The main port of the East Siberian Sea. East-Siberian Sea. Depth, islands, resources and problems of the East Siberian Sea
The largest share of the Arctic Ocean is occupied by the Arctic basin, by the nature of its bottom, half is shelf (the underwater margin of the mainland is called the shelf). The East Siberian Sea belongs precisely to its shelf half, and this determines a lot in it. Silt at its bottom is mixed with sand, crushed small stones, occasionally boulders are witnesses of the geological history of the sea. She continues. The bottom relief is almost even, with a slight slope from the southwest to the northeast, there are no seismic and volcanic centers, significant depressions or rises. Ideally, coast maps East Siberian Sea should be adjusted every year. The main part of the coast (in the west and in the center) is a swampy tundra, seized by permafrost. In recent decades, the permafrost layer has been gradually thinning and coastline changes its shape. The same applies to most of the islands, whose sandy soils are covered and punctuated by layers and fragments of fossil ice.
The most general characteristic of the location of the East Siberian Sea is between the New Siberian Islands and the island. Through the straits of Dmitry Laptev, Eterikan, Sannikov and the strait north of the island The boiler room (Anzhu archipelago) in the west is connected to the Laptev Sea, in the east - through the Long Strait - with. The conditional northern boundary coincides with the edge of the continental shelf. From the east, the boundary of the sea runs along the meridian of 180 ° east longitude to Wrangel Island, then - along the northwestern coast of this island to Cape Blossom and - along a conditional line connecting it with Cape Yakan on the Arctic coast of Chukotka. From the south, the coastal boundary of the sea extends from Cape Svyatoi Nos in the west to Cape Yakan.
Most of the year the sea is covered with ice, navigation is possible from August to October. The direction of ice drift depends on cyclonic processes in the atmosphere, which affects both the speed and direction of currents. In winter, an area of high pressure develops near the pole, in addition, at western edge cyclones from the Atlantic penetrate the sea, although occasionally, not too often, but in its eastern regions from the Pacific Ocean, more often than the Atlantic. Plus, the spur of the Siberian maximum (an extensive anticyclone), which goes to the coast and carries cold air from the continent. In summer, ice drifts to the northwest at a speed of 3-8 km per day. The most ice-free space is formed by the end of summer in the western part of the sea, when the so-called Novosibirsk (named after the islands) fast ice in the eastern part melts. The ice that separates from the Ayon oceanic ice mass stays near the eastern shores of the sea, as a rule, all summer, receding to the north only near the mouths of the rivers with their warmer waters.
The sea acquired its current name only in 1935 at the suggestion of the Russian geographical society. Prior to that, it was called either Indigirsky or Kolyma. Due to the harsh climate, the flora and fauna of the sea itself and the earth's firmament in its region are not very diverse and lag behind even the neighboring seas. And yet, at the end of summer (the warmest period in the tundra), even daisies appear along the banks of the rivers. Among the ice, polar bears prey on the walruses and seals that live here, herds of reindeer roam the tundra, arctic foxes run, guillemots, gulls, and cormorants nest on the rocks. In the mouths of the rivers there are omul, whitefish, white salmon, polar smelt, salmon char and nelma, and other species. At the same time, it should be noted that the waters of the sea and the rivers flowing into it are primordially clean, pollution that is not critical for environment, are noted in the area of the Pevek port, where there are no treatment facilities yet, and the Chaun Bay. 
As for the history of human settlement of the shores of this sea, all the information here is based mainly on the theoretical calculation of the migration routes of the ancestors of the Evens, Evenks, Yakuts and Chukchi. Fantastic figures are called up to 3 million years ago. But another figure seems to be more reliable, supported by archaeological finds in the mainland of Yakutia - about 10 thousand years ago. Although the question is, did these people get to the ocean in prehistoric times? This is indirectly confirmed cave drawings near Pevek, but their age has not yet been determined.
Since the 17th century Kochi of Russian Cossacks went by sea. They were brave, experienced and gambling people, but also pragmatic, and they, of course, already knew something about the fur-bearing animals of these regions, and about placer deposits of gold and tin in Indigirka and Kolyma. There is a mythology that the Pomors walked on the "open water" near these shores as early as the 13th century, but there is no exact evidence of these events. Between the mouths of the Indigirka and the Kolyma, the Cossack Mikhailo Stadukhin was the first to sail in 1644 and founded the Nizhnekolymsky prison. In 1648, his assistant Semyon Dezhnev went from the mouth of the Kolyma and further through the Long Strait and to the Gulf of Anadyr, where he founded the city of Anadyr. The history of the discovery of the islands of the sea begins in 1712, when Mercury Vagin and Yakov Permyakov discovered the Big and Small Lyakhovsky Islands. During the Great Northern Expedition (1733-1743) the first maps of the sea were drawn up. In 1849, the Briton Henry Kellett discovered Wrangel Island (belonging to the East Siberian and Chukchi Seas) and named it after his ship - Herald. But in 1867, the American whaler Thomas Long gave him a different name: in honor of the Russian navigator Ferdinand Wrangel. Wrangel himself knew about the existence of the island from the Chukchi, but could not find it. The last of the archipelagos of the sea were the islands of de Long, as a result of the drift of the American schooner Jeannette with captain J. De Long. In 1878-1879, the Swede N. Nordenskiöld became the first navigator who, in 1875, managed to pass the Northern by sea along the entire coast of Asia (with one wintering). At the beginning of the XX century. the sea was studied by geologist K. A. Vollosovich (1900-1901) and hydrographer G. Ya. Sedov (1909), as well as a hydrographic expedition of the Arctic Ocean on the icebreakers Vaigach and Taimyr (1911-1915). For the first time in one navigation, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) was passed by the expedition of O. Yu. Schmidt in 1932 on the icebreaker "Sibiryakov", transportation started in 1935 Modern period navigation is counted from 1978, from the beginning of the use of nuclear icebreakers of the Arktika series.
The first port of the East Siberian Sea was Ambarchik. In 1932, “enemies of the people”, mostly former “kulaks”, were brought here along the Kolyma from Vladivostok. In 1935, several thousand people already lived here, however, the word “lived” in this case is not entirely accurate, it was not a village, but a camp of Dalstroy, an industrial division of the Gulag. In 1935, the most important hydrometeorological station for monitoring this region of the Arctic was opened here. And a transit prison for the repressed. ... And here is the evidence of 2011. Six people live at the station, the port no longer exists, although ships sometimes anchor in the Ambarchik Bay. There are still some ruins of the Gulag era, entangled in rusty barbed wire, but the modest monument to the victims of repressions has not been abandoned. The port of Pevek was built in 1951, by the same forces, a city developed around it. But the economic cataclysms of the last 20 years have also affected him, work has become less and less, life is becoming more expensive, the city's infrastructure is getting worse. And, of course, people leave. However, Pevek still has prospects. First, it works in conjunction with the port Green Cape in Kolyma, which gives room for maneuver, secondly, it has deep-water berths, and most importantly, a program for the industrial development of Chukotka until 2020 has been adopted, and the development of significant gold deposits of Maiskoye and Kupol has begun.
general information
A sea in northeastern Russia, located entirely above the Arctic Circle, in the Arctic Basin of the Arctic Ocean.
Location: between the New Siberian Islands and Wrangel Island.
Major bays: Chaun Bay, Kolyma Bay, Omulyakh Bay.
Major flowing rivers: Kolyma, Indigirka, Alazeya, Big Chukochya.
Major islands: Novosibirsk, Bear, Aion Island.
The most important port: Pevek, 130 km from the mouth of the Kolyma, near the village of Chersky, is the port of Zeleny Mys.
Numbers
Area: 913,000 km2.
Volume: 49,000 km3.
Average depth: 54 m.
Water temperature in summer: from +4°С to +8°С (near river mouths), to 0°С and -1°С (in the open sea).
Water temperature in winter: from -1.2°C to -1.8°C.
Salinity: from 5-10% ° in the south to 30% ° in the north.
The area of water freshened by rivers is more than 36% of total area seas.
More than 70% of the sea basin has average depths (about 50 m).
Tides - up to 0.3 m, semi-diurnal.
Annual runoff of river waters: about 250 km 3 .
Economy
Part of the Northern sea route.
Fishing in the mouths of rivers.
Fishing walrus, seal in the sea.
Climate and weather
Arctic.
January average temperature: 30°C.
July average temperature:+2°С.
Average annual rainfall: 200 mm.
Attractions
■ Wrangel Island Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site;
■ Pevek: Chaun district local history museum, rock paintings on the banks of the river Pegtylil;
■ Ambarchik: monument to the victims of repressions; in the bay Ambarchik - commemorative sign"Wind Rose" in honor of G.Ya. Sedov.
Curious facts
■ Kochs of Russian coast-dwellers were first described by the British in the 16th century. The bottom, as well as the cut bow and stern, saved these wooden ships from being squeezed by ice. Kochi XVI-XVII centuries. were about 20 m long and about 6 m wide on average, could carry up to 40 tons of cargo. During the day they covered 150-200 km, while the English ships - about 120 km. A small draft - up to 2 m - made it possible to transport the kochi by land or ice by dragging, to walk on them in shallow water. Design features kochey was first used by Fridtjof Nansen when creating his Fram, on which in 1893-1912. made three expeditions. Admiral S. O. Makarov, developing the design of the world's first icebreaker of the Arctic class "Ermak" in 1897, on the advice of Nansen, also applied the shipbuilding ideas of the Pomors. They are also used in modern icebreakers.
■ Passing Cape Stolbovaya on a rocky island near the Ambarchik Bay, all ships give a long horn when they see the three-meter metal sign "Wind Rose", installed in 1977 in memory of the polar explorer Georgy Yakovlevich Sedov (1877-1914). Sedov is one of the prototypes of Ivan Tatarinov in V. Kaverin's novel "Two Captains", along with Robert Scott, Georgy Brusilov and Vladimir Rusanov.
■ Pomors before going to sea always turned to him with a prayer, calling him "father". And they never talked about a comrade who died on a campaign, "drowned" or "died", only like this: "the sea took."
Due to the harsh climate, life has developed in the East Siberian Sea. Only the most persistent representatives of flora and fauna live here, which have adapted to low temperatures. In its waters, there are the same microscopic algae and organisms that are found in the neighboring Laptev Sea. Mostly diatoms are found, from time to time red and brown algae appear - in the coastal region of the western part of the sea. Compared to neighboring seas, there are few bottom dwellers here. After all, not every species can survive in conditions of low temperatures. Therefore, there are only some types of crustaceans, valvular, echinoderm and intestinal mollusks.
Among the mammals of the East Siberian Sea: seals, beluga whales, cetaceans and walruses. Along with all coastal areas northern seas, walruses are harvested on its territory, but only for the needs local population. Indeed, since 1956, walruses have been under state protection. The islands are also home to the polar bear, which is a semi-marine mammal. For the sake of food, smaller predators come to the shores of the East Siberian Sea, we are talking about sea otters and arctic foxes.
There is no information that sharks live in the waters of this sea. Perhaps here you can meet a polar shark - an inhabitant of the Arctic waters. Such a six-meter shark almost never comes to the sea surface. It feeds on the smallest organisms, animal remains and small fish. The polar shark is lazy, like many other arctic giants, so do not expect an attack on active animals. Scientists say that the bathers of this harsh sea may not be afraid of the teeth of man-eating sharks. Therefore, travelers can often be found here.
Already from the name it is clear that this sea is located at north coast Eastern Siberia. The borders of the East Siberian Sea are mainly conditional lines, and only in some parts it is limited by land. From the west, the boundary of the sea runs along Kotelny Island and further along the eastern boundary of the Laptev Sea. The northern boundary coincides with the edge of the continental shelf. From the east, the boundary of the sea runs along the meridian of 1800 east longitude to Wrangel Island, then along the northwestern coast of this island to Cape Blossom and Cape Yakan, located on the mainland. From the southern part, the East Siberian Sea is limited by the coastline of the mainland (from Cape Yakan to Cape Svyatoy Nos).
Water this sea they communicate well with the waters of the Arctic Ocean, therefore the East Siberian Sea belongs to the type of continental marginal seas. Within the boundaries outlined, the area of this sea is 913 thousand km2. The volume of water is approximately equal to 49 thousand km3. The average depth of the sea is 54 m, the maximum depth is 915 m.
There are very few islands in the waters of the East Siberian Sea. The coastline of the sea has large bends. Thus, in some places the sea pushes the boundaries of the land inland, and in some places the land protrudes into the sea. There are also areas with almost flat coastline. Small meanders are formed mainly in the mouths of rivers. The relief of the western and eastern coasts of the East Siberian Sea is very different. The coast, which washes the sea from the New Siberian Islands to the mouth of the Kolyma, has a fairly monotonous landscape. Here the sea borders on areas of swampy tundra. These places are characterized by low and gently sloping shores. The coast, located east of Kalyma, has a more diverse landscape, mostly mountains prevail here. As far as the island of Aion, the sea is bordered by small hills, which sometimes have steep slopes. In the area of the Chaun Bay there are low but steep banks.
The underwater relief of the space occupied by the East Siberian Sea is a plain. This plain has a slight slope from the southwest to the northeast. The bottom of the sea is predominantly flat, without significant depressions and elevations. Most of water expanses of the East Siberian Sea has a depth of up to 20 - 25 m. The deepest gutters are located on the bottom of the sea in the northeastern part of the mouths of the Indigira and Kolyma rivers. There is an assumption that these trenches used to be areas of river valleys. But later these rivers were flooded with the sea. The western part of the sea is characterized by a shallow depth; this area is called the Novosibirsk Shoal. In the northeast, the seas are quite deep places. But even here the depth does not exceed 100 m.
East-Siberian Sea
The East Siberian Sea is located in high latitudes, not far from the permanent ice of the Arctic Ocean. The sea also borders on a wide part of the mainland. In connection with this location, the climate of the East Siberian Sea has distinguishing feature: the sea is under the influence of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Cyclones formed over the Atlantic Sea sometimes enter the western part of the sea. The eastern regions of the sea are accessible to cyclones of Pacific origin. Thus, the climate of the East Siberian Sea can be characterized as polar maritime, which is affected by big influence continent. The peculiarity of the continental climate is significantly manifested in winter and summer. During the transitional seasons, they do not significantly affect, since during these periods the atmospheric processes are unstable.
IN winter time has a great influence on the climate of the East Siberian Sea Siberian maximum. This causes the predominance of southwestern and southern winds, the speed of which reaches 6 - 7 m/s. These winds move from the continent and therefore contribute to the spread of cold air. The average temperature in January is approximately - 28 - 300C. In winter, the weather is mostly clear. Only sometimes cyclones break the settled calm weather for several days. Atlantic cyclones, which prevail in the western part of the sea, contribute to increased wind and temperature rise. Pacific cyclones, which dominate the southeastern part of the sea, bring strong winds, snowstorms and cloudy weather. On the coasts with a mountainous landscape, the Pacific cyclone contributes to the formation of a strong wind - foehn. As a result of this storm wind, the temperature rises, while the humidity of the air becomes less.
In summer, high pressure zones form over the sea, and low pressure zones over land. In this regard, the winds blow mainly from the north. At the beginning of the warm season, the winds are not yet gaining sufficient strength, but by the middle of summer their average speed is 6-7 m/s. By the end of summer, the western part of the sea turns into zones of strong storms. At this time, this section becomes the most dangerous along the entire route of the Northern Sea Route. Very often the wind speed reaches 10 - 15 m/s. In the southeastern part of the sea, such strong winds are not observed. The wind speed here can only increase in connection with the hair dryers. Constant winds of northern and northeastern directions contribute to the preservation of low air temperatures. In the northern part of the sea, the average July temperature is about 0 - +10C, in coastal areas the temperature is slightly higher than +2 - 30C. The decrease in temperature in the northern part of the sea is affected by the influence of Arctic ice. In the southern part of the sea, proximity to a warm mainland contributes to an increase in temperature. For the East Siberian Sea in summer time cloudy weather. Very often there are light rains, and occasionally even sleet.
East-Siberian Sea
In autumn, the influence of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans is weakened, which affects the decrease in air temperature. Thus, the East Siberian Sea is characterized by a cold summer; unstable windy weather in the western and eastern regions of the sea in the summer-autumn period and calm in the central territories.
A small amount of river water enters the East Siberian Sea. During the year, the volume of continental runoff is approximately 250 km3. Kolyma (the largest river flowing into this sea) brings about 132 km3 per year. Another large river Indigirka gives 59 km3. The rest of the rivers flowing into the East Siberian Sea are small, so they discharge a small amount of water. The largest number fresh water enters the southern part of the sea. The maximum flow occurs in the summer. Due to the small amount fresh water does not enter far into the sea, but mainly spreads near the mouths of rivers. Due to the fact that the East Siberian Sea has big sizes, river runoff does not have a significant effect on it.
The waters of the East Siberian Sea are relatively clean. Only in the bay of Pevek, slight water pollution was noted, but in Lately the environment is improving. The waters of the Chaun Bay are slightly polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons.
Already from the name of this natural reservoir it is clear that it is located in the region of the northern coast of Eastern Siberia. The boundaries of the sea are mainly represented by imaginary lines. Only in some parts it is limited to dry land. Previously, until the beginning of the 20th century, the sea had several names, including Indigirskoye and Kolyma. Now it is called East Siberian.
After reading the article, you can learn more detailed information about this body of water: characteristics, climatic conditions. It also describes the resources of the East Siberian Sea and the problems that exist today.
Location
The entire sea is located beyond the Arctic Circle. His most south point located off the coast of the Chaun Bay. All its shores belong to the territory of Russia. The sea is located in the Arctic Ocean. This is a place where the impact is almost not felt. warm waters Atlantic Ocean, and the waters of the Pacific still do not reach it.
The East Siberian Sea is marginal. Are in it New Siberian Islands(border with the Laptev Sea), Aion, Bear and Shalaurova. The sea itself is located between the Novosibirsk Islands and Wrangel Island. It is connected by straits with the Chukchi and Laptev Seas.
Description and characteristics
In the central and western parts of the coast are sloping, and two lowlands adjoin the coast: Nizhne-Kolymskaya and Yano-Indigirskaya. The spurs of the Chukchi Highlands approach the coast of the eastern part (east of the mouth of the Kolyma). In places, rocky cliffs also formed here. On Wrangel Island, on its western coast, they reach up to 400 meters in height. In the section of the New Siberian Islands, the coastline is monotonous and low-lying. The sea bed is formed by a shelf, whose relief is mostly flat, and it is inclined slightly in a northeasterly direction.
Deeper places are typical for eastern region. The sea here has a depth of up to 54 meters, in the central and western parts - up to 20 meters, and in the northern regions - up to 200 meters (isobath - the boundary of the sea). The greatest depth of the East Siberian Sea is about 915 meters, and the average is 54 meters. In other words, this body of water is completely within the continental shelf.
The water surface area is 944,600 sq. km. The waters of the sea communicate with the waters of the Arctic Ocean, in connection with this, the reservoir belongs to the type of marginal continental seas. The volume is approximately 49 thousand cubic meters. km. Almost all year round the air temperature is below zero, so the waters of the sea are always covered with drifting large ice floes several meters thick.
Salinity
The East Siberian Sea has different salinity values in the eastern and western parts. Due to the river runoff in the eastern part, the salt concentration decreases. This figure here is about 10-15 ppm. At the confluence with the sea major rivers salinity almost disappears. Closer to the ice fields, the concentration increases to 30 units. There is also an increase in salinity with depth, where it can reach 32 ppm.
Relief
The coast line has large bends. In this regard, the sea in places pushes the boundaries of the land deep into the mainland, and in places, on the contrary, the land protrudes far into the sea. There are also areas with an almost flat coastline. Small meanders are mainly observed at the mouths of rivers.
Eastern and west coast have very different topography. The coast, washed by the sea from the mouth of the Kolyma to the New Siberian Islands, has an almost monotonous landscape. The reservoir in these places borders on swampy tundra. The coast here is flat and low.
A more varied landscape is noted on the coast formed by east of the river Kalymy, but mountains prevail here. The sea to the island of Aion is bordered by small hills, some of which have rather steep slopes. The region of Chaun Bay is characterized by low steep banks.
A large area of the sea floor is covered with a small sedimentary cover. Islands in the East Siberian Sea are not numerous. Most of them are formed at the expense of the foundation. Based on the results of studies (aeromagnetic surveys), it was determined that the composition of the shelf sediments mainly includes sandy silt, pebbles and crushed boulders. There are suggestions that some of them are fragments of islands. They are scattered throughout the ice. To a greater extent, due to the predominance of flat relief, the depth of the East Siberian Sea is only 20-25 meters.
Hydrology
Almost the whole year the reservoir is covered with ice. In the eastern areas, even in summer, you can see perennial floating ice. They are driven away from the coast by continental winds to the north. Ice drifts in a northwesterly direction due to the circulation of water, which is affected by anticyclones near the North Pole.
The area of the cyclonic circulation increases, and perennial ice floes from the polar latitudes enter the sea after the weakening of the anticyclone. To date, the system of currents in this reservoir has not been fully studied. But it can be stated with confidence that the water circulation of these places is characterized by a cyclonic character.
This reservoir, in comparison with other representatives of the Arctic Ocean basin, is characterized by not very high river flow. The rivers of the East Siberian Sea are not numerous. The largest river flowing into the sea is the Kolyma. Its stock is approximately 132 cubic meters. km per year. The second in terms of the same characteristic is the Indigirka River, which brings in half the volume of water over the same period. All this has little effect on the general hydrological situation.
The average annual precipitation is from 100 to 200 mm. Due to the absence of trenches in the sea with great depths and due to the fact that a significant area is represented by shallow water, surface water occupy huge spaces.
Climate
In winter, the East Siberian Sea is under the influence of south and southwest winds. Their speed is about 7 meters per second. Also in winter, the Siberian maximum has a great influence on the climate of the sea. Pacific cyclones, prevailing in the southeastern parts of the sea, bring snowstorms, strong winds and rather cloudy weather with constantly drizzling rain or sleet.
Flora and fauna
The fauna and flora of the East Siberian Sea is similar to the fauna and flora neighboring sea Laptev, since both of them are typically arctic. The same mammals and birds, the same fish as in many other northern seas. Seals, narwhals, sea hares and walruses live here. Polar bears settled on the islands. These places are also favored by a huge number of nesting birds. You can meet here geese: white-fronted and goose. There is also a comb eider and a rather rare black goose. Large bird colonies gather: kittiwakes, gulls, guillemots.
Only local residents are engaged in the extraction of sea animals and fishing in coastal waters. It should be noted that large shoals of white fish can be found here in the areas of river mouths. Phytoplankton of the sea is represented by blue-green and diatoms. Sometimes pteropods and tunicates appear. The soil abounds with polychaetes, amphipod crustaceans and isopods. Representatives of mammals are beluga whales, seals, walruses and cetaceans (especially minke whales).
The resources of the East Siberian Sea in terms of flora and fauna are relatively poor. This is primarily due to the rather harsh climate conditions. Only the most frost-resistant representatives took root in these places.
Concluding on the problems
The problems of the East Siberian Sea are similar to those of most northern seas. For several years, the biological resources of the region, especially whales, have been destroyed. To date, this has led to a significant reduction in the number of these mammals, as well as the extinction of some species.
The problem of a global nature is the melting of glaciers, which negatively affects the local fauna. Mention should also be made of the results of human activity (development of hydrocarbon deposits), which had a negative impact on the state of the reservoir.
Off the coast of the East Siberian Sea
The East Siberian Sea is located between the New Siberian Islands and about. Wrangel. Its western border is the eastern border of the Laptev Sea, it runs from the point of intersection of the meridian of the northern tip of about. Boiler house with the edge of the continental shoal (79°N, 139°E) to the northern tip of this island (Cape Anisii), then along eastern shores New Siberian Islands to Cape Svyatoy Nos (Dmitry Laptev Strait). The northern boundary runs along the edge of the continental shelf from the point with coordinates 79°N, 139°E. to the point with coordinates 76°N, 180°E, and the eastern border - from the point with these coordinates along the meridian 180° to about. Wrangel, then along its northwestern coast to Cape Blossom and further to Cape Yakan on the mainland. The southern border runs along the mainland coast from Cape Yakan to Cape Svyatoy Nos.
The East Siberian Sea belongs to the type of continental marginal seas. Its area is 913 thousand km 2, its volume is 49 thousand km 3, the average depth is 54 m, the greatest depth is 915 m, i.e. this sea lies entirely on the continental shelf.
The coastline of the East Siberian Sea forms rather large bends, in some places going into the land, in some places protruding into the sea, but there are also areas with a flat coastline. Small meanders are usually confined to the mouths of small rivers.
The landscapes of the western part of the coast of the East Siberian Sea differ sharply from the eastern part. In the section from the New Siberian Islands to the mouth of the Kolyma, the coasts are very low and monotonous. Here the swampy tundra approaches the sea. East of the mouth Kolyma, beyond the metro station Bolshoy Baranov, the coast becomes mountainous. From the mouth of the Kolyma to about. Aion directly to the water approach low hills, abruptly breaking off in some places. The Chaun Bay is framed by low, but steep, even banks. Different in relief and structure, the coast of the sea in different areas refers to different morphological types of coasts.
East-Siberian Sea
Climate
Located in high latitudes, the East Siberian Sea is located in the zone of atmospheric influences of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Cyclones of Atlantic origin (although rarely) penetrate into the western part of the sea, and Pacific cyclones penetrate into the eastern regions. The climate of the East Siberian Sea is polar maritime, but with signs of continentality.
In winter, the main influence on the sea is exerted by the spur of the Siberian High, which goes to the coast, and the crest of the polar anticyclone is weakly expressed. In this regard, south-westerly and southerly winds prevail over the sea at a speed of 6-7 m/s. They bring cold air from the continent, so average monthly temperature air in January is about -28-30 °. In winter, there is calm, clear weather, which on some days is disturbed by cyclonic intrusions. Atlantic cyclones in the west of the sea cause increased winds and some warming, while Pacific cyclones, which have cold continental air in the rear, only increase wind speed, cloudiness and cause snowstorms in the southeastern part of the sea. In mountainous areas of the coast, the passage of Pacific cyclones is associated with the formation local wind- hair dryer. It usually reaches storm strength, causing some increase in temperature and a decrease in air humidity.
In summer, the pressure over the mainland of Asia is lowered, and over the sea it is increased, so the northerly winds prevail. At the beginning of the season they are very weak, but during the summer their speed gradually increases, reaching an average of 6-7 m/s. By the end of summer, the western part of the East Siberian Sea becomes one of the most turbulent sections of the Northern Sea Route. Often the wind blows at a speed of 10-15 m/s. The strengthening of the wind here is associated with hair dryers. southeastern part the seas are much calmer. Steady north and northeast winds cause low temperature air. The average July temperature is 0-1° in the north of the sea and 2-3° in coastal areas. In the summer, the weather over the East Siberian Sea is predominantly cloudy with light drizzle, sometimes it snows.
In autumn, there are almost no heat returns, which is explained by the remoteness of the sea from the oceanic centers of atmospheric action and their weak influence on atmospheric processes. Relatively cold summers throughout the sea, stormy weather at the end of summer and especially in autumn in the marginal areas of the sea, and calm in its central part are the characteristic climatic features of the sea.
The continental runoff into the East Siberian Sea is relatively small - about 250 km 3 /year, which is only 10% of the total river runoff into all the Arctic seas. The largest of the flowing rivers - Kolyma - gives about 130 km 3 of water per year, and the second largest river - Indigirka - 60 km 3 of water / year. All other rivers pour about 350 km 3 of water into the sea during the same time. All river water enters the southern part of the sea, and approximately 90% of the runoff falls, as in other Arctic seas, during the summer months.
With a very large size of the East Siberian Sea, coastal runoff does not significantly affect its general hydrological regime, but only causes some hydrological features coastal areas in the summer. High latitudes, free communication with the Central Arctic Basin, high ice coverage and low river flow determine the main features of the hydrological conditions of the East Siberian Sea.
Water temperature and salinity
Types of vertical distribution of temperature (1), salinity (2) and density (3) of water in the Arctic seas
Due to the shallow water and the absence of deep trenches extending beyond the northern limits of the East Siberian Sea, the vast majority of its spaces from the surface to the bottom are occupied by surface Arctic waters. Only in relatively limited estuarine areas is a kind of water formed as a result of mixing river and sea waters. It is characterized by high temperature and low salinity.
Surface water temperatures generally decrease from south to north in all seasons. In winter, it is close to the freezing point and near the mouths of the rivers is -0.2-0.6 °, and at northern borders sea –1.7-1.8°. In summer, the distribution of surface temperature is determined by the ice conditions. The water temperature in bays and bays reaches 7-8°, in open, ice-free areas 2-3°, and near the ice edge it is close to 0°.
The change in water temperature with depth in winter and spring is hardly noticeable. Only near the mouths of large rivers does it decrease to -0.5° in the subglacial horizons and to -1.5° near the bottom. In summer, in ice-free spaces, the water temperature drops slightly from the surface to the bottom in coastal zone in the west of the sea. In its eastern part, surface temperature is observed in the 3-5 m layer, from where it drops sharply to 5-7 m horizons and then gradually decreases to the bottom. In the zones of influence of coastal runoff, a uniform temperature covers a layer up to 7-10 m, between horizons of 10-20 m it sharply, and then gradually decreases to the bottom. The shallow, slightly warm East Siberian Sea is one of the coldest Arctic seas.
Surface salinity generally increases from southwest to northeast. In winter and spring, it is 4-5‰ near the mouths of the Kolyma and Indigirka, reaches 24-26‰ near the Bear Islands, increases to 28-30‰ in central regions sea and rises to 31-32‰ on its northern outskirts. In summer, as a result of the inflow of river waters and the melting of ice, the surface salinity decreases to 18-22‰ in the coastal zone, 20-22‰ near the Bear Islands, to 24-26‰ in the north, at the edge of the melting ice.
In winter, in most of the sea, salinity slightly increases from the surface to the bottom. Only in the northwestern region, where they penetrate ocean waters from the north, salinity increases from 23‰ in the upper layer 10-15 m thick to 30‰ at the bottom. Near the mouth areas, the upper desalinated layer up to horizons of 10-15 m is underlain by more saline waters. From the end of spring and during summer, a desalinated layer 20–25 m thick forms on ice-free spaces, under which salinity increases with depth. Consequently, in shallow areas (down to depths of 10-20 and even up to 25 m), freshening covers the entire water column. In deeper areas in the north and east of the sea, at horizons of 5-10 m, and in some places 10-15 m, salinity increases sharply, and then gradually and slightly rises to the bottom.
In the autumn-winter season, the density of water is higher than in spring and summer. The density is greater in the north and east than in the west of the sea, where desalinated waters from the Laptev Sea penetrate. However, these differences are small. Generally density increases with depth. Its vertical distribution is similar to the course of salinity.
The different degree of interstratification of waters creates unequal conditions for the development of mixing in different areas East Siberian Sea. In relatively weakly stratified and ice-free spaces, strong winds in summer mix water up to 20-25 m horizons. Consequently, in areas limited by a depth of 25 m, wind mixing extends to the bottom. In places of sharp stratification of waters in density, wind mixing penetrates only to horizons of 10-15 m, where it is limited by significant vertical density gradients.
Autumn-winter convection in the East Siberian Sea at depths of 40-50 m, which occupy more than 70% of its entire area, penetrates to the bottom. By the end of the cold season, the winter vertical circulation extends to horizons of 70-80 m, where it is limited by the great vertical stability of the waters.
Bottom relief
The underwater relief of the shelf that forms the bed of the sea, in in general terms is a plain, very slightly inclined from the southwest to the northeast. The bottom of the sea has no noticeable depressions and hills. Depths up to 20-25 m prevail. To the northeast of the mouths of the Indigirka and Kolyma, on seabed shallow trenches are marked. It is believed that these are traces of ancient river valleys flooded by the sea. The area of shallow depths in the western part of the sea forms the Novosibirsk shoal. The greatest depths are concentrated in the northeastern part of the sea. A noticeable increase in depth occurs in the horizon from 100 to 200 m.
Bottom relief and currents of the East Siberian Sea
currents
Constant currents on the surface of the East Siberian Sea form a weakly expressed cyclonic circulation. Along the mainland coast, there is a steady transfer of water from west to east. At Cape Billing, part of the waters is directed to the north and northwest and carried to the northern margins of the sea, where it is included in the streams going to the west. In different synoptic situations, the movement of waters also changes. Part of the water from the East Siberian Sea is carried out through the Long Strait into the Chukchi Sea. Permanent currents are often disturbed by wind currents, which are often stronger than permanent currents. The influence of tidal currents is relatively small.
Regular semidiurnal tides are observed in the East Siberian Sea. They are caused by a tidal wave that enters the sea from the north and moves towards the coast of the mainland. Its front is stretched from the north-north-west to the east-south-east from the New Siberian Islands to about. Wrangel.
The tides are most pronounced in the north and northwest. As they move south, they weaken, as the ocean tidal wave is largely damped in the vast shallow water. Thus, in the section from Indigirka to Cape Shelagsky, tidal level fluctuations are almost not noticeable. To the west and east of this area, the tide is also small - 5-7 cm. At the mouth of the Indigirka, the configuration of the banks and the bottom topography contribute to an increase in tides to 20-25 cm. Level changes caused by meteorological reasons are much more developed on the coast of the mainland.
The annual course of the level is characterized by its highest position in June-July, when there is an abundant inflow of river waters. The decrease in continental runoff in August leads to a decrease in the level by 50-70 cm. As a result of the predominance of surge winds in autumn, in October, the level rises.
In winter, the level drops and in March - April reaches its lowest position.
IN summer season surge phenomena are very pronounced, in which level fluctuations are often 60-70 cm. At the mouth of the Kolyma and in the Dmitry Laptev Strait, they reach maximum values for the entire sea - 2.5 m.
Rapid and abrupt changes in level positions are one of the characteristic features coastal areas seas.
Significant waves develop in the ice-free areas of the sea. It is strongest during stormy northwestern and southeastern winds, which have the largest accelerations over the surface. pure water. Maximum Heights waves reach 5 m, usually their height is 3-4 m. Strong excitement is observed mainly in late summer - early autumn (September), when the ice edge recedes to the north. West Side the sea is more stormy than the eastern one. Its central regions are relatively calm.
ice coverage
The East Siberian Sea is the most arctic of the seas of the Soviet Arctic. From October-November to June-July it is completely covered with ice. At this time, the flow of ice from the Arctic Basin to the sea prevails, in contrast to other seas of the Arctic, where outward ice drift prevails. A characteristic feature of the ice of the East Siberian Sea is the significant development of fast ice in winter. At the same time, it is most widely distributed in the western, shallow part of the sea and occupies a narrow coastal strip in the east of the sea. In the west of the sea, the width of fast ice reaches 400-500 km. Here it joins the fast ice of the Laptev Sea. In the central regions its width is 250-300 km and to the east of Cape Shelagsky - 30-40 km. The fast ice boundary approximately coincides with the 25 km isobath, which runs 50 km north of the New Siberian Islands, then turns southeast, approaching the coast of the mainland near Cape Shelagsky. By the end of winter, the thickness of fast ice reaches 2 m. From west to east, the thickness of fast ice decreases. Drifting ice is located behind the fast ice. Usually this is one-year and two-year ice 2-3 m thick. In the very north of the sea, multi-year Arctic ice is found. The prevailing southerly winds in winter often carry drifting ice away from the northern edge of the fast ice. As a result of this, significant expanses of clear water and young ice appear, forming in the west the Novosibirsk and in the east the Zavrangel stationary ice polynyas.
At the beginning of summer, after the breakup and destruction of fast ice, the position of the ice edge is determined by the action of winds and currents. However, ice is always found north of the band about. Wrangel - New Siberian Islands. In the western part of the sea, on the site of extensive fast ice, the Novosibirsk ice massif is being formed. It consists mainly of first-year ice and usually breaks up by the end of summer. The vast majority of space in the east of the sea is occupied by a spur of the Ayon oceanic ice massif, which largely forms heavy multi-year ice. Its southern periphery almost adjoins the coast of the mainland throughout the year, determining ice conditions in the sea.
Economic importance
The East Siberian Sea is similar in natural and biological conditions to the Laptev Sea. The relative richness of life is observed in the coastal zone, in the areas where large rivers flow. Animals adapted to life in waters with low salinity are common here. Cold-loving brackish-water forms are found in the central regions. Fishing is purely local.
