Map of the Chukchi Sea.

Chukchi Sea (Russian: Чуко́тское мо́ре) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages A marginal sea is a part of an ocean partially enclosed by land such as Islands Archipelagos or Peninsulas Unlike mediterranean The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major It is bounded on the west by the De Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea. The De Long Strait (пролив Лонга Proliv Longa) separates Wrangel Island from the Siberian mainland Wrangel Island (о́стров Вра́нгеля ostrov Vrangelya) is an Island in the Arctic Ocean, between the Chukchi Sea and East Point Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast of the U Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Bering Strait (Берингов пролив Beringov proliv) is a sea Strait between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, the easternmost point (169°43' The Bering (or Imarpik) Sea is a body of water in the Pacific Ocean that comprises a deep water basin (the Aleutian Basin) which rises through The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions

The principal port on the Chukchi Sea is Uelen. Uelen (Уэ́лен is a village ( selo) just south of the Arctic Circle in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian

The International Date Line crosses the Chukchi Sea from NW to SE. It is displaced eastwards to avoid Wrangel Island as well as the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug on the Russian mainland. Wrangel Island (о́стров Вра́нгеля ostrov Vrangelya) is an Island in the Arctic Ocean, between the Chukchi Sea and East Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (Чуко́тский автоно́мный о́круг tr

Geography

Satellite photo of the Bering Strait

The sea has an approximate area of 595,000 km² (230,000 mi²) and is only navigable about four months of the year. The main geological feature of the Chukchi Sea bottom is the 700 km long Hope Basin, which is bound to the northeast by the Herald Arch. The Hope Basin is a geological feature of the Chukchi Sea Shelf. Depths less than 50 m (164 ft) occupy 56% of the total area.

The sea is named after the Chukchi people, who reside on its shores and on the Chukotka Peninsula. Chukchi, or Chukchee (чукчи ( plural) ru чукча ( singular) are an Indigenous people inhabiting the Chukchi Peninsula The Chukchi Peninsula, Chukotski Peninsula or Chukotsk Peninsula ( Russian: Чукотский полуостров at about 66° N 172° W is the northeastern The Chukchi traditionally engaged in fishing, whaling and the hunting of walrus in this cold sea. The walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered Marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and

In Alaska the rivers flowing into the Chukchi Sea are the Kivalina, the Kobuk, the Kokolik, the Kukpowruk, the Kukpuk, the Noatak, the Utukok, the Pitmegea and the Wulik, among others. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The Kivalina River is a 60 mile long river in the northwestern part of the U The Kobuk River is approximately long located in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska in the United States. The Kokolik River is a River in Alaska 's North Slope flowing into the Chukchi Sea. The Kukpowruk River is a 160 mile long River in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States, which flows into the Chukchi Sea. The Kukpuk River is a 125 mile long River in the Lisburne Peninsula, in Alaska 's North Slope flowing into the Chukchi Sea. The Noatak River is a River in northwestern Alaska. The river's headwaters are on tall Mount Igikpak in the Schwatka Mountains of the Brooks The Utukok River is a 180 mile long River in the North Slope Borough of the U The Pitmegea River is a 42 mile long River in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. The Wulik River or Ulik River is an 80 mile long river in the northwestern part of the U Concerning the rivers that flow into the Chukchi Sea on its Siberian side, the Amguyema and the Chantalveergyn are the most important. The Amguyema River (or Amguema River) is a stream located in Far East Siberia The Chantalveergyn or Chantal'vergyrgyn River (Russian Чантальвэргыргын is a stream located in Chukotka, in Far East Siberia

The Chukchi sea has very few islands compared to other seas of the Arctic. There are no islands in its midst and only a small number of islands lie along the Siberian coast.

History

On September 28th 1878, during Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld's expedition that made the whole length of the Northeast passage for the first time in history, the steamship Vega got stuck in fast ice in the Chukchi Sea. Baron (Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, also known as A E Nordenskioeld (November 18 1832 Helsinki, Finland &mdash August 12 1901 Dalby Skåne Since further progress for that year was impossible, the ship was secured in winter quarters. Even so the members of the expedition and the crew were aware that only a few miles of ice-blocked sea lay between them and the open waters. The following year, two days after Vega was released, she passed the Bering Strait and steamed towards the Pacific Ocean. The Bering Strait (Берингов пролив Beringov proliv) is a sea Strait between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, the easternmost point (169°43'

In 1913, the Karluk, abandoned by expedition leader Vilhjalmur Stefansson, drifted in the ice along the northern expanses of the Chukchi Sea and sank crushed by ice near Herald Island. The Karluk was a Ship used for an expedition to the Arctic in 1913 led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson and captained by Robert Bartlett. Vilhjalmur Stefansson (Vilhjálmur Stefánsson (November 3 1879 &ndash August 26 1962 was a Canadian Arctic explorer and ethnologist Herald Island or Gerald Island (Остров Геральд is a small isolated Russian island in the Chukchi Sea, 60 km to the east of Wrangel Island The survivors made it to Wrangel Island where they found themselves in a hopeless situation. Wrangel Island (о́стров Вра́нгеля ostrov Vrangelya) is an Island in the Arctic Ocean, between the Chukchi Sea and East Then Captain Robert Bartlett walked hundreds of kilometers with Kataktovik, an Inuit man, on the ice of the Chukchi Sea in order to look for help. Captain Robert Abram Bartlett ( August 15, 1875 - April 28, 1946) was a Newfoundland navigator and Arctic Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting They reached Cape Vankarem on the Chukotka coast, on April 15th 1914. Cape Vankarem is a cape in the Chukchi Sea on the northern coast of Chukotka. Twelve survivors of the ill-fated expedition were found on Wrangel island nine months later by the King & Winge, a newly-built Arctic fishing schooner. Wrangel Island (о́стров Вра́нгеля ostrov Vrangelya) is an Island in the Arctic Ocean, between the Chukchi Sea and East The King & Winge was one of the most famous ships ever built in Seattle

In 1933, the steamer Chelyuskin sailed from Murmansk, east bound to attempt a transit of the Northern Sea Route to the Pacific, in order to demonstrate that such a transit could be achieved in one season. Chelyuskin («Челюскин» was a Soviet Steamship reinforced to navigate polar ice that became ice-bound in Arctic waters during Murmansk (Му́рманск Murmanska Muurman is a city and Seaport in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, 12 km The Northern Sea Route (Се́верный морско́й путь Severniy morskoy put’) is a Shipping lane from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific The vessel became beset in heavy ice in the Chukchi Sea, and after drifting with the ice for over two months, was crushed and sank on 13 February 1934 near Kolyuchin Island. Kolyuchin Island or Koliuchin Island (Остров Колючин is a small island in the Chukchi Sea. Apart from one fatality, her entire complement of 104 people was able to establish a camp on the sea ice. The Soviet government organised an impressive aerial evacuation, under which all were rescued. Captain Vladimir Voronin and expedition leader Otto Schmidt became heroes. Vladimir Ivanovich Voronin (Владимир Иванович ВоронинOctober 17 1890-October 18 1952was a Soviet Navy captain born in Sumsky Posad in the present Otto Yulievich Schmidt (О́тто Ю́льевич Шмидт &mdash September 7, 1956) was a Soviet Scientist, Mathematician,

Following several unsuccessful attempts, the wreck was located on the bed of the Chukchi Sea by a Russian expedition, Chelyuskin-70, in mid-September 2006. Two small components of the ship's superstructure were recovered by divers and were sent to the ship's builders, Burmeister & Wain of Copenhagen, for identification. MAN Diesel (formerly MAN B&W Diesel is is the world’s leading provider of large-bore Diesel enginess for Marine propulsion systems and Power plant applications Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city

Oil and gas resources

The Chukchi shelf is believed to hold oil and gas reserves as high as 30 billion barrels. Several oil companies have competed for leases on the area, and on February 6, 2008, the U. S. governement announced that the successful bidders would pay $2. 6 billion for extraction rights. The auction has drawn some criticism from environmentalists. ^[1]

References

• Albert Hastings Markham. Sir Albert Hastings Markham KCB ( 11 November 1841 - 28 October 1918) was a British explorer, Author, and Arctic Exploration, 1895
• Armstrong, T. , The Russians in the Arctic, London, 1958.
• William Barr, Discovery of the wreck of the Soviet steamer Chelyuskin on the bed of the Chukchi Sea
• Early Soviet Exploration: http://www.whoi.edu/beaufortgyre/history/history_soviet.html
• History of Russian Arctic Exploration: http://www.tour-land.ru/extr/north_p/eng/hist_ark.shtml

• Niven, J. William Barr may refer to William Barr (politician (born 1950 77th Attorney General of the United States William Barr (Arctic historian , The Ice Master, The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk.
• Polynyas in the Chukchi Sea: [1]

Further reading

See also

• Continental shelf of Russia
• Polar bear protection in the Chukchi Sea: Polar bears shared by US, Russia to be managed jointly