Bering strait

Bering strait

El Bering strait It is a portion of the sea that extends between the eastern end of the Asian territory and the northwestern extreme of the American territory. On the part of the Asian territory, it includes countries such as Siberia and Russia, while in the extreme north-western American we have Alaska. This strait has served as a channel to communicate between the Bering Sea in the north and the Chukotka Sea in the south. It has a great importance for the strategy and some curiosities worth knowing.

Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about the Bering Strait and its characteristics.

Key features

bering strait infrastructure

The Bering Strait is 82 kilometers wide and is mainly composed of cold waters. Being near the highest part of the northern hemisphere we have quite low temperatures. This means that its temperature will be low throughout the year. It has an average depth of 30-50 meters. It was baptized with this name in honor of the Danish explorer Vitus Bering.

Inside this strait we find two islands known as the Diomedes Islands. It is divided into vi Diomedes Minor and Diomedes Greater. The first is in North American territory while the second is in Russian territory. Both islands pass the international date change line that divides Strait two. Throughout history, various plans have been proposed for the construction of a bridge that can connect the two ends of the Bering Strait. Thus, you can allow transit to trade between Asia and America. This project was abandoned due to the success of the transatlantic telegraph cable.

Subsequently, it was reconsidered in 2011 as a commercial passage project between the United States, Russia and China. which could include a 200 km long underwater tunnel. Already today this entire area of ​​the Bering Strait is a closed military zone. You can get to visit with the appropriate passports from the Russian government. There are usually several very strict controls over the entire region. The only nearby Russian towns are the cities of Anadyr and Providéniya.

Bering Strait theory

theories about human expansion

There are several theories and curiosities about the Bering Strait. And it is that many experts affirm that this strait could have given rise to the colonization in America. There are numerous theories about human migration from Asia to America in ancient times. Most of these theories have a possible answer and it is the Bering Strait. The low level of the oceans caused by an ice age or an ice age would have exposed a whole stretch of land that linked the two continents. Thus, some human ancestor could have migrated.

It is one of the theories about the expansion of the human being from the Asian territory to the American territory. This natural bridge would be known as the Beringia Bridge. If this theory were true, it is possible that this strait would have given rise to the human colonization of the entire American continent and, above all, to a parallel evolution with respect to its European and Asian cousins. As the global temperature increased again, this path would have disappeared and melted into the skies. The ocean had increased its level again and had submerged in a natural source between the continents. In this way, the American settlers are isolated and it is a theory that is still under discussion today by experts in the field.

This is how the Americans had to develop independently of the Europeans and Asians.

Biodiversity of the Bering Strait

union between continents

As we have mentioned before, this strait is in the Bering Sea. It is a sea that has many species of animals and plants. It has been considered as a marine ecosystem with great importance. All arctic areas around this strait benefit from the presence of biodiversity. This is because its waters can be found in a multitude of marine mammals, mollusks, crustaceans, fish and other animals of a more microscopic size.

There are more than 160 species of floating algae that have their ecosystem in the Bering Sea. For example, we find the giant brown algae that are capable of forming lush forests in some aquatic areas. There are a total of approximately 420 species of fish that has helped the proliferation of fishing and the business with it. However, there are some impacts and threats that are affecting the Bering Sea.

The Bering Strait is strongly affected by human impact, which also causes problems at sea. It is an area quite vulnerable to environmental problems and the negative effects of global warming. Hence arises the theory of the Bering Strait mentioned above. Being an area closer to the Arctic Ocean it is more sensitive since it is being affected by the increase in water levels as a result of the melting of the polar ice caps.

Contamination

The Bering Strait also suffers a pollution process due to the various productive activities of human beings. Fishing suffers from exploitation and serious problems have been caused to many species. For example, the westernmost area has a serious state of overfishing and illegal fishing.

Some parts of this sea have been contaminated with large amounts of organic waste and toxic substances of microscopic size. The problem with these substances is that they are more complicated to eliminate. Polychlorinated biphenyls, persistent organic pollutants, traces of mercury, lead, selenium, and cadmium have been found in the body of many sea animals. We also see some impacts produced by maritime traffic that they disturb marine life and a great risk of oil spills.

As you can see, this strait holds many curiosities and theories that could affirm that the human being could expand thanks to its presence. I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Bering Strait and its characteristics.


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