Kara Sea facts for kids
The Kara Sea is a part of the Arctic Ocean. It is located north of Siberia, a huge region in Russia. This sea is like a big watery neighbor to other seas. To its west, the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya separate it from the Barents Sea. To its east, Severnaya Zemlya separates it from the Laptev Sea.
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How Big is the Kara Sea?
The Kara Sea is really big! It stretches about 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) long and 970 kilometers (600 miles) wide. Its total area is around 880,000 square kilometers (340,000 square miles). The average depth of the sea is about 110 meters (360 feet).
Where Does its Water Come From?
The Kara Sea gets a lot of fresh water from several large rivers. These include the Ob, Yenisei, Pyasina, and Taimyra rivers. Because so much fresh water flows in, the saltiness of the sea changes a lot depending on the season and location.
What is the Kara Sea Used For?
The Kara Sea has a few important uses. Its main ports, which are like busy sea towns, are Novy Port and Dikson. Fishing is also important here, even though the sea is covered in ice for most of the year. It is only free of ice for about two months.
Scientists have also found large amounts of petroleum (oil) and natural gas under the Kara Sea. These discoveries are part of a bigger oil and gas area called the West Siberian Oil Basin. However, these resources have not been developed yet.
Protecting the Kara Sea Environment
There have been some worries about the environment in the Kara Sea. In the past, the former Soviet Union placed some nuclear waste in the sea. This included parts from six nuclear submarines and ten other nuclear reactors. People were concerned about what this might do to the sea life.
However, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have studied the situation. They found that any releases from the waste are very small and only affect small areas. This means the risk to the wider marine environment is low.
Images for kids
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Main islands and island groups in the central and eastern regions of the Kara Sea.
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A map showing the geological structure of the Kara Sea.
