Open water has replaced sea ice in much of the Bering Sea off Alaska's west coast, leaving villages vulnerable to powerful winter storms and adding challenges to Alaska Native hunters seeking marine mammals, an expert said Monday. Sea ice historically covers much of the Bering Sea throughout the winter with maximum coverage through March. Kotzebue Sound, a great bay northeast of the Bering Strait, already has open water, an occurrence normally seen in June. Normally, sea ice covers much of the Bering Sea throughout the winter with maximum coverage through March, as seen in this March 11, 2014 photo of a frozen beach on the Bering Sea coast. Sea ice historically has formed a "cold pool" in the central Bering Sea, a barrier of cold water that sets the structure for fish.

Source: CBC News March 05, 2019 02:15 UTC