Bering Sea

58- 178Koordinaten: 58 ° N, 178 ° W

The Bering Sea (or the Bering Sea ) is an average of 1609 meters deep marginal sea at the northern end of the Pacific Ocean between North America and Northeast Asia ( Siberia). The maximum depth is depending on the source location 4,097 m, 4,773 m, 5,121 m or 5,500 m.

Geography

The relatively shallow sea between the west coast of Alaska (USA) and the east coast of Siberia (Russia). In the north, it is connected by the Bering Strait with the Arctic Ocean. In the south, the boundary between the Pacific and Bering Sea through the island chain of the Aleutian Islands (USA) and the west adjoining Commander Islands ( Russia) is formed. In the west, the Bering Sea also meets on the northern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

While the aforementioned islands form the Südabschluss the marginal sea, lie on the continental shelf, which connects the two continents in the Bering Sea under water together, the Nuniwakinsel, the Islands Pribilof, St. Lawrence Island, St. Matthew Island ( all USA) and the Karagininsel (Russia). The Bering Sea, the northern part ( 8-11 ° C) from July to September remains free of ice by the warm Alaskastrom, is 2.26 million km ² and north of the westernmost island of the Aleutian Islands up to 4096 m deep.

Shallow sea tides as brake

The Bering Sea is the largest area of ​​shallow seas of the earth. Due to the low depth - half of the ocean basin has a water depth less than 100 meters - the tides here have a certain braking effect on the Earth's rotation. The circulation of the water covers extensive areas almost to the seabed so that the Bering use the major part of the total tidal friction of our planet. The Earth's rotation is slowing down by every century by 0.002 seconds.

→ See also: Hardcover rotation of the moon, eclipse - shift

History

Even before about 10,000 years ago when the last ice age ended and the sea level had dropped to about 125 m, was located at the northern end of the Bering Sea ( Bering Strait ) the continuous land bridge Beringia, which connected the aforementioned continents together, and in the south - along the elongated Aleutian Islands and the Commander Islands - the interrupted partly by deep sea areas and east of Kamchatka by up to 5,139 m deep northern tip of the Kurilengrabens Bering bridge. These two compounds reached at that time - according to today's popular theories - the first immigrants to North America.

The Bering Sea, which was discovered in 1648 by Semyon Deschnjow is named after the Danish nature explorer Vitus Bering, who by order of Tsar Peter the Great sailed in 1741, the waters of the first to explore whether there is a connection from Asia to America.

In the mid-19th century, after the United States, Alaska and the Pribilof Islands of Russia had received, there were disputes between the U.S. and the UK about hunting rights in the Bering Sea. Russia was defined by the contracts with the said countries that viewed from now on only its coastline as a territory. Subsequently, the U.S. saw the opportunity to incorporate the Bering Sea in their territory and began to stop British and Canadian fishing vessels and sealers.

Subsequently, the United Kingdom presented a protest which led to a negotiation with international entities. The court convened in Paris in 1892 and laid on August 15, his judgment proof. It was determined that the United States had only a right to their three- mile zone. The seal hunt on the open sea was limited. She was allowed to take place from this point on only between 1 May and 31 July.