welcome to the Bering Sea Project Go to the north pacific research board Go to the national science foundation

Our Study Region

eastern bering seaThe joint research program will take place on the eastern Bering Sea shelf between the Aleutian Islands and St. Lawrence Island.

Stormy, cold—
and bountiful

This region supplies food resources for commercial fishing industry, as well as for more than 30 Alaska Native communities, millions of seabirds, and tens of thousands of marine mammals.

This production is fueled by nutrients annually replenished from slope and oceanic waters across the very broad (>500 km) continental shelf. Seasonal sea ice extent currently divides the Bering Sea eastern shelf into two biogeographic provinces.

The subarctic province

Here, south of the average-annual maximum sea ice extent, most primary production remains within the pelagic ecosystem and pollock is the dominant consumer.

The arctic province

Here, tight coupling between pelagic primary production and the benthos benefits benthic foragers such as gray whales, walrus and some seabird species.

How far south does the ice extend?

The average southern edge of the maximum ice extent currently lies north of the Pribilof Islands. The boundary between these provinces is not stationary, and is expected to move northward as the region becomes warmer.