Okhotsk High Sea

North of Sakhalin, the Sea of Okhotsk opens beyond the island's sheltered gulf. The Amur sends fresh water into the western part of this cold sea, helping ice form over its shallow waters. Winds and currents carry the ice southwards and gather it against coasts and islands. Sakhalin Gulf may remain blocked by drifting ice into summer, even after the winter cover elsewhere has begun to break apart.