East Siberian Sea facts for kids
The East Siberian Sea is a part of the Arctic Ocean. It is like a large bay or arm of the ocean. This sea is located between the New Siberian Islands to the west and Wrangel Island to the east. To the north is the Arctic Cape, and to the south is the coast of Siberia. It connects to the Laptev Sea on its west side and the Chukchi Sea on its east side.
This sea is one of the least explored areas in the Arctic. It has a very cold climate and low salinity, meaning it's not very salty. There isn't much plant or animal life, and very few people live there. The water is quite shallow, mostly less than 50 meters deep.
The sea has slow currents and small tides, usually less than 25 centimeters. It's often foggy, especially in summer. The sea ice only fully melts in August and September. For thousands of years, tribes like the Yukaghirs, Chukchi, Evens, and Evenks have lived along its shores.
The biggest city and port on the East Siberian Sea is Pevek. It's the northernmost city in mainland Russia.
Many rivers flow into the East Siberian Sea. The most important ones are the Indigirka, the Alazeya, the Ujandina, the Chukochya River, the Kolyma, the Rauchua, the Chaun, and the Pegtymel. Only a few of these rivers can be traveled on by boats. The coastline of the sea is 3,016 kilometers long.
Animals and Plants
There are not many plants or animals in the East Siberian Sea. This is because of the very cold and harsh climate. In summer, there is a short burst of tiny ocean life called plankton. This bloom creates about 5 million tons of plankton in August and September. The total amount for the whole year is about 7 million tons.
On the sea shores and ice fields, you can find ringed seals, bearded seals, and walruses. Polar bears also live here. Birds like seagulls, uria, and cormorants are common. Larger sea animals often visit the waters. These include bowhead whales, gray whales, belugas, and narwhals.
The main types of fish found here are grayling and whitefishes, such as muksun, broad whitefish, and omul. Other common fish include polar smelt, saffron cod, polar cod, flounder, and arctic char.
Images for kids
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Ice in the East Siberian Sea
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Sea ice retreat in the East Siberian Sea. Top: 15 June 2007, bottom: 27 July the same year.
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View of Pevek
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See also
In Spanish: Mar de Siberia Oriental para niños
