Smith Bay facts for kids
Smith Bay is a special place where a river meets the sea. It's an estuary located in the Beaufort Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean. You can find Smith Bay northeast of Point Barrow, Alaska. This area is home to many different kinds of fish, birds, and sea animals.
The southeastern part of Smith Bay is recognized as an important natural area. This means it's a place that needs to be protected because of its unique environment and the animals that live there.
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Where is Smith Bay?
Smith Bay is about 150 miles west of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. It stretches between two places called Dease Inlet and Cape Halkett in Alaska.
The bay is surrounded by barrier islands. These are long, narrow islands that act like a natural wall. They separate the shallow, slightly salty water of the bay from the deeper waters of the Beaufort Sea. Several slow-moving rivers also flow into Smith Bay.
Animals of Smith Bay
Smith Bay is a very important place for many sea animals, especially those with flippers, like seals.
Seals and Whales
The areas close to the shore are vital homes for ringed seals. These seals come to the strong, frozen ice near the land during winter and spring to have their babies.
Polar bears and bowhead whales also depend on Smith Bay. They use the bay to find food. Polar bears have even been seen using Smith Bay as a main area to build dens and raise their young cubs.
Birds of the Bay
Many different kinds of birds live in Smith Bay. Some of these include:
- Yellow-billed loons
- King Eiders
- Arctic terns
- Black-legged kittiwakes
- Glaucous gulls
- Sabine's gulls
- Long-tailed ducks
- Red phalaropes
Energy Resources
There is a natural oil seep at Cape Simpson, which is on the western side of Smith Bay. An oil seep is a place where oil naturally leaks out of the ground.
In 2015 and 2016, a company called Caelus Energy Alaska drilled two test wells in the southern part of the bay. In October 2016, the company announced they had found a large amount of oil there. They planned to drill another well in January 2018 and then get permission to build a pipeline to transport the oil.
