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Laptev Sea
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What is the Laptev Sea?
The Laptev Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the coast of Northern Siberia (Russia). It is bounded by the Taymyr Peninsula and the islands of Severnaya Zemlya on the west and by the New Siberian Islands on the east. It connects with the Kara Sea to the west and the East Siberian Sea to the east.
The sea was previously named the Siberian Sea but was renamed in 1935 to honor Khariton and Dmitry Laptev, the brothers who first mapped its shores between 1735 and 1740. The Laptev Sea has an area of about 276,000 square miles (714,000 square km), with an average depth of 1,896 feet (578 m) and a maximum depth of 9,774 feet (2,980 m). The Lena River is the largest of the numerous rivers that flow into the sea.
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Where is the Laptev Sea located?
The Laptev Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, is located off the coast of Northern Siberia (Russia). It is bounded by the Taymyr Peninsula and the islands of Severnaya Zemlya to the west, and by the New Siberian Islands and Kotelny Island to the east. The Laptev Sea connects to the Kara Sea in the west and the East Siberian Sea in the east. It was formerly called the Siberian Sea but was renamed in 1935 after Khariton and Dmitry Laptev, the brothers who first mapped its shores.
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What countries border the Laptev Sea?
The Laptev Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the coast of Northern Siberia, Russia. It is bordered by the Taymyr Peninsula and the islands of Severnaya Zemlya to the west and by the New Siberian Islands and Kotelny Island to the east. The Laptev Sea connects to the Kara Sea in the west and to the East Siberian Sea in the east.
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What is the climate like in the Laptev Sea region?
The Laptev Sea region has a harsh Arctic climate. Air temperatures in the north stay below 32°F (0°C) for about 11 months of the year, and for 9 months in the south. January temperatures average from -24° to -29°F (-31° to -34°C), with lows around -58°F (-50°C). July temperatures average just above freezing in the north and around 43°F (6°C) in the south, with highs reaching 50°F (10°C). Coastal areas can reach up to 75°F (24°C). Winter brings frequent gales, blizzards, and snowstorms, while summer brings snow squalls and fog. For most of the year, the sea is covered with ice.
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Why is the Laptev Sea important for Arctic sea ice?
The Laptev Sea is crucial for Arctic sea ice because it is where much of the Arctic's sea ice forms each winter. The growth and decay of sea ice in the Laptev Sea impacts local, regional, and global climate through interactions between the atmosphere and ocean. Sea ice restricts heat loss from the ocean to the atmosphere, while leads and polynyas allow significant heat and mass transfer during winter. Brine rejection from ice formation drives deep ocean mixing and influences global ocean circulation.
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What kinds of plants and animals live in the Laptev Sea?
The Laptev Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the coast of Northern Siberia. The sea is home to a variety of animal species, including seals, walruses, and polar bears. Fish are not abundant, but salmon and other fish can be found at the mouths of rivers.
Marine birds are abundant in the summer, including gulls and terns, sea ducks, and jaegers. There is also a special ecosystem associated with the sea ice that is based on algae.
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Laptev Sea, marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Northern Siberia (Russia), bounded by the Taymyr Peninsula (Poluostrov) and the islands of Severnaya Zemlya on the west and by the New Siberian Islands and Kotelny Island on the east. It is connected in the west with the Kara Sea and in the east with the East Siberian Sea. Formerly called the Siberian Sea, it was renamed in 1935 after Khariton and Dmitry Laptev, the brothers who first mapped its shores (1735–40). Its area is about 276,000 square miles (714,000 square km), the average depth 1,896 feet (578 m), and the greatest depth 9,774 feet (2,980 m).
Large bays cut into the shore, and numerous rivers, the largest being the Lena, flow into the sea. Several rivers form extensive deltas. Dozens of islands, primarily in the west, vary in landscape and origin.
Ancient rivers and glaciers were important in forming the bottom relief and shoreline. The floor of the sea is a gently sloping plain, breaking off abruptly toward the Arctic Ocean. The bottom of the deepwater part is covered with silt, the shallower areas with sand and silt. In the east, under a thin layer of deposits, occurs a layer of very old “relic” ice. As regards salinity, the thawing of ice and the inflow of fresh river water might have resulted in a layer of fresh water 53 inches (135 cm) thick. In winter the salinity in the southeastern part of the sea is 20–25 parts per thousand, in the northern part up to 34, and in summer the salinity falls to 5–10 parts per thousand in the southeast and 30–32 in the north.
Air temperature below 32° F (0° C) occurs in the north during about 11 months and in the south 9 months. The average temperature in January is -24° to -29° F (-31° to -34° C), the minimum about -58° F (-50° C). In July the average temperature in the north is just above the freezing point, in the south about 43° F (6° C), with a maximum of 50° F (10° C). On the shores the maximum can reach 75° F (24° C). In winter there are frequent gales, blizzards, and snowstorms; in the summer, snow squalls and fogs.
For most of the year the sea is covered with ice. In the winter the temperature of the water under the ice is 30.6° F (-0.8° C) in the southeast and 28.8° F (-1.8° C) in the north; in the deep regions it is from 29.1° to 28.9° F (-1.6° to -1.7° C). In the summer, in ice-free regions, a thin layer of water warms to above the freezing point.
At the mouths of the rivers people live by catching salmon and other fish. Mammals include various seals, walrus, and polar bear. The Laptev Sea is on the Northern Sea Route, with Tiksi the main port. Timber, building materials, and furs are the primary cargoes.