The Bering Strait is a strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Bering Sea and separates the continents of Asia and North America at its closest point. The US-Russia border runs along the canal.
The strait is 30 to 50 meters deep and the narrowest part is 85 kilometers wide. There are numerous islands in the strait, including the two Diomede Islands and St. Lawrence Island.
The strait is named after Vitus Bering, a Danish captain who sailed into the canal in 1728. Some of the water from the Bering Sea passes through the strait into the Arctic Ocean, but most of it returns to the Pacific.
In winter, different storms pass through the region and the sea is covered by ice fields about 1.2 meters thick. By the summer there are still pieces of ice along the canal.
During the Ice Age the sea level dropped by hundreds of feet, transforming the strait into a land bridge between Asia and North America. This made it possible for a major migration of plants, humans and animals to occur around 20,000-35,000 years ago.
Characteristics of the Bering Strait
The strait is located just south of the Arctic Circle; It has very strong climatic conditions with long dark winters and temperatures that reach -50 degrees Celsius.
Additionally, the channel is flooded by ice chunks up to 6 feet thick for almost 8 months of the year. Also many earthquakes originate here.
This channel was crossed by humans about 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age, when the ice formed a bridge between North America and Asia.
Archaeologists have concluded that a natural land bridge was created during this time spanning the short distance between the continents; with erosion and the passage of time this bridge was destroyed.
Today 47 miles and some of the harshest conditions on the planet separate the two continents. It is a very isolated region; the nearest town is about 100 miles away.
In the last decades some companies have discussed the possibility of building a bridge over the canal.
However, there are financial concerns and added to the harsh weather, project plans have been delayed. The idea is to be able to build a highway between Alaska and Russia.
History
Evidence has shown that there are biological connections between Siberia and Alaska; this bridge is believed to have remained open until about 11,000 years ago.
It was probably flooded 10,500 years ago, severing the relationship between America and Eurasia for the first time in thousands of years.
This land bridge was covered in tundra shrubs that did not provide much food for grazing animals, but some scientists believe that some vegetation existed for the bison and mammoths to feed on.
However, it is clear that people and animals freely crossed this region for several thousand years. There is evidence in the form of fossils to indicate this claim.
Experts suggest that this area was a narrow tundra surrounded by tundra landscapes on each side. Some scientists believe that large amounts of grass did not exist along the way, but that animals could move from end to end in just a few days to find food.
The consensus is that the bridge stopped being used around 11,000 years ago. This allows the possibility that the Clovis civilization (one of the first in America) had reached the continent from Bering.
To this day you can walk through the strait in winter; the water freezes and the Inuit travel between Alaska and Sibera to visit friends and family.
Islands
This channel contains numerous islands, including the Diomede Islands. The Rock of Fairway is located less than 15 kilometers southeast of the Diomedes. To the south is St. Lawrence Island.
The Diomedes Islands consist of two rocky islands of yours. The American island is called Little Diomedes and the Russian island Big Diomedes. They are side by side, right in the center of the canal. Great Diomedes is the easternmost point of Russia.
Due to the time zone, each island falls on a different day: the Russian side is 21 hours ahead of the American side.
Expeditions
In 1987 swimmer Lynne Cox swam the 4 kilometers between the Diomede Islands from Alaska to the Soviet Union. The water was 4 Degrees Centigrade.
In July 1989 the first kayak expedition that crossed the region was carried out, from Wales, Alaska, to Cape Dezhneva, Siberia. 11 years later the canal was crossed for the first time on skis.
One belief is that during winter the water just freezes and it is easy to walk through it. But the reality is that the strong current that runs along the strait creates open channels of water; hopefully it is possible to jump from piece of ice to piece of ice.
In March 2006, two adventurers made the crossing on foot through the ice for 90 kilometers in 15 days. Because they entered Russia illegally, these people were arrested.
Throughout its history there have been numerous attempts to cross the strait on foot, but they have resulted in emergency helicopter rescues. In 2008, a man drove across the Bering Strait for the first time.
Population
Little Diomedes has a population of 170 Iñupiat Eskimos. This villa has a school and a local shop; its inhabitants are famous for their seal tusk crafts. When time permits, mail is delivered by helicopter.
The closest area on the Alaska side had a population of 9,126 people in 2000. There are no roads connecting the strait with other regions of Alaska, only snowmobiles can pass during winter.
There are some charter flights during the summer, as Russian policy only allows tourists on organized tours with special permits.
The Russian coast belongs to native indigenous people. The two largest settlements are the Provideniya (4,500 people) and the Chukotsky (5,200 people).
There are no roads in this area either. The Village of Uelen is located just south of the Arctic Circle and is the closest Russian settlement to the United States.
References
- Bering strait. Recovered from newworldencyclopedia.org
- Bering strait. Recovered from britannica.com
- Map of bering strait. Recovered from worldatlas.com
- Connecting two continents: the ultimate engineering challenge (2012). Recovered from asme.org
- The bering strait and the land bridge. Recovered from cabrillo.edu
- Crossing the bering strait. Recovered from angusadventures.com.