Bering Coast

The Bering Coast overlooks a sea where the northern Pacific changes character. A deep basin occupies much of the Bering Sea, then rises along a narrow slope into broad shallow water above the continental shelves. The interaction of currents, sea ice and weather makes this a vigorous and productive ecosystem. Along its western and northern reaches, the sea passes the Russian Far East before narrowing toward the Bering Strait. The coast therefore sits between open oceanic water, shelf seas and the seasonal advance of ice. The sea's productivity depends on exchanges across its slopes, shelves and northern gateways, and those same transitions shape the coast's access to marine products. For coastal communities, the Bering Sea is a working environment defined by depth, ice, current and moving weather.