How do nutrient-rich waters make the Bering Sea biologically productive?

The Bering Sea achieves high biological productivity primarily through the process of upwelling, where deep, nutrient-rich oceanic waters rise to the surface.12

This nutrient enrichment is facilitated by the general circulation of the northern Pacific Ocean, as deep waters gradually move toward the surface. These nutrients support the growth of floating plant life, particularly diatom algae, which serve as the primary producers of organic matter in the ecosystem.13

The availability of these nutrients leads to two distinct annual growth cycles for this plant life:
* Spring: Occurs following the mixing of waters during the winter.3
* Autumn: Occurs during the autumnal mixing, when cooling surface waters descend and deeper, nutrient-rich waters are brought to the surface while sunlight remains sufficient for photosynthesis.3

Once these primary producers flourish, they are consumed by small zooplankton (such as copepods), which in turn support a diverse food web including various fish species, marine mammals, and seabirds.34