Water Exchange between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean through the Kamchatka Strait

I. A. Zhabin, V. B. Lobanov, S. Watanabe, M. Wakita, and S. N. Taranova

Hydrological and hydrochemical conditions in the Kamchatka Strait are considered, the computation of geostrophic flows is carried out, and estimations of the water exchange between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean through this strait are made on the basis of the analysis of data obtained during the trip of the research vessel Miraii in August, 2004. According to the results of computations, the volume transport from the Bering Sea to the Pacific Ocean made up 10.2 Sv; mass transport, 10.4 109 kg/s; salt transport, 0.35 106 kg/s. The estimated value of heat transport through the strait is 11.4 1015 W. The Eastern Kamchatka Current carries oxygen and biogenic elements through the strait: 1222, 28, 380, and 1036 kmol/s for oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, and silicon, respectively. In total, the Bering Sea is the source of oxygen and biogenic elements for the northern part of the Pacific Ocean in the upper 500-m layer.