OKHOTSK, SEA OF

The Seas of Japan and Okhotsk. Russian Okhotskoye More, or Ochotskoje More, northwestern arm of the Pacific Ocean, bounded on the west and north by the east coast of Asia from Cape Lazarev to the mouth of the Penzhina River, on the east and southeast by the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands, on the south by the northern coast of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, and on the southwest by Sakhalin Island. Except for the small area touching Hokkaido, the sea is completely enclosed by Russian territory. Its area covers 611,000 square miles (1,583,000 square kilometres), and it has a mean depth of about 2,818 feet (859 metres). The sea's maximum depth is 11,063 feet (3,372 metres). Russian Okhotskoye More, or Ochotskoje More, a northwestern arm of the Pacific Ocean that is largely enclosed by various landforms of northeastern Asia. The Sea of Okhotsk is bounded on the west by the Siberian coast of Russia from the Amur River estuary on the south to the mouth of the Penzhina River in the north. The sea is enclosed by the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands on the east and is bounded by the Japanese island of Hokkaido to the south and the Russian island of Sakhalin to the southwest. The shores of both Japan and Russia are washed by the Sea of Okhotsk, which covers 611,000 square miles (1,583,000 square km) and has an average depth of 2,549 feet (777 m). For the most part, the continental shores of the sea are high and rocky and are interspersed with the mouths of large, regional rivers that flow into the seathe Amur, Uda, Okhota, Gizhiga, and Penzhina. The sea bottom slopes downward from north to south and southwest. The northern and northwestern parts constitute a continental shallow up to 650 feet (200 m) in depth, while the remaining area (about 70 percent of the total) is a continental slope from 650 to 5,000 feet (1,500 m) deep. The northeastern, northern, and western regions of the Okhotsk experience severe weather during the winter, because of the influence of Asian continental weather extremes. From October through April these areas experience very cold air temperatures and are constantly covered with ice. To the south and southeast, the proximity of the Pacific results in a milder marine climate. In the northern part of the sea, the average monthly air temperature during February is -4 F (-20 C), while in August the average is 54 F (12 C). In the sea's southern parts, the average monthly air temperature is 19 F (-7 C) in February and 64 F (18 C) in August. Ice cover appears in the sea at the end of October and reaches its greatest extent in March. The water of the Sea of Okhotsk consists of continental drainage, precipitation, and waters flowing westward from the Pacific Ocean through the numerous straits in the Kuril Islands and northward from the Sea of Japan (East Sea) through the La Perouse (Soya) Strait. Because of the influence of these oceanic currents, the waters of the eastern half of the sea are warmer than those of the western part. The general movement of water in the Okhotsk is counterclockwise. The influx of waters from the Pacific, especially between the eastern and central Kurils, forms a powerful north-flowing current in several branches in the east, while in the west a similar, south-flowing current is supplemented by river drainage from the Siberian mainland. The Sea of Okhotsk's waters are quite favourable to marine life during the warmer months of the year. The sea's flora includes algae and seaweed, and its fauna includes crayfish, mussels, crabs, sea urchins, polyps, and various types of fish. Salmon, herring, pollack, flounder, cod, capelin, and smelts (or frostfish), as well as crab and shrimp, are all commercially important. The Okhotsk is also inhabited by marine mammalswhales, seals, sea lions, and fur seals. Regular navigation connecting the ports of the Russian Far East is conducted through the Okhotsk. On the continental coast the main ports are Magadan in Nagayevo Bay and Okhotsk. Korsakov on the island of Sakhalin and Severo-Kurilsk and Yuzhno-Kurilsk on the Kuril Islands are also important. In winter, ice floes impede sea navigation, and dense fog is a hindrance during the summer. Additional reading Materials on the Sea of Okhotsk are published primarily in Russian, although English-language articles can be found in Oceanus. Arkady Vladimirovich Alekseev Konstantin Trifonovich Bogdanov