What seas wash the Pacific Ocean? Which seas belong to the Pacific Ocean
Since the Pacific Ocean is the largest, there should be many seas in it. And indeed, let's start from the north: our Bering Sea, Okhotsk. Next come the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the Philippine Sea, and the South China Sea. In addition to these marginal seas, geographers also identify the inland Sea of Japan between the islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku.
It is not without reason that the basin of the “Asian-Australian Mediterranean Sea” (as the part of the World Ocean between Asia and Australia is sometimes called) is called “the country of thousands of islands” by geographers.
Oceanographers also place many seas in it:
Java Sea, Bali Sea, Flores, Sulawesi, Moluccas, Hal-Mahera, Sulu, Seram, Banda, Arafura.
As well as the inland seas of the Philippines: Mindanao, Sibuyan, Visayan, Samar...
From the east, the Philippine Islands are the borders of the Philippine Sea. This is an area of deep-sea trenches - the deepest cracks in the earth's crust in crowned underwater and surface volcanoes.
It is home to frequent earthquakes and typhoons. Tropical cyclones usually originate in the seas around the Marshall and Caroline Islands. From here they begin their destructive movement across the sea, where the water temperature is above 26-27 degrees, gain strength and become hurricanes.
The continent of Australia is not very rich in bays and bays, but Polynesia, located almost nearby, makes up for this “shortcoming”.
Here, among numerous islands and bays, there are several seas: the Solomon Sea, the New Guinea Sea (formerly the Bismarck Sea), the Coral Sea, the Fiji Sea, the Tasman Sea...
Check out this interesting post: How many oceans are there on Earth?
With the seas of the Southern Ocean, things are more complicated.
But if we consider it off the coast of Antarctica as a continuation of the Pacific Ocean, then there are many seas, and they all bear the names of their discoverers, fearless travelers who overcame ice and blizzards. Their list includes: the eastern part of the D'Urville Sea, the Somov, Ross, Amundsen, and Bellingshausen seas.
But to list the islands Pacific Ocean and I won’t describe their beauty, there are too many of them, although there are surprisingly interesting pieces of sushi.
But our book is about the ocean.
Let’s summarize and list all the seas of the Pacific Ocean.
Many seas wash the shores of one or more countries. Some of these seas are huge, while others are very small... Only inland seas are not part of the ocean.
Largest seas
After the Earth formed from a clump of gas and dust 4.5 billion years ago, the temperature on the planet dropped and the vapor contained in the atmosphere condensed (turned into liquid when cooled), settling on the surface in the form of rain.
From this water the world ocean was formed, which was subsequently divided by continents into four oceans. These oceans include numerous coastal seas, often connected to each other.
Largest seas of the Pacific Ocean
Philippine Sea
Area: 5.7 million km2, located between Taiwan in the north, the Mariana Islands in the east, the Caroline Islands in the southeast and the Philippines in the west.
coral sea
Area: 4 million
km2, bounded to the west by Australia, Papua New Guinea to the north, Vanuatu to the east and New Caledonia
South China Sea
Area: 3.5 million km2, located between the Philippines in the east, Malaysia in the south, Vietnam in the west and China in the north
Tasman Sea
Area: 3.3 million
km2, washes Australia in the west and New Zealand in the east and separates the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Bering Sea
Area: 2.3 million km2, located between Chukotka (Russia) in the west and Alaska (USA) in the east.
Japanese Sea
Area: 970,000 km2, located between the Russian Far East in the northwest, Korea in the west and Japan in the east.
Largest seas of the Atlantic Ocean
Sargasso Sea
Area: 4 million
km2, located between Florida (USA) in the west and the Northern Antilles in the south.
Composition of sea water
Sea water consists of approximately 96% water and 4% salt.
Apart from the Dead Sea, the saltiest sea in the world is the Red Sea: it contains 44 grams of salt per liter of water (versus 35 grams on average for most seas).
This high salt content is explained by the fact that water evaporates faster in this hot region.
Gulf of Guinea
Area: 1.5 million km2, located at the latitude of the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Mediterranean Sea
Area: 2.5 million km2, surrounded by Europe in the north, Western Asia in the east and North Africa in the south.
Antilles Sea
Area: 2.5 million
km2, located between the Antilles in the east, the coast of South America in the south and Central America in the west.
Gulf of Mexico
Area: 1.5 million
km2, it is adjacent to the southern coast of the United States from the north and Mexico from the west.
Baltic Sea
Area: 372,730 km2, borders Russia and Finland in the north, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the east, Poland and Germany in the south and Denmark and Sweden in the west.
North Sea
Area: 570,000 km2, it is bordered by Scandinavia to the east, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France to the south and Great Britain to the west.
Largest seas of the Indian Ocean
Arabian Sea
Area: 3.5 million
km2, washes the Arabian Peninsula in the west, Pakistan in the north and India in the east.
Bay of Bengal
Area: 2.1 million km2, located between the coasts of India in the west, Bangladesh in the north, Myanmar (Burma) in the northeast, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the southeast and Sri Lanka in the southwest.
Great Australian Bight (Australian Bight)
Area: 1.3 million
km2, stretches along the southern coast of Australia.
Arafura Sea
Area: 1 million km2, located between Papua New Guinea in the northwest, Indonesia in the west and Australia in the south.
Mozambique Channel
Area: 1.4 million km2, located near Africa, between the coasts of Mozambique in the west and Madagascar in the east.
The largest seas of the Arctic Ocean
Barencevo sea
Area: 1.4 million
km2, washes the shores of Norway in the west and Russia in the east.
Greenland Sea
Area: 1.2 million km2, limited by Greenland in the west and the island of Spitsbergen (Norway) in the east.
East-Siberian Sea
Area: 900,000 km2, washes the shores of Siberia.
The largest seas of Antarctica
Inland seas
Inland, or closed, seas are completely surrounded by land.
The Black and Caspian seas are the largest of them.
Black Sea
Area: 461,000 km2. It is surrounded by Romania and Bulgaria in the west, Russia and Ukraine in the north, Georgia in the east and Turkey in the south. It communicates with the Mediterranean Sea through Marmara.
Bellingshausen Sea
Area: 1.2 million km2, located near Antarctica.
Caspian Sea
Area: 376,000 km2, located between Azerbaijan in the west, Russia in the northwest, Kazakhstan in the north and east, Turkmenistan in the southeast and Iran in the south.
Ross Sea
Area: 960,000 km2, located north of Antarctica.
Weddell Sea
Area: 1.9 million
km2, located between the South Orkney Islands (UK) and the South Shetland Islands (UK) in the north and Antarctica in the south.
The Dead Sea is so salty that there are no living organisms in it
Education
Largest bay of the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is considered the largest and deepest body of water in the world. Its area is estimated at 179 million square meters. km. This is 30 square kilometers more than the entire earth's landmass.
The maximum width of the basin is about 17.2 thousand km, and the length is 15.5 thousand km. The ocean area extends from the shores of the American continent to Australia itself. The basin includes dozens of large seas and bays.
How the Pacific Ocean was formed
The water area of the current basin began to emerge in the Mesozoic era.
The first stage was the breakup of the continent Pangea into Laurasia and Gondwana. As a result of this, the Panthalassa reservoir began to shrink. The seas and bays of the Pacific Ocean began to form between the Laurasia and Gondwana rift.
During the Jurassic period, several tectonic plates formed under the reservoir. At the end of the Cretaceous era, the Arctic continent began to split apart. At the same time, the Australian plate took a course towards the equator, and the Pacific plate - towards the west. In the Miocene, active tectonic movement of layers ceased.
Today, plate displacement is at a minimum level, but it continues. The movement is carried out along the axis of the mid-rift underwater zones.
Because of this, the seas and bays of the Pacific Ocean are shrinking or expanding. The displacement of the largest plates occurs at a speed of up to 10 cm/year.
This mainly concerns the Australian and Eurasian plates. Smaller plates can achieve displacement rates of up to 12-14 cm/year. The slowest - up to 3 cm per year. Thanks to this continuous movement, the largest bays of the Pacific Ocean were formed. In recent years, the basin's water area has changed by several meters.
Location of the Pacific Ocean
The water area of the reservoir is usually divided into two parts: southern and northern. The border of the regions is the equator.
The largest bays of the Pacific Ocean are located in the northern part, as are the largest seas and straits. However, many experts consider this division into areas to be inaccurate, since it does not take into account the direction of the flow.
Therefore, there is an alternative classification of water areas into southern, central and northern. 
The largest seas, bays, and straits of the Pacific Ocean are located in close proximity to the American continent.
This primarily concerns countries such as the USA, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Nicaragua, etc. In the southern region of the water area there are many small seas between the islands: Tasmanovo, Arafura, Coral, Flores, Java and others.
They are adjacent to such bays and straits of the Pacific Ocean as Carpentaria, Siam, Bakbo, Makassar.
The Sulu Sea occupies a special place in the northern region of the basin. It is located within the Philippine archipelago. It includes about a dozen small bays and bays.
Next to Asia, the most significant seas are the Seas of Japan, Yellow, China, and Okhotsk.
Video on the topic
Gulf of Alaska
The border of the basin is the coastline from the Alexandra Archipelago to the Alaska Peninsula. This is the largest bay in the Pacific Ocean. Its depth in some places exceeds 5.5 thousand meters.
The main ports are Prince Rupert and Seward. The coastal boundary of the water area is uneven and indented. It is represented not only by azure sands, but also by high mountains, forests, waterfalls and even glaciers, like Hubbard. The bay includes many estuaries and bays.
Today, the Alaskan waters are considered the main source of large storms moving toward the entire American coast, including the states of Oregon and Washington.
In addition, the bay is enriched with natural hydrocarbons. Seasonal rains in the water area do not stop even for a week. Some islands in the basin are classified as national reserves.
Panamanian
Located off the coast of Central America. It borders Panama along an isthmus 140 km away.
Its minimum width is about 185 km, and its maximum reaches 250. The deepest point of the basin is a depression of 100 m. This Pacific Ocean bay reaches a total area of 2400 square meters. km. 
The largest bays are Parita and San Miguel. The straits here are semi-diurnal, and their average height is 6.4 meters. In the east of the water area are the famous Pearl Islands.
The Panama Canal originates in the northern part of the bay.
The largest port of the Balboa Basin is based at its entrance. The canal itself connects the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Panama and the Atlantic Ocean. The Tuira River also flows into the water area.
Largest bays: California
This basin is also known as the Sea of Cortez. This gulf of the Pacific Ocean separates the Mexican coast from the California Peninsula. The Sea of Cortez has one of the oldest waters. Its age is 5.3 million years. Thanks to the bay, the Colorado River had direct access to the ocean. 
The pool area is 177 thousand square meters.
km. The deepest point reaches 3400 meters, and the average mark is 820 m. The ford near the bay is uneven. Today, the Californian waters are considered the deepest in the Pacific Ocean. The maximum point is in the estuary near the city of Yuma.
The largest islands in the bay are Tiburon and Angel de la Guarda. Small ports include Isla Partida and Espiritu Santo.
Gulf of Fonseca
It washes the coasts of Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
This is the easternmost bay of the Pacific Ocean.
It was discovered back in the early 16th century by the Spaniards and named after an archbishop named Juan Fonseca. 
The water area is about 3.2 thousand square meters. km. The width of the basin is up to 35 km, and the length is up to 74 km. It is worth noting that this is the shallowest bay in the Pacific Ocean (peak - 27 meters).
Semi-diurnal straits flow into Fonseca, the height of which varies from 2 to 4.5 m. The length of the coastline is 261 km. Most of it is located in Honduras (70%). The remaining percentage is shared by Nicaragua and El Salvador.
The largest islands in the basin are El Tigre, Meanguera, Zacate Grande and Conchaguita. The waters of Fonseca are located in a seismically active zone, so earthquakes and minor tsunamis regularly occur within its boundaries.
At the beginning of the bay there are two active volcanoes, Cosiguina and Conchagua.
It is interesting that Honduras and El Salvador have been fighting for sole dominance in Fonseca for a long time.
A compromise was reached only in 1992.
= Comprehensive landscape profile across Russia
INTRODUCTORY PART
Introductory chapters:
- Seas washing the territory of Russia
- Pacific Seas
- From the history of geographical study of Russian territory
- The initial period of scientific research on the territory of Russia
- The period of major expeditionary research, including industry research
- Soviet period of industrial and comprehensive research
Pacific Seas
The Pacific Ocean and its seas - Bering, Okhotsk and Japan - wash the eastern shores of Russia. The seas are separated from the Pacific Ocean by the ridges of the Aleutian, Kuril and Japanese islands, behind which there are deep-sea trenches. The maximum depth of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench reaches 9717 m. The seas are separated from each other by the Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island. Eastern coast of Kamchatka from the mouth of the river. Kamchatka and up to Cape Lopatka is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean itself.
The seas occupy a boundary position between the largest continent of the planet and the largest of the oceans, in the zone of transition from the continental crust to the oceanic one. They are characterized by less shelf development than the Arctic seas, so significant areas of the seas have great depths. Within each sea, a shelf, a continental slope and a deep-sea basin are clearly visible, located between the underwater parts of the continent and the island arcs, and in the Bering and Okhotsk Seas the basin is shifted towards the island arcs. In the Bering Sea, the deep-sea basin is divided by the underwater Shirshov Ridge into two fairly independent parts: the western - Komandorsky and eastern - Aleutian. They all have a fairly flat or leveled bottom. The seas of the Pacific Ocean are the largest and deepest off the coast of Russia. The Bering Sea has the largest size and depth (see Table 1). The shallowest of these seas is the Okhotsk Sea, its average depth is 1.5 times greater than that of the deepest of the seas of the Arctic Ocean - the Laptev Sea.
Table 1. Seas washing the territory of Russia
The total area of the three seas is slightly less than 6 million km2, the volume of water is 6744 thousand km2, the average depth is 1354 m, which is more than 7 times the average depth of the seas of the Arctic Ocean.
The seas of the Pacific Ocean stretch for almost 5000 km from northeast to southwest along the edge of the continent. They are located in more southern latitudes than the seas of the Arctic Ocean and have warmer waters. All seas are semi-closed and have water exchange with the Pacific Ocean through numerous straits, but these straits are far from the same.
Thus, the Bering and Okhotsk seas freely communicate with the ocean through deep straits. The total width of all straits in the Sea of Okhotsk exceeds 500 km. The widest and deepest straits here are the Bussol and Krusenstern straits. The depth of these straits is more than 1000-2000 m. The waters of the Chukchi Sea have virtually no impact on the waters of the Bering Sea.
The Sea of Japan is connected to the ocean only through several shallow straits (up to 150 m deep), so its water exchange is more limited and affects primarily the surface water layers, which is associated with a lower temperature of the waters of the lower layer (0.4-0.6 ° C) , despite the more southern position of the sea.
A distinctive feature of the water exchange of all the seas of the Far East is the relatively small influx of river water into them. Only 19% of Russia's territory belongs to the Pacific Ocean. The total river flow into these seas is 1212 km 2 /year. Compared to the total volume of water in these seas, this is very small.
From the Pacific Ocean, water enters the seas from the south, runoff from the mainland, mainly from the north. This causes circular currents directed counterclockwise: in the southeastern parts of the seas (near the island winds) the currents are directed from the south, i.e. warm, and in the northwestern parts, i.e. near continental coasts, currents are directed from the north and carry cold water.
The climate of the Pacific seas is largely determined by the interaction of land and ocean. Monsoon circulation smoothes out differences in the climate of the seas in winter. The average January temperature varies from -16°...-20° near the coast to -4°C near the islands. Only in the Sea of Japan in the southwest does the temperature rise to +5°C, but this is far from Russian territory. The harshest winter is in the Sea of Okhotsk, 500 km from the shores of which Oymyakon, the pole of cold of the Northern Hemisphere, is located.
From the high pressure spur stretching from the Asian High to Oymyakon, cold air masses enter the expanses of the sea.
In summer, the differences in the temperature regime of the seas are quite significant. The difference of more than 30 degrees in latitude certainly affects the total radiation and summer air temperatures over the waters of different seas. In the Bering Sea, the average July temperatures are 7-10°C, in the Okhotsk Sea 11-14°C (in some years up to 18°C), in the Japanese Sea 15-20°C (up to 25°C in the warmest years in the south). Typhoons and powerful cyclones sometimes penetrate the seas from southern latitudes, bringing hurricanes.
Thus, the seas of the Pacific Ocean are characterized by significant differences in the nature of the warm period and smoothing out of differences in winter.
In winter, the northern half of the Bering Sea and almost the entire Sea of Okhotsk are covered with ice. A narrow strip of ice forms near the Russian coast even in the Sea of Japan. First-year ice of local origin is common in all seas. The Sea of Okhotsk is the most severe in terms of ice, in the northwestern part of which the ice regime lasts 280 days a year. This is due to the general severity of winter in this sea. Strongly cooled during the winter, the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk warm up very slowly in the summer. Even in the northern Bering Sea, ice conditions are not as severe.
All seas of the Far East are characterized by low winter water temperatures: from 0... + 2°C to -1.3...-1.8°C. In summer, the surface water temperature in the Bering Sea is 5-10°C, in the Okhotsk Sea - +8-12°C, in the Japanese Sea off the coast of Russia, the water temperature is 17°C. The salinity of sea waters varies from 30-32‰ in the Sea of Okhotsk to 33‰ in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Japan off our coasts.
The seas of the Pacific Ocean are characterized by tidal currents. In the Penzhinskaya Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk, the highest tides are observed off the coast of Russia - 13 m. In the area of the Shantar Islands, Tugursky and Sakhalin Bays, the tidal wave reaches 7 m, near the Kuril Islands - up to 5 m. In other areas, the tides are lower.
The organic world of the Pacific seas finds favorable conditions for its existence. In shallow waters, under conditions of sufficient warming, abundant and diverse phyto- and zooplankton develop, and lush thickets form seaweed. Brown algae reach several tens of meters in length, forming real underwater forests. The ichthyofauna here is much more diverse than in the northern seas. Arctic, boreal, and in the Sea of Japan, subtropical fish species live here. In total, about 800 species of fish live in the seas of the Far East, of which 200 species are commercial. The species diversity of fish in the Sea of Japan is especially high (more than 600 species).
Salmon (coho salmon, chinook salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon), iwashi herring, and in the Sea of Japan - Pacific herring are of great commercial importance. The most widely represented bottom fish are cod, pollock, flounder and halibut. Sea bass, mackerel, tuna, and sea eels are also caught here. There are crab banks in the Sea of Okhotsk near the western coast of Kamchatka. The Commander and Kuril Islands are home to such valuable game animals as the fur seal and sea otter, or the sea otter (it is also found in the south of Kamchatka). When Russian explorers reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Steller's cow (sea cow) was found in large numbers near the Commander Islands, which has now been completely exterminated.
The largest of all oceans is the Pacific. It washes five continents and covers an area of 179 million km2. It includes many rivers, bays and seas. Almost 10 thousand islands and archipelagos are washed by its waters. What rivers belong to the Pacific Ocean basin? Which seas does it belong to?
Great Ocean
One of the first to set off on an open voyage across the unknown ocean was Ferdinand Magellan. He was very lucky with the weather, so he called him Quiet. Fortune smiled on the sailor, because the ocean is not calm everywhere. For example, volcanoes and mountains located on its border can cause tsunamis, and typhoons and hurricanes often occur in tropical latitudes.
It is also called the Great Ocean, because it is the largest in size. It accounts for approximately 33% of the planet's surface and almost 50% of the world's oceans. It washes all the continents of the Earth except Africa. Its average depth is 3984 meters, which is higher than other oceans.
The deepest place is the Mariana Trench, which goes down 11 thousand meters. On the ocean floor there are no less impressive trenches, such as the Philippine (10,540 m) or Kuril-Kamchatka (9,783 m).
The ocean amazes with the number of islands, including many tourist ones. Important transport routes pass through it. Its bottom serves as a source of minerals, and its waters have become home to a huge number of species of commercial fish, mammals, mollusks, rare animals and plants. However, not all of its inhabitants are known to science.
Seas of the Pacific Ocean
All seas, straits and bays of the Pacific Ocean occupy 18% of its area. In the western part of the ocean, the shores of the continents are strongly dissected and surrounded by numerous islands. Due to this, the largest number of seas are located there. There are about 30 of them in total.
In the east, the coast is smoother, and there are no seas there. But there are three bays: Panama, California and Alaska. Next to the latter is the northernmost sea of the Pacific Ocean - the Bering Sea. It washes the shores of Eurasia and North America, and is bordered in the south by the “dotted line” of the Commander and Aleutian Islands.
Together with the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, the Bering Sea washes the Russian Far East. To the south of them, the number of reservoirs begins to increase. The most famous are: East China, Yellow, Coral, Philippine, Fiji, Bandu, Tasman and Solomon seas. They wash Australia and the southeastern part of Eurasia.
If we do not take into account the concept of the Southern Ocean, then the Pacific Ocean reaches Antarctica. There it forms the Amundsen, Ross, Bellingshausen Seas and other bodies of water named after the discoverers.
Rivers of the Pacific Ocean
The Great Ocean includes approximately 40 rivers. For most of them (Mekong, Yukon, Amur), the mouth “opens” into the seas and bays. Some (Mamberamo, Yoshino, Balsas) flow into open waters, that is, into the ocean.
Due to the relief features of the continents, many of them are mountainous in nature. As a rule, they are fast and full of water. This allows them to cut their way through rocks, forming beautiful gorges and valleys, like the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.
Interestingly, very large rivers in the Pacific Ocean basin are found only in Eurasia and North America. They are not found in Australia due to the hot and dry climate. In South America, the water's path is blocked by a dense wall of mountains. In Antarctica, the largest river flows not into the ocean, but into a lake in one of its valleys.
Let's take a closer look at the largest and longest rivers of the Pacific Ocean in the table.
Name | Place of confluence | Length, km |
|
East China Sea | |||
Yellow Sea | |||
China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos | South China Sea | ||
Canada, USA | Bering Sea | ||
Russia, China | Amur Estuary | ||
Colorado | USA, Mexico | Gulf of California | |
Pearl (Zhujiang) | South China Sea | ||
Strait of Georgia | |||
Yellow Sea | |||
Chao Phraya | South China Sea |
Yangtze
The Yangtze is the deepest river in Eurasia and the longest river in the Pacific Ocean. It begins its journey in the Tibetan Plateau and ends in the East China Sea. The river basin covers ⅕ of the area of all China. It divides the country into northern and southern regions, which differ markedly in their culture.
In Yunnan province, the river passes through the deep gorges of the Three Parallel Rivers National Park. The height of the rocks here reaches about 3000 kilometers. River waters are used for irrigation, navigation and energy. The Yangtze is home to the world's largest hydroelectric power station. In the area of the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge, it forms many rapids, attracting the attention of rafting enthusiasts.
Yukon
The Yukon River begins in Marsh Lake, in northwestern Canada, and then flows into Alaska, emptying into the Bering Sea. For most of the year it is covered with ice, which disappears for a maximum of four months.
The river remained unnoticed by the white population of America for a long time. The first attempts to study it began only in 1830. But in the 20th century it became one of the most famous, thanks to the “gold rush”. Gold was discovered on the right tributary of the river, the Klondike. Very quickly, everyone who wanted to make money began to come here, and the name of the tributary became a common noun and began to mean a place full of treasures.
Amur
In the Far East, the Amur River is the longest. It originates from the merger of Shilka and Arguni. It stretches across four regions of Russia, from Transbaikalia to the Khabarovsk Territory, and along almost its entire length is a natural border with China.
The mouth of the Amur is controversial. The river flows into the Amur Estuary, and it is periodically referred to either the Okhotsk Sea or the Sea of Japan. As a rule, the first one wins more often. The entire length of the river is navigable and serves as a crossing not only for passenger ships, but also for cargo ships. In addition, it is known for the huge variety of fish (108-140 species), of which there are twice as many here as in the largest rivers of Russia - Lena, Ob and Yenisei.
Anadyr
Both the source and the mouth of the Anadyr River are located on Russian territory. It begins on the Anadyr Plateau and flows into the Bering Strait gulf - Onemen. The Anadyr is far from the largest river in the ocean, but it is the largest in Chukotka. Its length is 1150 kilometers.
The river is home to about 30 species of fish (whitefish, chum salmon, salmon), and reserves of gold and coal have been discovered in its lower reaches. Its numerous tributaries and branches are connected to each other through lakes, forming a dense network. Most of them are fickle and dry out in the middle of a short summer, forming oxbow lakes.
And Japanese. These three seas make up the group of Far Eastern seas of Russia. The Far Eastern seas are the deepest and largest seas in our country. The territory occupied by them is almost twice the area on which they are located, and. The volume of water in the Far Eastern seas exceeds seven times the volume of the above seas.
The seas of the Pacific Ocean extend from northeast to southwest for 5000 km. Beringovo, Okhotsk and, on the one hand, are limited by the land of the largest continent (). And on the other, eastern side, their borders run along the Aleutian, and located in the waters of the Pacific Ocean - the largest ocean on Earth.
The basins of the Far Eastern seas occupy the territory located between the underwater parts of the continent and the island arcs that limit the eastern border of the seas. Thus, the basin is a continental slope with a steep side on the opposite side. The basins of these seas are characterized by enormous depths; the bottom surface is flat in some areas and wavy in others. At the bottom there are large uplifts, similar to mountain ranges and isolated hills. The Seas of Japan and Okhotsk are characterized by small shelf development. In these seas, vast spaces have significant depths.
Sea of Okhotsk in winter
These seas are characterized by a monsoon climate, which is noticeable in changes depending on the time of year and affects the characteristics. Due to the fact that the seas occupy vast territories, located from north to south, the climate of individual areas of the seas also depends on. Especially the monsoon ones are most clearly visible. In the north and south of the Sea of Okhotsk, these features are less noticeable. The climate of the northern part of the Bering Sea is close to, and the southern part of the Sea of Japan tends to be maritime.
There are climatic differences between the eastern and western regions of the Far Eastern seas. The western part has a somewhat cold climate, which is due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean. The eastern regions are characterized by a relatively warm climate, which is influenced by the mainland.
In these seas there is little continental water. It has virtually no effect, since the size of these seas is very large. Only in the coastal zone, where there are large mouths, is fresh water noticeable in the upper layer of the sea in spring and summer. For the Far Eastern seas, water exchange with the Pacific Ocean and neighboring basins is significant. Beringovo and are connected to the ocean by large straits (more than 1000 - 2000 m). The Sea of Japan communicates with the Pacific Ocean only through several small straits (up to 150 m). Thus, the exchange of waters near the Bering and Okhotsk seas occurs to great depths. And the waters of the Sea of Japan exchange only the upper layers of water with the ocean. The nature of water exchange affects the appearance of the sea and the specifics of its waters.
In all three Far Eastern seas, periods are clearly observed, which are caused by the influence of the tidal Pacific Ocean. Fluctuations in water levels during high tide are determined by the characteristics of the coastline and coastal waters. In the Penzhina Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk, the highest tides occur in. The tide in the Sea of Japan and Bering Sea is less than in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Japanese Sea
The waters of the Far Eastern seas are covered with ice every year. The characteristics of the ice cover depend on latitude and various local factors. The western regions of the Sea of Okhotsk have the most durable ice cover. The lows in this area are due to the influence of the mainland. Even in the northern Bering Sea, which is at higher latitudes, the water temperature is not as low as in the Sea of Okhotsk. In all Far Eastern seas, ice is annual and of local origin (ice forms and melts in sea waters).
The waters of the Bering and Okhotsk seas communicate perfectly with the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Thus, the chemical composition of sea waters is in many ways similar to ocean waters. This is most clearly manifested in the distribution of oxygen across the levels of the water column. The waters of the Sea of Japan, which are quite isolated from the ocean, have a water composition different from the oceanic one. At great depths of this sea, waters containing large amounts of oxygen are observed. A similar phenomenon is not observed in the Pacific waters bordering.
Human economic activity in the Far Eastern seas is determined by their geographical location and natural features. In the Far Eastern seas, marine life is well developed. A large amount of fish (sardines, mackerel, saury and other species) and other marine products (mussels, scallops, squid and seaweed) are caught in the waters. Also, maritime traffic is widely used in these seas, which helps improve trade relations.
The environmental condition of the Far Eastern seas is negatively affected by the activities of enterprises and factories in the pulp and paper and electric power industries, processes of naphtha and gas extraction, housing and communal services, the development of shipbuilding and ship repair work, and the functioning of the merchant and naval fleets. Contaminated wastewater is discharged into the waters of the seas located near the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, Sakhalin, Magadan and regions. As a result, in the Far Eastern waters located near the coast, there is a high content of petroleum products, heavy metal salts, and toxic chemicals. In the Sea of Okhotsk, the most polluted area is the waters of Terpeniya Bay. The most severe ecological situation is observed in the waters along the coast and in the area of the Golden Horn Bay.
- AMUNDSEN SEA
- GANG
- BELLINGHAUSEN SEA
- BERING SEA
- INLAND SEA OF JAPAN
- EAST CHINA SEA
- YELLOW SEA
- CORAL SEA
- MINDANAO
- MOLUCKS SEA
- NEW GUINEA SEA
- SEA OF OKHOTSK
- ROSSA SEA
- SERAM
- SOLOMON SEA
- SULAVESI
- TASMAN SEA
- FIJI
- PHILIPPINE SEA
- FLORES
- SOUTH CHINA SEA
- JAVA SEA
- JAPANESE SEA
The Amundsen Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica, between 100 and 123 degrees west longitude. Area 98 thousand square meters. km, depth up to 585 m. Covered with ice.
Banda, inter-island sea of the Pacific Ocean in Indonesia, between the islands of Seram, South-East, Wetar and others. Area 714 thousand square meters. km, depth up to 7440 m.
The Bellingshausen Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica, between the Antarctic and Thurston Peninsulas. Area 487 thousand square meters. km, depth up to 4115 m, salinity 33.5%. The large islands of Peter I and Alexander I Land are located. Most of the time of the year it is covered with floating ice and icebergs.
The Bering Sea is the largest and deepest among the seas of Russia and one of the largest and deepest on Earth. Its area is 2315 thousand square meters. km, volume 3796 thousand sq. km, average depth 1640 m, greatest depth 4151 m.
The Bering Sea is, as it were, wedged between two huge continents of Asia and America and is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the islands of the Commander-Aleutian arc. The sea has predominantly natural boundaries, but in some places its limits are delineated by conventional lines. The northern border of the sea coincides with the southern border of the Bering Strait and runs along the line: Cape Novosilsky (Chukchi Peninsula) - Cape York (Seward Peninsula), the eastern - along the coast of the American continent, the southern - from Cape Khabuch (Alaska) through the Aleutian Islands to Cape Kamchatsky, while the western one is along the coast of the Asian continent. Within these boundaries, the Bering Sea occupies the space between the parallels of latitude 66 degrees 3 minutes and 51 degrees 22 minutes north and the meridians 162 degrees 20 minutes east and longitude 157 degrees west.
The Bering Sea belongs to the marginal seas of the mixed continental-oceanic type.
Air temperatures in winter for the coldest months (January and February) are 1-4 degrees in the southwestern and southern parts of the sea and -15...-20 degrees in its northern and northeastern regions, with higher air temperatures in the open sea than in the coastal zone, where it (off the coast of Alaska) can reach -40...-48 degrees. In open spaces, temperatures below -24 °C are not observed. Air temperatures in summer during the warmest months (July and August) within the sea vary from approximately 4 to 13 degrees, and they are higher near the coast than in the open sea.
The surface water temperature in winter in the south-western part of the sea is usually 1-3 degrees, and in the eastern part it is 2-3 degrees. In the north throughout the sea, water temperatures range from 0 degrees to -1.5 degrees. In spring, the waters begin to warm up and the ice begins to melt, while the increase in water temperature is relatively small. In summer, the surface water temperature is 9-11 degrees in the south-western part and 8-10 degrees in the south-eastern part. In the northern regions of the sea it is 4-8 degrees in the west and 4-6 degrees in the east.
The salinity of surface waters of the sea varies from 33.0-33.5%o in the south to 31.0%o in the east and northeast and 28.6%o in the Bering Strait. The most significant desalination occurs in spring and summer in the confluence areas of the Anadyr, Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.
Fishing is very developed, especially industrial fishing for salmon, cod, pollock, herring, and flounder. There is a fishery for whales and sea animals (of local importance only).
The Bering Sea is the junction area of the Northern Sea Route and the Far Eastern sea basin, therefore transportation by sea is also developed.
The Inland Sea of Japan (Seto-Nikai) is located inside the straits between the islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku (Japan). It is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Kii and Bungo Straits, and to the Sea of Japan by the Shimonoseki Strait. Area 18 thousand square meters. km. The greatest depth is 74 m. Industrial fishing is very developed.
The East China Sea (Donghai) is a semi-enclosed sea of the Pacific Ocean, between the coast of East Asia (China) and the Ryukyu and Kyushu islands (Japan). Area 836 thousand sq. km. The depth in the western part is less than 200 m, in the eastern part up to 2719 m. The Yangtze River flows into it.
The climate of the sea is monsoonal in nature. Typhoons, passing from south to north from May to October (3-4 times a year), cause severe storms. Winter water temperatures vary from northwest to southeast from 7 degrees to 16 degrees. In summer, the surface temperature is 27-28 degrees.
Industrial fishing for Pacific herring, sardines, and croaker fish is developed; delicacies are also caught: lobsters, crabs, and sea cucumbers. Edible seaweed is being harvested and salt is being extracted from sea water.
Transportation is developed in the East China Sea.
The Yellow Sea is limited from the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea by a conventional border that runs from the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula to Jeju Island and further to the coast somewhat north of the mouth of the Yangtze River. The average depth of the sea is 44 m, with a maximum of about 100 m. Its northwestern part is formed by large bays - Zaladnokoreisky, Liaoduisky and Bohaiwan - with prevailing depths of about 20 m.
The climate of the sea is moderate, monsoon. Winters are cold and dry with winds from the continent. Near the shore, the water cools to 0 degrees, in the open sea - to 8 degrees. Summer is very warm and humid, with light monsoon winds from the ocean, fog and rain. The water warms up to 28 degrees on the surface.
Industrial fishing for bottom fish - cod, sea bream, and herring - has been developed. Oysters and mussels are also harvested here.
Transportation is developed.
Coral Sea, a semi-enclosed sea of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia. One of the largest (its area is 4068 thousand sq. km) and deepest (depths reach 9174 m) in the world.
Mindanao, an interisland sea in the southern part of the Philippine archipelago. Located between the islands of Siquijor, Bohol and Leyte in the north and the island of Mindanao in the south. In the east it connects with the Pacific Ocean, in the west - with the Sulu Sea. Depth up to 1975 m. Average annual water temperature is more than 28 degrees, salinity is about 34%.
The Moluccas Sea is an interisland sea of the Pacific Ocean, in the Malay Archipelago, between the islands of Mindanao, Sulawesi, Sula, Moluccas and Talaud. Area 274 thousand sq. km, greatest depth 4970 m.
The New Guinea Sea lies northeast of the island of New Guinea and is bounded by that island, the islands of New Britain, New Ireland, and the Admiralty Islands.
The New Guinea Sea is an equatorial sea. Its area is 338 thousand square meters. km.
The temperature of the upper layers of water all year round is about 28 °C, the salinity is 34.5%.
The Sea of Okhotsk is one of the largest and deepest seas in Russia. Its area is 1603 thousand square meters. km, volume 1318 thousand cubic meters. km, average depth 821 m, greatest depth 3916 m.
The Sea of Okhotsk is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the arc of the Kuril Islands. The Sea of Okhotsk has natural boundaries almost everywhere, and only in the southwest is it separated from the Sea of Japan by conventional lines: Cape Yuzhny - Cape Tyk and in the La Perouse Strait, Cape Crillon - Cape Soya. The southeastern border of the sea runs from Cape Nosyappu (Hokkaido Island) through the Kuril Islands to Cape Lopatka (Kamchatka), while all passages between Hokkaido Island and Kamchatka are included in the Sea of Okhotsk. Within these limits, the sea extends from north to south from 62 degrees 42 minutes to 43 degrees 43 minutes north latitude and from west to east from 134 degrees 5 minutes to 164 degrees 45 minutes east longitude.
The Sea of Okhotsk belongs to the marginal seas of the mixed continental-marginal type.
There are few islands in the Sea of Okhotsk. The largest border island is Sakhalin. The Kuril ridge has about 30 large and many small islands and rocks. The Kuril Islands are located in a belt of seismic activity, which includes more than 30 active and 70 extinct volcanoes.
In the coldest month (January), the average air temperature in the north-west of the sea is -20-...-25 degrees, in the central regions -10-...-15 degrees, only in the south-eastern part of the sea it is -5 ...-6 degrees, which is explained by the warming influence of the Pacific Ocean. The average monthly air temperature in August decreases from southwest to northeast from 18 degrees in the south, to 12-14 degrees in the center and to 10-10.5 degrees in the northeast of the Sea of Okhotsk. Water temperatures in winter cool to freezing temperatures of -1.5...-1.8 degrees. Only in the southeastern part of the sea does it remain around 0 degrees, and near the northern Kuril Straits the water temperature under the influence of Pacific waters penetrating here reaches 1-2 degrees. In August, the water temperature in the central regions of the sea is 11-12 degrees, the warmest waters (up to 18-19 degrees) are adjacent to the island of Hokkaido, the coldest surface waters are observed near the island of Iona, at Cape Pyagina and near the Krusenstern Strait. In these areas, the water temperature is between 6-7 degrees.
The main wealth of this sea is game animals, primarily fish. Its most valuable species, salmon, and their caviar are mined here. Currently, salmon stocks have decreased, and therefore their production has decreased. Fishing for this fish is limited. In addition, herring, cod, flounder and other types of marine fish are caught in the sea in limited quantities. The Sea of Okhotsk is the main crab fishing area. Squid are being harvested in the sea. One of the largest herds of fur seals is concentrated on the Shantar Islands, the hunting of which is strictly regulated.
The Ross Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica, between Capes Adare and Colbeck. Area 40 thousand sq. km. Depth up to 2972 m.
Seram is an interisland sea in the Malay Archipelago. Area 161 thousand sq. km. The sea depth is up to 5319 m. There are numerous coral reefs off the coast.
The Solomon Sea is limited by the islands of New Guinea, New Britain and Solomon. Sea area 755 thousand square meters. km. It has two deep-sea trenches - New Britain (8320 m) and Bougainville (9140 m), two basins, an underwater ridge, and an extensive shelf off New Guinea with coral reefs.
Oceanographic and climatic conditions of the equatorial type: more than 2000 mm of precipitation per year, two rainy seasons (spring and autumn), low salinity of water on the surface (34.5%o), very high temperature throughout the year 27-30 degrees.
Sulawesi (Celebes Sea) is located between the islands of Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Mindanao, Sangihe and the Sulu Archipelago. Area 453 thousand sq. km, depth up to 5914 m.
Sulu is located between the Philippine Islands, Palawan, Kalimantan and the Sulu Archipelago. Area 335 thousand square meters. km. Depth up to 5576 m.
The Tasman Sea is located between Australia and the island of Tasmania in the west, and the islands of New Zealand, Norfolk and New Caledonia in the east. Area 3336 thousand square meters. km. Depth up to 6015 m.
The Tasman Sea is a deep-sea body of water with an extensive Tasman Basin up to 5604 m deep, with numerous seamounts and extensive submarine rises in the northeast (Lord Howe and Norfolk Ranges).
Near New Zealand, fishing vessels from many countries fish (they mainly catch horse mackerel).
Fiji is located between the islands of Fiji, New Caledonia, Norfolk, Kermadec and New Zealand. Area 3177 thousand square meters. km. The greatest depth is 7633 m.
The Philippine Sea is located between the islands of Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines in the west, the underwater ridges and islands of Izu, Ogasa-wara (Bonin), Kazan (Volcano) and Mariana in the east, Yap and Palau in the southeast. The largest (area 5,726 thousand sq. km) and deepest (maximum depth 10,265 m) sea in the world. Includes the Philippine and Western Mariana basins.
FLORES is located between the island of Sulawesi in the north and the islands of Sumba and Flores in the south. Area 115 thousand sq. sq. km. The greatest depth is 5121 m.
South China Sea, in the western Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Southeast Asia, between the Indochina Peninsula, the islands of Kalimantan, Palawan, Luzon and Taiwan. Area 3537 thousand square meters. km. Depth up to 5560 m. Large island of Hainan. Typhoons are frequent in summer and autumn. Industrial fishing is developed; tuna, herring, and sardines predominate.
JAVA SEA, in the western Pacific Ocean, between the islands of Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan. Area 552 thousand sq. km. Depth up to 1272 m.
Industrial fishing for southern herring, tuna, and sharks has been developed.
The Sea of Japan lies between the Eurasian mainland and the Korean peninsula, the Sakhalin and Japanese islands, separating it from other Pacific seas and the ocean itself. The Sea of Japan is located between parallels 51 degrees 45 minutes and 34 degrees 26 minutes north latitude and meridians 127 degrees 2 minutes and 142 degrees 15 minutes east longitude. In the north, the border between the Seas of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk runs along the line Cape Sushchev - Cape Tyk on Sakhalin. In the La Perouse Strait, the border is the line: Cape Crillon - Cape Soya. In the Sangar Strait, the border runs along the line of Cape Syria - Cape Esan, and in the Korea Strait along the line of Cape Nomo (Kyushu Island) - Cape Fukae (Goto Island) - Jeju Island - the Korean Peninsula.
The area of the Sea of Japan is 1062 thousand square meters. km, volume 1630 thousand cubic meters. m, average depth 1535 m, greatest depth 3699 m.
The Sea of Japan belongs to the marginal oceanic seas. There are no large islands in the Sea of Japan. Of the small ones, the most significant islands are: Moneron, Rebun, Rishiri, Okushiri, Oshima, Sado, Okioshima, Ullyndo, Askold, Russky, Putyatin. The Tsushima Islands are located in the Korea Strait. All islands, except Ulleungdo, are located near the coast. Most of the islands are located in the eastern part of the sea.
The average salinity of the Sea of Japan is approximately 34.09%.
In the Sea of Japan, mariculture is cultivated and commercial fishing is carried out for sardines, mackerel, saury and other types of fish. They harvest marine mollusks - mussels, scallops, squid. Algae are also harvested - liminaria, seaweed, ahnfeltia.
