Knowledge Tree
Bering Sea
Facts (33)
Sources
A review of climate change impacts on migration patterns of marine ... frontiersin.org Oct 25, 2024 31 facts
referenceThe reduction of the Bering Sea “Cold Pool” has facilitated the dispersal of juvenile walleye pollock from the Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea, as reported by Eisner et al. (2020), Grüss et al. (2021), and Levine et al. (2023).
claimBetween the 1990s and approximately 2010, the distribution of molting spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) in the Bering Sea shifted, but this shift could not be correlated with changes in benthic prey distribution or other environmental variables.
claimRed-legged kittiwakes migrate from central Bering Sea island colonies to the western Bering Sea in the fall, and then relocate to the southwestern Bering Sea near Kamchatka and Japan in late winter.
referenceThe Pacific sleeper shark (Somnious pacificus) ranges from the Bering Sea throughout the deep waters in the Pacific and into the Southern Ocean, and it undertakes seasonal migrations from onshore to offshore waters, according to Yano et al. (2004).
claimThe red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris), which nests on islands in the central Bering Sea, maintains a strong association with sea ice-influenced waters during the winter season.
claimWhile changes in sea ice influence actively migrating seabirds in the High Arctic, red-legged kittiwakes in the Bering Sea may not alter their use of overwintering areas based solely on ice conditions.
referenceStabeno and Bell (2019) published a study titled 'Extreme conditions in the Bering Sea (2017–2018): record-breaking low sea-ice extent' in Geophysical Research.
referenceVon Duyke et al. (2020) studied ringed seal (Pusa hispida) seasonal movements, diving, and haul-out behavior in the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas from 2011 to 2017.
claimOn the Pacific side of the Arctic, sea ice historically extended south across the central Bering Sea shelf and retracted in late spring, with the Bering Strait remaining ice-covered until June, according to Stabeno and Bell (2019).
claimIvory gulls that nest in the Atlantic Arctic migrate to the Bering Sea during their non-breeding season.
claimAt least a portion of the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) population travels over the Arctic from a colony in the Barents Region to overwintering sites in the Chukchi and Bering seas, and more cross-Arctic migrations of this species could occur as sea ice declines.
claimIn the Pacific Arctic, the Subarctic region includes the entire Bering Sea and portions of the northwestern Gulf of Alaska shelf.
claimSea ice acts as a factor in seabird distribution and ecology in the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas.
claimThree albatross species (Phoebastria) that breed in the tropical North Pacific have increased in numbers in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea during their non-breeding season, and two of these species have shifted their center of distribution northward in the Bering Sea.
referenceA. De Robertis, K. Taylor, C. D. Wilson, and E. V. Farley assessed the abundance and distribution of Arctic cod and other pelagic fishes over the U.S. continental shelf of the northern Bering and Chukchi seas in a 2017 study.
claimCitta et al. (2023) reported shifts in bowhead whale distribution, behavior, and condition following rapid sea ice change in the Bering Sea.
referenceA 2021 study published in the Journal of Hydrology (Vol. 600, 126462) examines patterns, trends, and connections between Bering Sea marine heatwaves and the Arctic.
referenceClimate warming and the reduction of the Bering Sea “Cold Pool” thermal barrier (bottom water approximately −1.5°C) could facilitate increased migration of skates and other fishes from the Bering Sea through the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean, according to Mueter et al. (2021).
claimBowhead whales in the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort region wintered farther north into the Chukchi Sea during 2018 and 2019, moving away from their typical winter home range in the western Bering Sea due to a lack of sea ice, according to Citta et al. (2023).
claimMoore et al. (2022) identified changes in gray whale phenology and distribution in the northern Bering and eastern Chukchi seas, linking these shifts to prey variability and ocean biophysics.
claimThe locally-breeding northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) has shown a northward shift in its center of distribution in the Bering Sea, though there is no evidence of a shift in its breeding distribution.
referenceDanielson et al. (2020) describe the manifestation and consequences of warming and altered heat fluxes over the Bering and Chukchi Sea continental shelves.
claimAuklets and other alcids conduct post-breeding northward migrations from breeding sites in the Bering Sea or the Gulf of Alaska into the Chukchi Sea to forage on abundant prey in late summer, according to Kuletz et al. (2024).
referenceLocal and traditional knowledge from five indigenous communities provides insights into the Bering Sea ecosystem, according to a 2013 study by Huntington et al.
claimWarm phases and marine heatwaves have facilitated northward excursions of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Bering Sea, as reported by Murphy et al. (2017).
claimThe Bering Strait is approximately 82 km wide and 90 meters deep, receiving inflow from the Bering Sea via the nutrient-rich Anadyr Current on the west and the warmer, fresher Alaska Coastal Current on the east, which merge and diverge across the Chukchi Shelf.
claimWinter sea ice is projected to retract northwards, with little ice expected to occur south of the Arctic Circle in mid-winter by the late 21st century, particularly in the Bering Sea.
referenceA 2021 study by Guthrie et al. analyzed the genetic stock composition of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) bycatch samples from the 2019 Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery.
claimIvory gulls migrate along ice edges to wintering areas in the Davis Strait and the Bering Sea, where they remain in areas with available daylight during mid-winter to facilitate visual foraging.
referenceNishizawa et al. (2017) analyzed the seasonal distribution of short-tailed shearwaters and their prey in the Bering and Chukchi seas.
referenceMurphy et al. (2017) studied juvenile Chinook salmon abundance in the northern Bering Sea to assess implications for future returns and fisheries in the Yukon River.
How Climate Change is Changing Animal Habits neefusa.org Oct 4, 2023 2 facts
claimPacific cod eggs require specific water temperatures to develop and hatch, and the northern Bering Sea remains too cold for this development, which could prevent the species from successfully adapting to their new range.
claimPacific cod have expanded their summer range into the northern Bering Sea to find food as climate change warms their historic habitats.