The Sea of Okhotsk is located next to Eurasia, between the continents and the Kamchatka Peninsula. It is sometimes called the Kamchatka Sea. It became Okhotsk thanks to the Okhota River, which flows into it.
This sea has several names - the Evenks called it the Lama Sea (lam in Evenk means the sea), sometimes it is called the Kamchatka Sea. The Japanese call the sea "Hakkai" - the north sea. It washes the shores of Japan and Russia. The name Okhotskoye is associated with the name of the Okhota River flowing into it. This sea is considered the territory of the Pacific Ocean, separated by the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands and the island of Hokkaido.
Geography details
The sea covers an area of over 1.6 million square meters. km. Its average depth is 1780 m. The maximum depth is 3916 m.
In the central area of the sea there are deep Tinro and Deryugin depressions. Its western part is shallow. The eastern part is the location of the deep-water Kuril basin. The map of the Sea of Okhotsk shows that it has many bays. The largest of them are: Sakhalin, Shelikhova, Tauiskaya Bay, Udskaya Bay, etc. The sea is surrounded by rocky shores. But the coastal area of Hokkaido is low-lying. Large rivers carry their waters to the Sea of Okhotsk: Amur, Penzhina, Gizhiga, Uda, Okhota.
Climatic conditions
The region of the Sea of Okhotsk is dominated by a temperate climate. Dry and cold winds come there from Eurasia, which cool the water. In the winter months, in some areas of the reservoir, the temperature drops to -20 degrees. In summer, the air warms up to +18 degrees. The water in the upper layers in winter has a temperature of about +2 degrees. In summer, its temperature reaches +15 degrees in the southern regions. In the Sea of Okhotsk, cyclonic currents are formed that run counterclockwise. The highest tides are observed in the Penzhinskaya Bay. The northern parts of the sea are covered with ice from mid-autumn to late spring.
Flora and fauna
Arctic flora and fauna prevail on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. The water is inhabited by such fish as capelin, navaga, pollock, salmon, etc. The listed types of fish are of industrial importance. In the south of the Sea of Okhotsk, there are representatives of the fauna and flora of temperate latitudes. Phytoalgae and zooplankton are actively developing in the sea. There are a lot of brown algae here, a prominent representative of which is kelp or seaweed. The Sea of Okhotsk is rich in molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms. There are many bottom fish (flounder, gobies) in the water. In terms of the stock of commercial crabs, the Sea of Okhotsk occupies a leading position.
