FY 1981

Marine climatology of the Bering Sea

Overland, J.E.

Chapter 2 in Eastern Bering Sea Shelf: Oceanography and Resources, D.W. Hood and J.A. Calder (eds.), Vol. 1, USDOC/NOAA/OMPA, 15–22 (1981)

The climate of the Bering Sea is strongly related to the presence and movement of marginal sea ice. In winter, weather elements are continental and arctic in character, being replaced by maritime influences from the south in summer. In winter this results in north to easterly winds, a tendency for clear skies, and substantial diurnal temperature range. Summer is characterized by a progression of storms through the Bering rather than fixed weather types, producing increased cloudiness, reduced diurnal temperature range, and winds rotating through the compass with a slight tendency for southwest.