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How do the Kuril Islands connect the Sea of Okhotsk to the Pacific Ocean?

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Vertical physical map showing the seas of Japan and Okhotsk, highlighting underwater basins, trenches, and ridges, as well as the coastlines and boundaries of Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea, and Japan. Major cities, islands, and peninsulas such as Vladivostok, Tokyo, Hokkaido, Sakhalin, Kamchatka Peninsula, and the Kuril Islands are labeled. Water depths are indicated with color shading, and an inset locator map shows the region's position in East Asia.
Sea of Okhotsk

The Kuril Islands act as a geographic barrier that separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. This archipelago, which extends 750 miles from the Kamchatka Peninsula to Hokkaido, connects the two bodies of water through a series of straits.12

These straits facilitate the exchange of water between the sea and the ocean, which is essential for the region's hydrology. Pacific ocean currents flow through these straits, influencing the temperature and marine environment of the Sea of Okhotsk. Generally, water flows into the sea through the northern half of the straits, while it returns to the Pacific Ocean through the southern half. This constant intermingling of waters, combined with the upwelling of nutrient-rich deep ocean water, makes the Sea of Okhotsk one of the most biologically productive seas in the world.2