Okhotsk High Sea

The Sea of Okhotsk extends northwest of the Kuril chain, linked to the Pacific by the passages between its volcanic islands. A branch of the East Sakhalin Current carries water and ice eastward toward the deep Boussole Strait. Seasonal ice spreads over much of the sea in winter, while fog and storms affect travel near the islands. In spring, some drifting floes pass through the straits and melt in the Pacific.