Articles of category "Bering Sea Climate"

The Bering Sea is a zone that links the North Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, and shares characteristics of each and is influenced by both. Its intermediary location results in neither a truly north temperate nor arctic type of this sea. However, such juxtaposition also makes the Bering Sea extraordinarily productive, with a high marine biodiversity and large populations of birds, mammals and fish.

The climate and ecosystem of the Bering Sea has changed drastically over the previous fifty years. The first serious "regime shift" was noted in the late 1970s, the second- around 2000. They both resulted in a significant temperature increase and a reduction in the seasonal ice cover. At the same time, some species of the Bering Sea and adjacent regions have undergone large and sometimes sudden population fluctuations. Obviously, any interaction in this region, climatic/ oceanographic or biological, can have unexpected, complex ecological outcomes.