characteristics are characteristic of the western and southern regions, where the waters sink.
The water mass of the South Basin is of Pacific origin and represents the deep water of the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean from a horizon of 2300 m, corresponding to the maximum depth of the rapids in the Kuril Straits (Bussol Strait). The considered water mass generally fills the named basin from the horizon of 1350 m to the bottom. It is characterized by a temperature of 1.85 ° and a salinity of 34.7 ‰, which vary only slightly with depth.
Among the identified water masses, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and the deep Pacific are the main ones and differ from each other not only in thermohaline, but also in hydrochemical and biological indicators.
Under the influence of winds and the influx of water through the Kuril straits, the characteristic features of the system of non-periodic currents of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are formed (Fig. 41). The main one is the cyclonic system of currents, covering almost the entire sea. It is due to the predominance of cyclonic atmospheric circulation over the sea and the adjacent part of the Pacific Ocean. In addition, stable anticyclonic gyres and vast areas of cyclonic water circulation are traced in the sea.
At the same time, a narrow strip of stronger coastal currents is quite clearly distinguished, which, continuing each other, as if bypass the coastline of the sea counterclockwise; warm Kamchatka current directed northward into Shelikhov Bay; flow of the western and then southwestern direction along the northern and northwestern coasts of the sea; the stable East Sakhalin current flowing to the south; and the rather strong Soy current, entering the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk through the La Perouse Strait.
On the southeastern periphery of the cyclonic circulation in the Central part of the sea, a branch of the Northeast Current, opposite in direction to the Kuril Current (or Oyashio) in the Pacific Ocean, is distinguished. As a result of the existence of these flows in some of the Kuril straits, stable areas of convergence of currents are formed, which leads to a sinking of waters and has a significant impact on the distribution of oceanological characteristics not only in the straits, but also in the sea itself. And finally, one more feature of the circulation of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is bilateral stable currents in most of the Kuril straits.Non-periodic currents on the surface of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are most intense near the western shores of Kamchatka (11-20 cm / s), in the Sakhalin Bay (30-45 cm / s), in the region of the Kuril Straits (15-40 cm / s), above the Southern Basin ( 11-20 cm / s) and during the Soybean (up to 50-90 cm / s). In the central part of the cyclonic area, the intensity of horizontal transport is much less than in its periphery. In the central part of the sea, velocities vary from 2 to 10 cm / s, with velocities less than 5 cm / s prevailing. A similar picture is observed in Shelikhov Bay, rather strong currents near the coast (up to 20-30 cm / s) and low velocities in the central part of the cyclonic gyre.
Periodic (tidal) currents are well expressed in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Various types of them are observed here: semi-daily, daily and mixed, with a predominance of semi-daily or daily components. The velocities of tidal currents are different - from a few centimeters to 4 m / s. Far from the coast, the current velocities are low (5-10 cm / s). In straits, bays and off the coast, the speed of tidal currents increases significantly, for example, in the Kuril Straits, they reach 2-4 m / s.
The tides of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are very complex. The tidal wave enters from the south and southeast from the Pacific Ocean. The semidiurnal wave moves to the north, and at the parallel of 50 ° it splits into two branches: the western one turns to the north-west, forming amphidromic areas north of Cape Terpeniya and in the northern part of the Sakhalin Bay, the eastern one moves towards the Shelikhov Bay, at the entrance to which it appears another amphidromia. The daily wave also moves northward, but at the latitude of the northern tip of Sakhalin it is divided into two parts: one enters the Shelikhov Bay, the other reaches the northwestern coast.In the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, there are two main types of tides: diurnal and mixed. The most common are daily tides. They are observed in the Amur estuary, Sakhalin Bay, on the Kuril Islands, off the western coast of Kamchatka and in the Penzhinsky Bay. Mixed tides are observed on the northern and northwestern coasts of the sea and in the region of the Shantar Islands.
The greatest value of tides was noted in Penzhinskaya Bay near Astronomical Cape (up to 13 m). These are the highest tides for the entire coast of the USSR. In second place is the region of the Shantar Islands, where the tide value exceeds 7 m. The tides in the Sakhalin Gulf and in the Kuril straits are very significant. In the northern part of the sea, the magnitude of tides reaches 5 m. The smallest tides were noted off the eastern coast of Sakhalin, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe La Perouse Strait. In the southern part of the sea, the magnitude of the tides is 0.8-2.5 m. In general, the tidal fluctuations in the level in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk are very significant and have a significant impact on its hydrological regime, especially in the coastal zone.
In addition to tidal fluctuations, the level fluctuations are well developed here. They occur mainly when deep cyclones pass over the sea. Surge rises in the level reach 1.5-2 m. The largest surges were recorded on the coast of Kamchatka and in the Terpeniya Bay.Significant size and great depths of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, frequent and strong winds over it cause the development of large waves here. The sea is especially stormy in autumn, and in iceless regions also in winter. These seasons account for 55-70% of storm waves, including those with wave heights of 4-6 m, and the highest wave heights reach 10-11 m. The most restless are the southern and southeastern regions of the sea, where the average frequency of storm waves is 35 -50%, and in the northwestern part it decreases to 25-30%. With strong waves in the straits between the Kuril Islands and between the Shantar Islands, a crowd is formed.
Severe and long winters with strong northwestern winds contribute to the development of intense ice formation in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. The ice of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is exclusively local. Both fixed ice (fast ice) and floating ice are found here, which are the main form of sea ice. In varying amounts of ice is found in all areas of the sea, but in summer the entire sea is cleared of ice. An exception is the region of the Shantar Islands, where ice can persist in summer.
Ice formation begins in November in the bays and inlets of the northern part of the sea, in the coastal part of about. Sakhalin and Kamchatka. Then ice appears in the open sea. In January and February, ice covers the entire northern and middle part of the sea. In ordinary years, the southern boundary of the relatively stable ice cover runs, bending to the north, from the La Perouse Strait to Cape Lopatka. The extreme southern part of the sea never freezes. However, owing to the winds, significant masses of ice are carried into it from the north, often accumulating near the Kuril Islands.From April to June, the ice cover breaks down and gradually disappears. On average, sea ice disappears in late May - early June. Due to the currents and coastal configuration, the northwestern part of the sea is most of all clogged with ice, which remains there until July. Consequently, the ice cover in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk persists for 6-7 months. More than three-quarters of the sea surface is covered with floating ice. The dense ice of the northern part of the sea presents a serious obstacle to navigation even for icebreakers. The total duration of the ice period in the northern part of the sea reaches 280 days a year.
The southern coast of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands are classified as areas with low ice coverage, where ice stays on average no more than three months a year. The thickness of the ice that grows during the winter reaches 0.8-1.0 m. Strong storms and tidal currents break the ice cover in many areas of the sea, forming hummocks and large openings. In the open part of the sea, continuous stationary ice is never observed, usually here ice drifts in the form of vast fields with numerous openings. Part of the ice from the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is carried into the ocean, where it collapses and melts almost immediately. In severe winters, the floating ice is pressed against the Kuril Islands by north-westerly winds and clogs up some straits. Thus, in winter, there is no place in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk where meeting with ice would be completely excluded.
Hydrochemical conditions.
Due to the constant water exchange with the Pacific Ocean through the deep Kuril straits, the chemical composition of the waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk does not generally differ from that of the ocean. The values \u200b\u200band distribution of dissolved gases and nutrients in the open sea areas are determined by the influx of Pacific waters, and in the coastal part, coastal runoff has a certain effect.The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is rich in oxygen, but its content is not the same in different regions of the sea and varies with depth. A large amount of oxygen is dissolved in the waters of the northern and central parts of the sea, which is explained by the richness of phytoplankton, which produces oxygen. In particular, in the central part of the sea, the development of plant organisms is associated with the rise of deep waters in the zones of convergence of currents. The waters of the southern regions of the sea contain less oxygen, since comparatively phytoplankton-poor Pacific waters enter here. The highest content (7-9 ml / l) of oxygen is noted in the surface layer, deeper it gradually decreases and at a horizon of 100 m is equal to 6-7 ml / l, and at a horizon of 500 m - 3.2-4.7 ml / l, then the amount of this gas decreases very rapidly with depth and reaches a minimum (1.2-1.4 ml / l) at 1000-1300 m horizons, but in deeper layers it increases to 1.3-2.0 ml / l. The oxygen minimum is confined to the deep Pacific water mass.
The surface layer of the sea contains 2-3 µg / L of nitrites and 3-15 µg / L of nitrates. Their concentration increases with depth, and the content of nitrites reaches a maximum at the horizons of 25-50 m, and the amount of nitrates here sharply increases, but the highest values \u200b\u200bof these substances are noted at the horizons of 800-1000 m, from where they slowly decrease to the bottom. The vertical distribution of phosphates is characterized by an increase in their content with depth, especially noticeable from horizons of 50-60 m, and the maximum concentration of these substances is observed in the bottom layers. In general, the amount of nitrites, nitrates and phosphates dissolved in sea waters increases from north to south, which is mainly associated with the rise of deep waters. Local features hydrological and biological conditions (water circulation, tides, degree of development of organisms, etc.) form the regional hydrochemical features of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk.
Household use.
The national economic significance of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is determined by the use of its natural resources and marine transportation... The main wealth of this sea is game animals, first of all fish. Here, mainly its most valuable species are caught - salmon (chum, pink salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon) and their caviar. At present, salmon stocks have decreased, therefore, their production has decreased. Fishing for this fish is limited. In addition, herring, cod, flounder and other types of marine fish are caught in the sea in limited quantities. The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk is the main area for crab fishing. Squid is hunted in the sea. One of the largest herds of fur seals is concentrated on the Shantar Islands, the production of which is strictly regulated.Sea transport lines connect the Okhotsk ports of Magadan, Nagaevo, Ayan, Okhotsk with other Soviet and foreign ports. Various cargoes come here from different areas The Soviet Union and foreign countries.
To a large extent, the studied Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk still needs to solve various natural problems. In terms of their hydrological aspects, studies of water exchange between the sea and the Pacific Ocean, general circulation, including vertical water movements, their fine structure and eddy movements, ice conditions, especially in the forecast direction of the timing of ice formation, the direction of ice drift, etc., occupy an essential place. The solution of these and other problems will contribute to the further development of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk.
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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTOS:
Team nomad
http://tapemark.narod.ru/more/18.html
Melnikov A.V. Geographical names of the Russian Far East: Toponymic dictionary. - Blagoveshchensk: Interra-Plus (Interra +), 2009 .-- 55 p.
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Lithosphere of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk
Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk in the book: A. D. Dobrovolsky, B. S. Zalogin. Seas of the USSR. Publishing house Mosk. un-that, 1982.
Leontiev V.V., Novikova K.A.Toponymic dictionary of the north-east of the USSR. - Magadan: Magadan Book Publishing House, 1989, page 86
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Wikipedia website.
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http://www.photosight.ru/
photo: O. Smoliy, A. Afanasyev, A. Gill, L. Golubtsova, A. Panfilov, T. Selena.
