The marginal sea is a body of water belonging to the mainland, but not separated or partially separated from the ocean by islands. As a rule, these are water bodies located on the slope of the mainland or on its shelf. All sea regimes, including climatic and hydrological and bottom sediments, are affected not only by the ocean itself, but also by the mainland. Often water bodies do not differ in depth and relief of the bottom.
The marginal seas include the Barents, Kara, East Siberian, Laptev Sea and others. Let's look at each of them in more detail.
Seas of Russia: marginal and inland
The Russian Federation owns a fairly large area on which rivers, lakes and seas are located.
Many historical figures of our country, in whose honor the water flows are named, are included in the book of world geographical history.
The Russian Federation is washed by 12 seas. They belong to the Caspian Sea, as well as 3 oceans.
All water bodies of the state can be divided into two types: marginal and inland.
Outlying seas (the list will be presented below) are mainly located at the borders of Russia. They wash the northern and eastern coasts of the country and are separated from the oceans by archipelagos, islands and island arcs.
Internal - located in the country to which they belong. Relating to certain basins, they are located at a great distance from the oceans, and at the same time they are connected with them by straits.
Russian marginal seas (list):
- Pacific Ocean: Sea of Japan, Okhotsk and Bering.
- The Arctic Ocean. Its basin includes the Laptev, Barents, Kara, East Siberian and Chukchi Sea.
Barencevo sea
Belongs to the Arctic Ocean. On its shores are the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Norway. The outskirts of the sea has an area of more than 1 thousand km 2 . Its depth is 600 m. Due to the strong current from the ocean, the south-west of the reservoir does not freeze.
In addition, the sea plays a large role for the state, mainly in the field of trade, fishing and other seafood.
Kara Sea
The second marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean is Kara. It has several islands. It is located on the shelf. Depth varies from 50 to 100 m. In a certain zone, this figure increases to 620 m. The area of the reservoir is more than 883 thousand km 2 .
The Ob and Yenisei, two full-flowing streams, flow into the Kara Sea . Because of this, the level of salinity in it varies.
The reservoir is known for its uncomfortable climate. Here, rarely the temperature rises above 1 degree, constantly foggy and often storms occur. Almost all the time the pond is under the ice.
Laptevih sea
Examples of the marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean will be incomplete without the Laptev Sea. It brings great benefits to the state and has a sufficient number of islands.
The name comes from the names of two Russian researchers (Laptev brothers).
The climatic conditions here are quite severe. The temperature drops below zero degrees. The salinity of the water is minimal, the animal and plant world does not shine with diversity. A small number of people live on the coast. Ice stands here all year, except for August and September.
On some islands to this day, the remains of mammoths are found, which are well preserved.
East-Siberian Sea
There is a bay and a port on the sea. It belongs to Yakutia. Thanks to some straits it is connected with the Chukchi Sea and the Laptev Sea. The minimum depth is 50 m, the maximum - 155 m. Salinity is kept at around 5 ppm, in some northern regions it increases to 30.
The sea is the estuary for the Kolyma and Indigirka rivers . It has several large islands.
The ice is kept constantly. In the center of the reservoir you can see large boulders that have been here for several years. The temperature for the whole year varies from -1 0 to +5 0 .
Chukchi Sea
The last marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean is Chukchi. Here quite often you can observe sharp storms and tides. Ice comes here from the west and north. The southern part of the sea is free from glaciation only in the summer season. Due to climatic conditions, in particular, strong winds, waves can rise up to 7 m. In summer, in some areas the temperature rises to 10-12 0 C.
Bering Sea
Some marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean, such as the Bering Sea, wash not only the Russian Federation, but also the United States of America.
The area of the reservoir is more than 2 million km 2 . The maximum depth of the sea is 4 thousand meters. Thanks to this reservoir, the North American and Asian continents are divided into parts.
The sea is located in the north of the Pacific Ocean. The south coast resembles an arc. It has several bays, capes and islands. The latter are mainly located near the United States. In Russia there are only 4 islands. Yukon and Anadyr, the largest rivers of the world, flow into the Bering Sea.
The air temperature is +10 0 in the summer and -23 0 in the winter. Salinity is kept within 34 ppm.
Ice begins to cover the surface of the water in September. An autopsy takes place in July. Lawrence Bay is practically not cleared of ice. The Bering Strait is also most of the time completely covered, even in the summer. The sea itself is under ice for no more than 10 months.
The relief in different areas is different. For example, in the northeastern part the bottom is shallow, and in the southwestern zone - deep. Depth rarely exceeds 4 km. The bottom is covered with sand, shells, silt or gravel.
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is separated from the Pacific Ocean by Kamchatka, Hokkaido and the Kuril Islands. Washes the Russian Federation and Japan. The area is 1,500 km 2 , the depth is 4 thousand meters. Due to the fact that the west of the reservoir is gentle, it does not deepen much. In the east is the hollow. Here, the depth reaches the maximum mark.
The sea is covered with ice from October to June. Due to the climate, the southeast does not freeze.
The coastline is rugged. Some areas have bays. Most of them are in the northeast and west.
Fishing is flourishing. Salmon, herring, navaga, capelin and others live here. Sometimes crabs are found.
The sea is rich in raw materials that the state produces on Sakhalin.
Amur flows into the Okhotsk basin. There are also several major ports of Russia.
The temperature in winter ranges from -1 0 C to 2 0 C. In summer, from 10 0 C to 18 0 C.
Often only the surface of the water warms up. At a depth of 50 m is a layer that does not receive sunlight. Its temperature does not change throughout the year.
From the Pacific Ocean, waters with a temperature of up to 3 0 C come here. Near the coast, as a rule, the sea warms up to 15 0 C.
Salinity is 33 ppm. In coastal areas, this figure is halved.
Japanese Sea
The Sea of Japan has a temperate climate. Unlike the north and west, the south and east of the reservoir are quite warm. The winter temperature in the north is -20 0 , in the south at the same time +5 0 is noted. Due to the summer monsoon, the air is quite warm and humid. If in the east the sea warms up to +25 0 , then in the west only up to +15 0 .
In the autumn season, the number of typhoons that are caused by the strongest winds reaches a maximum. The highest waves reach 10 m, in emergency situations their height is more than 12 m.
The Sea of Japan is divided into three parts. Two of them freeze periodically, the third - no. Tides often occur, especially in the southern and eastern parts. Salinity almost reaches the level of the oceans - 34 ppm.