The Bering Sea: Gateway to the Arctic
Influence of the Bering Sea on Arctic Ecosystems Experiencing Rapid Sea-Ice Loss
The Bering Sea plays a critical role in regulating the physical and biological connections between the Pacific and the Arctic Oceans. In the Arctic Ocean, a strong halocline limits the vertical transport of nutrients from deep waters into the sunlit surface layer, constraining local primary production. As a result, Arctic phytoplankton growth depends heavily on nutrients transported from lower latitudes rather than on vertical mixing within the Arctic itself.
Changes in sea-ice conditions in the Bering Sea affect phytoplankton production and nutrient drawdown rates, which in turn influence the transport of nutrients, particulate matter, and colored dissolved organic material into the Arctic Ocean. These fluxes shape patterns of productivity and the structure of plankton communities in the Chukchi Sea and the western Pacific Arctic Ocean.
Two of the most productive regions of the Arctic Ocean—the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea—rely primarily on nutrient-rich Pacific waters flowing northward through the Bering Strait. Our ongoing ship-based observations, satellite analyses, mooring deployments, and modeling studies reveal substantial seasonal and interannual variability in sea-ice formation and retreat in the Bering Sea. These variations strongly influence phytoplankton standing stocks as well as the composition of phytoplankton and zooplankton communities.
In recent years, the Bering Sea has experienced periods of extensive sea ice associated with colder regional conditions, contrasting sharply with the long-term warming trend and rapid seasonal ice loss observed elsewhere in the Arctic. This divergence in sea-ice behavior highlights the importance of the Bering Sea as a dynamic gateway, where physical and biogeochemical processes exert disproportionate influence on Arctic marine ecosystems. Understanding these connections is essential for predicting how Arctic productivity and food webs will respond to ongoing climate change.