Where is the Chukchi Sea located?
The Chukchi Sea is one of the world’s most productive Arctic ocean ecosystems. Its ice-edged waters support a variety of organisms from walruses to polar bears and seabirds. Its nutrient-rich waters also foster the growth of phytoplankton, the base of the food chain.
The sea is bounded by Wrangel Island, northeastern Siberia and Alaska in the west and by the Beaufort Sea in the east. Ribbon seals and Pacific walruses live in the sea, while endangered fin, humpback, and gray whales, as well as beluga whales, migrate through it.
The Chukchi Sea is located in the Arctic Ocean
The Chukchi Sea is located in the Arctic Ocean, north of Alaska and northwest Russia. It is divided by the Bering Strait. It is a cold sea with a shallow sea floor, and most of it is covered with ice year round. The sea is home to a variety of marine mammals, including walruses and beluga whales.
The sea is fed by rivers and has nutrient-rich waters that allow for a profusion of phytoplankton, the base of its food chain. This also allows for bottom-dwelling prey, such as clams, crustaceans, and mollusks, to flourish. This creates a buffet for walruses, seals, whales, and deep-diving sea birds.
As the Arctic changes, the Chukchi is at risk from invasive species. Shipping routes are expected to open through the sea, which will bring in invasive species from around the world.
It is a sea of islands
The Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off northwest Alaska. It is named after the indigenous Chukchi people who live along its coast and on the Chukotka peninsula. Its northern expanses are covered with ice during the summer, and it is one of the world’s most productive marine ecosystems.
The sea’s icy surface and deep waters provide food and shelter for millions of wildlife, including walruses, seals, whales, and seabirds. It also supports a population of polar bears that lives in its pack ice.
The sea’s bays, inlets, and river outlets provide breeding, feeding, and staging areas for 15 avian species on Audubon’s Alaska Watch List. These include Spectacled Eiders and Yellow-billed Loons. Several rivers, such as Kobuk, Noatak, and Amguema, drain into the Chukchi Sea.
It is a sea of seals
The Chukchi Sea is one of the most important and unique ocean ecosystems in the world. Its shallow sea floor and seasonal ice cover provide nutrients and pristine habitat for walruses, seals, whales, and millions of seabirds. Its nutrient-rich waters support the growth of phytoplankton, which in turn provides food for many species of whales and deep-diving seabirds.
The sea is bounded by Wrangel Island in Alaska and Herald Island on the Siberian coast. Its northern limit is the Long Strait, and its southern limit is the Bering Strait. It has few islands compared to other Arctic seas. The International Date Line crosses the sea from northwest to southeast, displaced eastwards to avoid Wrangel Island and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug on mainland Russia. In July 2012, scientists discovered a massive bloom of phytoplankton under the ice in the Chukchi Sea.
It is a sea of whales
In the spring, the 50-mile Chukchi Sea corridor hosts beluga whales on their annual migration. It also serves as a resting, feeding and nursing area for polar bears. Its coastal waters also provide habitat for ribbon seals, spotted seals, and bearded seals.
The Chukchi Sea is a nutrient-rich sea that provides pristine habitat for marine Arctic wildlife. It is home to a significant percentage of the world’s one-tenth polar bear population. Its ice-edge waters are a source of vital nutrient phytoplankton, which serve as a critical dietary base for whales, walruses, and millions of seabirds.
The Chukchi Sea’s nutrient-rich water also supports high biomass levels of fish and other aquatic organisms. It is one of the largest and most productive marine Arctic ecosystems. The native Siberian people of the region, the Chukchi, are skilled fishermen and walrus hunters. They believe that everything, living or dead, has a spirit.
It is a sea of birds
The Chukchi Sea is a relatively shallow Arctic sea that is covered in ice most of the year. It is a rich and diverse ecosystem that supports an Alaskan commercial fishery, subsistence fishing, and shipping. It also has oil reserves and the US government is considering opening it up to drilling.
The sea’s nutrient-rich waters and seasonal ice cover encourage the proliferation of phytoplankton, which form the base of the food chain for all Arctic marine and coastal species. This creates a buffet for wildlife that feeds on the ocean floor, such as walruses, seals, and deep-diving birds.
Herald Shoal, a shallow rise in the outer Chukchi, is an important habitat for Spectacled Eider ducks. It provides staging, feeding, and nesting areas for the birds in spring and early summer, and serves as a migration route.