Report on the Chukchi Sea. Chukchi Sea: salinity and temperature
The Chukchi Sea lies on the shelf, the average depth is 40-50 m, the bottom is covered with loose silt with sand and gravel. There are shallows (depth up to 13 m) and two deep-sea trenches(Herald Canyon with a depth of up to 90 m and Barrow Canyon with a maximum depth of 160 m). Lagoons are often found on the coast.
Border position Chukchi Sea between Asia and America, between the Arctic and Pacific oceans created a special water regime: cold Arctic waters enter here from the north, and warmer waters from the south Pacific Ocean. The difference in temperature and pressure gives rise to strong winds and storms of force 7-8, raising waves up to 7 m high.
The sea area is almost all year round frozen in ice. In summer, the air temperature rises to +12°C, the ice cracks and begins to drift from the north and west.
There are few islands in the Chukchi Sea. The most famous is the Russian Wrangel Island, named after the Russian navigator and statesman XIX century Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel (1796-1870). On the island is the State nature reserve"Wrangel Island" - a place where offspring are born polar bear.
In the Chukchi Sea - along the 180th meridian - there is a date line. In order not to cause confusion in local calendars, the date line was drawn along the sea, circling the shores of Chukotka from the east. This does not in the least prevent the local guides from showing tourists the place where they can cross the actual line of the 180th meridian - not far from the regional center of Egvekinot of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
Story
The name of the sea comes from the Chukchi Peninsula and the Chukchi people inhabiting it. The Chukchi - the indigenous people of the extreme northeast of Asia - lived on the sea coast from the 4th-3rd millennium BC. e., hunting wild deer.
Russian travelers became the discoverers and explorers of the Chukchi Sea: in 1648, Semyon Dezhnev (1605-1673) crossed the Bering Strait from the mouth of the Kolyma River, separating Alaska from Chukotka, by sea to the Anadyr River. The journey was made on Pomeranian Kochs - single-masted ships specially adapted for navigation in ice. The cape is named after Dezhnev - the easternmost point of the Chukotka Peninsula and the easternmost continental point of Russia and all of Eurasia.
The opposite shore of the Chukchi Sea is inhabited by Eskimos - descendants of Siberian tribes who moved there about 16-10 thousand years ago, when there was still an isthmus in place of the Bering Strait. The Alaska Peninsula was discovered by Russian travelers in 1732, when the crew of the boat “St. Gabriel". The entire water area of the Chukchi Sea could theoretically belong to Russia today, but economic difficulties did not allow us to reliably protect this distant border and develop these harsh, sparsely populated shores. In 1866, Emperor Alexander II (1818-1881) approved a plan to sell Alaska to the United States of America - as the United States was then called. In 1867, Alaska was sold: a territory with an area of 1.519 million km 2 went for $7.2 million in gold, approximately $4.74 per km 2.
Until 1928, the Chukchi Sea was not distinguished by geographers in any way and was considered part of the East Siberian Sea. In 1928, the Norwegian oceanographer Harald Svedrup (1888-1957) established that the part of the Arctic Ocean between Wrangel Island and Cape Barrow hydrological characteristics differs significantly from the part of the water area between the New Siberian Islands and Wrangel Island, accordingly it should be separated into a separate sea.
Population
The Chukchi and Eskimos live in small villages and lead a traditional lifestyle, raising reindeer, hunting seals and making souvenirs from walrus tusk. IN Soviet time Breeding of fur-bearing animals was also added here.
Economic development of the Chukchi Sea is hampered by harsh climatic conditions and thick ice cover. Providing local residents with fuel and food depends on transport along the Northern Sea Route: icebreaking ships travel all the way to the Bering Strait. Air traffic along the Russian coast of the Chukchi Sea is carried out by polar aviation on several local airlines.
On the American coast, the population is also small, despite the discovery of significant oil deposits on the coast of Alaska. According to some estimates, the Chukchi Sea shelf contains up to 30 billion barrels of oil.
In addition to hunting seals and seals, the indigenous population is engaged in fishing for navaga, grayling, char and polar cod. Hunting of walrus is also permitted, but in extremely limited quantities and under control environmental organizations Russia and the USA.
Nature
In the XIX-XX centuries. The gray whale population of the Chukchi Sea was on the verge of extermination, so from the middle of the 20th century. a ban was introduced on their production, thanks to which these mammals were able to restore their numbers. Recently, local Chukchi communities in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Russia is again allowed to hunt gray whales: the hunting of indigenous people, who annually catch up to 140 gray whales of the local Chukchi population, is carried out with harpoons from boats. Whale skin (in Chukchi “ithilgyn”) is considered a local delicacy. Whale meat makes up up to half of the annual diet of the indigenous population of Chukotka; in northern conditions it is the most valuable source of pure protein. The Chukchi, Eskimos and Koryaks believe that everything in a whale is valuable: it is a lot, a lot of food and fat for lamps (one whale fed and warmed an entire village for a year), food for dogs (in our days and for blue foxes on fur farms) , bone plates, whalebone for bows, traps and almost eternal fishing nets, tendons for strong threads; ribs and jaws were used for the frame of dwellings; Alaskan Eskimos still wear silver waterproof raincoats and shirts made from whale guts.
Every successful catch is happiness; the end of the whaling season is celebrated as a “whale festival”, with songs and dances. A constant part of the program in Alaska is trampolining made from sewn walrus skins (“nalukatak”).
Another Chukchi holiday associated with the sea is the Baydara stingray holiday, which signifies the beginning of a new hunting season for hunters. On this day hunting equipment is brought into the yaranga and smeared with pieces of reindeer fat. After this, all the shamans of the village gather in the yaranga and prepare for ritual dances. When a canoe is taken out to sea, children always go out to sea with the hunters. Together they feed the spirits of the sea so that the hunters will have good luck.
The Chukchi Sea is located away from large transport routes and large industrial centers, and therefore it was almost not affected by the disturbance of ecological balance (at least, this was the case until recently, that is, before the start of oil and gas production in the American part of the water area).
The inhabitants of the Chukchi Sea region are included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation: the polar bear and bighorn sheep, marine mammals narwhal, humpback whale, fin whale, sei whale, gray and blue whales, minke whale, as well as 24 species of birds.
The largest settlements and ports are Uelen (Russia) and Barrow (USA).
Since the 1990s more than half of the population of Chukotka left the peninsula, having lost their jobs as a result of the crisis caused by perestroika - a change in the social system in Russia.
The general crisis was aggravated by the decline in such areas as gold mining, tin mining, and coal, and key mining and processing plants - Pevek and Iultinsky - stopped working. In Chukotka, the production of meat and eggs has halved, fish catch, even hunting and fur trade have ceased to be profitable. Education and health care are in dire straits, the population of the district is on the brink of survival, and the region has become costly and absolutely dependent on northern supplies. In such a situation, the team of specialists and the investments of Governor Roman Abramovich were very useful to the region.
The population of Eskimo villages on the Alaskan coast also depends on government subsidies. Some villages (such as Point Hope) actually live on welfare oil companies, is a form of compensation to indigenous people for the use of their land and natural resources.
Chukchi Sea
general information
Location: off the coast of Northeast Asia and northwest North America.Neighboring seas: in the west the sea is connected by the Long Strait to the East Siberian Sea, in the east at Cape Barrow it is connected to the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean); in the south through the Bering Strait it connects with Bering Sea Pacific Ocean.
Coastal areas: Russian Federation (Chukchi autonomous region), United States of America (Alaska).
Large settlements: Uelen village (RF) - 720 people. (2010), the city of Barrow (USA) - 4212 people. (2012), city of Kotzebue (USA) - 3152 people. (2007).
Languages: Russian, English, Chukchi, Eskimo languages.
Religions: Orthodoxy, Protestantism, animism.
Largest bays: Kotzebue (USA), Kolyuchinskaya Bay, Shishmareva Bay, Neskenpilgyn Lagoon (Russia).
The largest rivers in the basin: in Russia - Amguzma, Chegitun; in the USA - Kobuk, Noatak, Kivalina, Kokolik.
Largest islands: Wrangel, Herald, Kolyuchin (all - Russian Federation).
Numbers
Area: 589,600 km2.Average volume: 45,400 km 3 .
Maximum depth:
1256 m.
Average depth: 71 m.
Tides: minor.
Freeze-up: from October/November to May/June, ice thickness 150-180 cm.
Salinity: in winter - 31-33%o, in summer - 28-32%o.
Mainland drainage: rivers of the Russian Federation - 54 km 3 / year, USA - 18 km 3 / year.
Population: Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of the Russian Federation -50,526 people. (2010), Alaska, USA - 722,718 people. (2011).
Average population density on the coast: Chukotka - 0.07 people/km 2 , Alaska - 0.42 people/km 2 .
Climate and weather
Polar sea.average temperature air in winter:-25 - -28°С
Average air temperature in summer: up to +6°С
Average water temperature in summer:+4 - +12°С.
Average water temperature in winter:-1.6 - -1.8°C.
Duration polar night: more than 70 days.
Length of polar day: 86 days.
Economy
Minerals: oil and natural gas(RF - exploration of oil and gas fields; Chukotka region - deposits of placer gold, polymetallic ores, mercury, tin, coal; deposits of construction sand, limestone, gravel, marble). Alaska, USA - oil and gas production is underway.
Traditional crafts and trades: carving walrus ivory, making clothing and souvenirs from fur and leather.
Fishing, marine hunting (hunting for seals and seals, permitted hunting of whales).
Agriculture: livestock farming (fur farming, nomadic reindeer husbandry).
Service sector: transport shipping (Northern Sea Route), extreme tourism.
Attractions
■ Natural (Chukotka, Russian Federation): State Nature Reserve “Wrangel Island”; almost the entire territory of the Chukotka Territory was created to preserve biological diversity local flora and fauna, historical and cultural heritage of the indigenous population (Chukchi and Eskimos); state zoological reserve "Swan", state natural reserves“Avtotkuul”, “Tumansky”, “Tundrovy”, “Ust-Tanyurersky”, “Chaunskaya Guba”, “Teyukul”, “Omolonsky”, Lake Elgygytgyn.■ Natural (Alaska, USA): Arctic Bay, Rangel St. Elias, Glacier Bay, Denali, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Clark Lake; Cape Barrow is the northernmost point of the United States.
■ Uelen village (Chukotka): Uelensky burial ground, the abandoned settlement of Dezhnevo, the ancient Eskimo burial ground of Ekven, the Eskimo village of Naukan abandoned by the inhabitants;
■ City of Barrow (Alaska): excavations at the site of an ancient Eskimo village, Inupiat (Eskimo) Heritage Centre, former trading post of the first European settler, Charles Dewitt Brower, who arrived in Barrow in 1884.
Curious facts
■ Lake Elgygytgyn in Chukotka has almost ideal rounded shape. Its diameter is 14 km, greatest depth 175 m, age 3.5-5 million years. It is possible that this is a meteorite crater or the crater of an ancient volcano.■ The city of Barrow (Alaska) is in the zone permafrost. The depth of soil freezing in this place reaches 400 m.
■ The town of Barrow is founded on the site of a thousand-year-old Eskimo village called Ukpeagvik, which means “The place where the snowy owl is hunted” in the Eskimo language.
■ In 2012, American scientists discovered a huge accumulation of phytoplankton in the Chukchi Sea, which they called a “blob.” Previously, it was believed that such accumulations of phytoplankton form only after melting. sea ice, but in this case the “blob” formed at a depth of several meters under the ice crust.
Chukchi Sea - water temperature, sea flora and fauna, water salinity, bottom topography, geographical position and marine minerals.
Chukchi Sea
It separates two peninsulas, Chukotka and Alaska, and is a border sea between the two states: Russian Federation And .
It is also the eastern border of the Arctic Ocean, connecting in the west with the East Siberian Sea by the Long Strait, and bordering on the east. Southern border The sea connects through the strait with, and is then followed by the Pacific Ocean.
The area of the sea is 589,600 square kilometers. The depth of the water area is less than 50 meters located at 56% seabed. At the same time, the most deep point The Chukchi Sea is located at 1256m. The coastline is rather poorly indented. There are only three bays: Shishmareva Bay, Kotzebue Bay and Kolyuchinskaya Bay. In the sea area there are the islands of Kolyuchin, Herald and Wrangel Island. The largest rivers flowing into the Chukchi Sea are Noatak and Amguema. The largest ports located on the seashore are the Russian port of Uelen and the American port of Barrow. Part of the route of the sea route, called the Northern, runs through the Chukchi Sea.
Seabed topography
For the most part, the Chukchi Sea is located on the continental shelf with depths on average of 40 - 60 meters. Sometimes you can find shallows, the depth of which reaches 13 meters. The seabed is pierced by two canyons. The first canyon is Herald, the depth of which in some places reaches up to 90 meters. The second is Barrow Canyon. Its maximum depth is at 160 meters. The bottom coating mainly consists of loose silt mixed with gravel and sand.
Coast
The mainland coast has a large number of lagoons. They are approximately half the length coastline. The length of the lagoons begins in the northwest from Cape Yakan and reaches the southeast of the Russian coast, Kolyuchinskaya Bay. The largest of the lagoons are Nutevyi, Kanygtokynmanky, Rypilgyn, Tenkergykynmanky and Eryokynmanky.
Hydrological regime
In the Chukchi Sea hydrological regime is determined by the merger of warm waters coming from the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait with cold Arctic waters. The regime is also affected by those constantly sailing from the north floating ice and harsh climatic conditions Arctic.
One of the main currents of the Chukchi Sea is the Alaska Current. It carries warm waters from the Pacific Ocean. In the middle of the sea it turns towards the coast of Alaska. Another stream departs from it near Lisborne Island - the western one.
In addition to the Alaskan current, there is another current. It originates from and brings cold Arctic waters. This current passes along the coast of the Chukotka Peninsula.
In summer there is an anticyclonic circulation directed to the west. It is especially strong in the northern part of the sea. On his strength and character have strong influence storm winds. There are slight and almost imperceptible tides in the sea. Their average value is approximately 15 centimeters.
This part is covered with ice almost all year round. But at 2-3 warm months, mostly summer period, the southern part of the sea is cleared of ice by the Alaskan warm current. In the north the sea is covered multi-year ice, the thickness of which exceeds 2 meters.
Water temperature
In the southern part of the sea in summer the water temperature rises to an average of 12 degrees Celsius due to the influence warm current from . But when moving north, the water in the sea reaches negative temperatures and approximately equal to -1.7 degrees Celsius. On average, the temperature in summer varies from 4 to 12 degrees, and in winter reaches -1.8 degrees on the surface. From November to May (until June), the Chukchi Sea freezes and becomes covered with ice.
On average, salinity is 31-33%0. It can increase with depth. From west to east, the salinity of the Chukchi Sea increases from 28 to 33%. At the mouth of rivers flowing into the sea, salinity usually varies from 3 to 5%.
Fauna of the Chukchi Sea
Polar bears live on ice floes. You can also find whales, walruses and seals in the sea waters. Fish include grayling, polar cod, Far Eastern navaga and Arctic char.
Minerals
The shelf zone of the Chukchi Sea contains oil reserves of approximately 30 billion barrels. In addition to oil deposits, the shelf also contains huge reserves of placer gold, which can be mined on an industrial scale.
Quite a lot of tourist ships ply along the Chukchi Sea, sea cruises and sightseeing excursions are organized. If you are in those places, come and visit the polar bears)))) Have a nice excursion!
And then run in and share your videos and photos!
The Chukchi Sea washes the shores of the northern coast of the Eurasian continent.
The Long Strait in the west connects its cold waters with the East Siberian Sea.
The geographical position of the sea off the north-eastern coast of Russia defines it as a continental marginal sea. Its space receives a small amount of sunlight.
History of the Chukchi Sea
Russian sailors are responsible for the discovery of the Chukchi Sea. In 1648, Fedot Popov and Semyon Dezhnev went to sea on kochaz, wooden and single-masted sailing ships. The sailors walked from the mouth of the Kolyma to the Anadyr River, which flows into the Gulf of the Bering Sea.
Russian explorers of the 17th century discovered and secured Russian state northeastern lands, which contributed to further study and development of the region. Another important step The Kamchatka expedition of Vitus Bering began the exploration of Siberia.
Chukchi Sea on the map photo
The expedition was to explore northern latitudes Pacific Ocean and determine the direction to the shores of America. Scientists only learned in 1758 that the strait separating Chukotka and Alaska was discovered a century ago by Semyon Dezhnev. In 1779, the ships of James Cook's expedition plied the waters of the Chukchi Sea. Nils Nordenskiöld, a navigator who explored the Arctic, was a pioneer from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean along the Northern Sea Route, with a forced winter in the ice.
200 years later, an attempt was made to resume passage along the Northern Sea Route across four seas on the Chelyuskin steamship. The ship, stuck in the ice of the Chukchi Sea, was crushed by ice in February 1933 and sank. The people who managed to leave the ship lived in a camp on the ice for two months. 104 people, including 10 women and two children, were evacuated by plane from March to April in difficult atmospheric conditions.
The scientific and survey polar expedition "North Pole-38" was founded in 2010. A team of 15 people worked at the drifting station for a year.
Climatic features
Climatic conditions of the outskirts, shallow sea Russia has a maritime polar character. Due to the small amount of ultraviolet radiation and solar heat The water layers of the Chukchi Sea have a very narrow range of temperature fluctuations. Climate regime carried out as follows:
- IN cold period, with the onset of autumn to warm spring days the sea is affected by areas of low and high atmospheric pressure. With the beginning winter season in the region of the Chukchi Sea there are peaks of the main cores of the Siberian and Polar anticyclones, which create an unstable wind direction over the sea;
- Autumn season begins sharp decline temperature. In October, near Cape Schmidt and on Wrangel Island, the temperature is within -8 degrees C. Northwestern November winds prevail up to February days, removing areas low pressure;
- The convergence of the forts of the Siberian and North American anticyclones creates a region high pressure between continents. This determines the predominance northern region Chukchi Sea winds of the northern and northeastern direction, South part is influenced by northern and northwestern air flow;
- Second half winter period characterized by the presence of winds with south direction. The wind speed is constant and does not exceed 6 m/s. Temperature of the coldest winter month February, prevails within -28 degrees C.
Such temperature regime due to the warming influence of Pacific currents and the cooling influence of the Asian massif protruding above the ocean surface.
Geography of the Chukchi Sea
The Chukchi Sea separates Alaska from Chukotka. It is a border area between Russia and the United States of America. The eastern waters of the marginal sea border the Arctic Ocean. Wrangel Island and the Long Strait separate the sea from the East Siberian Sea. East End The Chukchi Sea is connected by a strait to the Beaufort Sea. In the south, the waters of the Chukchi Sea are separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Bering Strait.
Uelen photo
Islands in the Chukchi Sea are few in number compared to others northern seas. Of the few rivers flowing into the Chukchi Sea, the largest are Amguema, a river on Far East Russia (length 498 km), Noatak - a river in Alaska USA (length 684 km). Near the Chukchi Sea cold climate and tense ice conditions. In winter, ice almost completely covers the sea.
The Chukchi Sea covers an area of about 589.6 square kilometers, which is located on the mainland continental shelf with its northern part open to the ocean. On average, the depth of the sea is close to 45 meters. Most deep place about 1256 meters is located outside the shelf.
The seashore is mountainous, with steep steep slopes. On the territory of Russia, the coast is replete with dagunas, small bodies of water separated from the sea by strips of washed-up sand.
Cities and ports
The largest settlements on the Chukchi Sea coast are the municipal settlement of Uelen with a large port in Russia and small town in Alaska Barrow. The climate of settlements in the Arctic Circle is characterized by a combination severe frosts and winds.
Flora and fauna of the Chukchi Sea
Cold surface water The Chukchi Sea is inhabited by plant photosynthetic planktonic organisms, which require sunlight. The ice floes of the sea are inhabited by a separate population of polar bears. Whales live in the waters of the Chukchi Sea. The coast and islands are occupied by seals and walrus rookeries.
Chukchi Sea. polar bears photos
The waters of the Chukchi Sea are rich in fish. Arctic char, polar cod, navaga, and grayling are inhabitants of northern waters. In summer, the coast and islands are occupied bird markets seagulls, geese and ducks.
Expedition National Center marine biology on the ship Akademik Oparin" discovered in the Chukchi Sea an abundance of numerous inhabitants of bottom tropical flora and fauna. Whole clusters have been recorded starfish, sea anemone, sponges. They fundamentally rejected the opinion of scientists about the meager underwater world harsh sea.
The Chukchi Sea is part of marginal seas Arctic Ocean. Has an area of 590 thousand square meters. km. The volume of water is 45.7 thousand cubic meters. km. Almost 56% of the area is occupied by a depth of less than 50 meters. The average depth is 71 meters. The maximum depth corresponds to 1256 meters. Passes through the water area of the reservoir International line date changes.
From the west, the reservoir is limited by the Wrangel Island and the Long Strait, through which communication with the East Siberian Sea is established. In the east, the border runs from Cape Barrow along the Alaskan coast and borders the Beaufort Sea. The southern border is formed by the Bering Strait between Chukotka and Alaska. It provides communication with the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The main port is Uelen (the easternmost locality Russia), located in Chukotka.
Historical reference
In 1648, Semyon Dezhnev sailed from the mouth of the Kolyma and reached the mouth of the Anadyr, which flows into the Bering Sea. This route was the most optimal, but it was not used for the next 200 years. In 1728, Vitus Bering entered the reservoir, and in 1779, Captain James Cook.
In autumn. In 1878, the expedition of Adolf Nordenskiöld got stuck in the waters of the Chukchi Sea. The polar explorers had to spend the winter among the ice, and only in next year they reached the Pacific Ocean.
In 1933, the Chelyuskin steamship left Murmansk to sail along the Northern Sea Route to the Pacific Ocean. However, the ship got stuck in the ice of the reservoir in question and sank in February 1934. In this case, 1 person died, and the rest of the team was saved.
In October 2010, Russian scientists founded a floating polar station in a reservoir. It was named "North Pole-38". For a year, 15 researchers worked on it, conducting research and development work.
The modern name of the sea was approved in 1935. The basis was the name of the people (Chukchi) living on Chukotka Peninsula.
Geography
There are very few islands in the Chukchi Sea compared to other seas Arctic zone. Several small islands are located along the coasts of Russia and Alaska. In the northwestern part are Wrangel Island and Herald Island. The Chukchi living on the banks of the reservoir are engaged in fishing, whaling and hunting seals and walruses.
There are few rivers, the largest are Amguema (Russia) with a length of 498 km and the Noatak River (USA) with a length of 684 km. Among the capes there are Cape Billings, Otto Schmidt, Nutevgi, Onman, Serdtse-Kamen, Dezhnev. The largest bays are Kolyuchinskaya Bay and Kotzebue Bay. The coast is replete with numerous lagoons, the length of which is half the length of the coastline.
Chukchi Sea on the map
Hydrology
The reservoir interacts with the cold Arctic waters of the Arctic Ocean and more warm waters coming from the Pacific Ocean. observed in autumn strong winds, which form waves up to 6-7 meters high. In winter, the excitement is weak due to ice crust. In summer, storm activity is insignificant. The tides are weak and reach no more than 25 cm.
The Chukchi Sea is covered with ice almost all year round. In summer, the southern part is free of ice for 3 months. The northern part of the reservoir is covered with pack ice, the thickness of which exceeds 2 meters. The salinity of water in winter is 32-33 ppm. In summer it drops to 29-32 ppm. Near river mouths it is 4-5 ppm.
Water temperature
The most heat water observed near the Bering Strait. In summer it reaches 12 degrees Celsius. In winter, above-zero temperatures are also recorded. In the rest of the reservoir, the typical winter temperature is -1.7 degrees Celsius. In summer it rises to 4-6 degrees Celsius.
Animal world
One of the world's largest oceanic phytoplankton blooms has been discovered in the Chukchi Sea. Polar bears hunt on the drifting ice of the reservoir, forming a separate population. Their prey is seals and sometimes walruses. Clubfoot also loves to eat the corpses of whales washed ashore. Fish include grayling, polar cod, navaga, and arctic char. There are many birds in the water area making nests on the shores. Wrangel and Herald Islands are currently arctic reserve. Large walrus rookeries are observed on their banks.
Oil and gas
In this cold region, oil and gas reserves reach 30 billion barrels. Several oil companies fought for the right to develop them. These auctions drew sharp criticism from environmentalists.
Of all the seas surrounding Russia, the Chukchi Sea was one of the last to be explored. The exploration of this very northeastern sea of the country began with the explorer Semyon Dezhnev, who sailed from Kolyma to
The area of the sea is five hundred and ninety thousand square kilometers. More than half the area of the Chukchi Sea lies within the continental shelf, so the depths are no more than fifty meters, and in some places there are shallows up to thirteen meters. This is less than the height of a standard five-story building. According to geologists, ten to twelve thousand years ago there was land in this place, along which people settled the American continent. This fairly extensive landmass that existed in the past received scientific literature called Beringia. The maximum depth of the sea is 1256 meters.
The climate here is extremely harsh. The Chukchi Sea freezes in October, and ice cover starts only in May. For more than six months the sea is unsuitable for navigation. In winter, the water temperature is negative, as due to the high salinity it freezes at a temperature slightly below zero degrees.
The sea coast in the west is the Chukotka Peninsula, and in the east is Alaska. The Chukchi, who are genetically closely related to the indigenous inhabitants of Alaska, have lived on the Chukchi Peninsula for a long time, at least five thousand years. Now the aborigines are the characters of numerous jokes, and yet these people, until the beginning of the twentieth century, were very warlike and repeatedly defeated the Russians who were actively developing Chukotka.
It is interesting that, recognizing the strength of the Russians, the Chukchi called people other than themselves, only them. All other nations did not receive such an honor from them. Bloody clashes between Russians and Chukchi continued from their first acquaintance in 1644 until the end of the eighteenth century, when a fortress was built on one of the tributaries of the Bolshoi Anyui, in which from now on military contacts were replaced by trade ones. However, minor military “misunderstandings” continued throughout the nineteenth century.
The life of the Chukchi is inseparable from the sea, to which they gave their name. Although, in fairness, it must be clarified that the way of life and even the self-name of the Chukchi living in the interior of the peninsula and on the coast are very different. The name “Chukchi” itself is a derivative of the Chukchi word meaning “rich in deer.” Coastal Chukchi, whose economy is based on fishing and hunting sea beast, are called differently - “ankalyn”, which means “dog breeders”.
Fishing in Chukotka, according to those who have visited this remote corner of Russia, is excellent. concerns mainly the rivers and lakes of the peninsula. Visiting fishermen rarely pay attention to the Chukchi Sea. This rich but harsh northern region, alas, cannot boast of the abundance of fish caught. Although... who knows, maybe in connection with global warming northern ice will retreat, and the local wealth, including the sea, will become more accessible.