How does the Bering Sea exchange water with the Arctic Ocean?

The Bering Sea exchanges water with the Arctic Ocean primarily through the Bering Strait, a shallow passage that separates Asia and North America.12

While the bulk of the Bering Sea's water eventually returns to the Pacific Ocean, a portion flows northward through the strait into the Arctic. This inflow of relatively low-salinity Pacific water is driven largely by a slight difference in sea level between the North Pacific and the Arctic oceans, though it is also significantly influenced by large-scale atmospheric circulation over the North Pacific.123

Once this water enters the Arctic via the Chukchi Sea, it mixes with colder, more saline waters. Due to its specific density, this Pacific water often flows as a distinct layer or "wedge" between the Arctic surface waters and the deeper, warmer Atlantic water masses.3