Kara Sea

Kara Sea
/kahr"euh/; Russ. /kah"rddeuh/
an arm of the Arctic Ocean between Novaya Zemlya and the N Russian Federation.

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sea, Russia
Russian  Karskoye, Karskoe, or Karskoje More,  

      marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off western Siberia ( Russia), between the Novaya Zemlya islands (west), Franz Josef Land (northwest), and the Severnaya Zemlya islands (east). It is connected with the Arctic Basin (north), the Barents Sea (west), and the Laptev Sea (east). It has an area of 340,000 square miles (880,000 square km). Average depth is 417 feet (127 m), and maximum depth is 2,034 feet (620 m).

      Several deep inlets of the Kara Sea cut into the mainland. The largest rivers flowing into the sea are the Yenisey, Ob, Pyasina, and Kara, from which the sea derives its name. Numerous islands, concentrated primarily in the north, are diverse in origin and landscape. Some are mountainous, others are completely covered by icy domes, and many are low-lying and sandy.

      The Kara Sea lies on the Siberian Shelf; thus, about 40 percent of it is less than 160 feet (50 m) deep, and only 2 percent is over 1,600 feet (500 m) deep. The shelf is cut in the north by two wide, deep-sea troughs—the Svyatoy Anny east of Franz Josef Land, with a depth of 2,034 feet (620 m), and the parallel Voronin Trough, some 180 miles (290 km) east, with a depth of 1,475 feet (450 m). East of Novaya Zemlya stretches the Novaya Zemlya Trough, 650–1,300 feet (200–400 m) deep.

      The Kara Sea formed as a result of deglaciation during the last Ice Age, traces of glacial ice being found under a thin layer of silty sediment. Rocky soils are found in the northeast part of the sea. There are also sandbars and sandy mainland shores.

      Salinity varies greatly, from 10–12 parts per thousand near the mouths of the Ob and the Yenisey to 33 parts at Franz Josef Land.

      Air temperatures below 32° F (0° C) prevail in the north 9 to 10 months a year and in the south 7 to 8 months. The average temperature in January is from -18° to -4° F (-28° to -20° C), and the minimum is -51° F (-46° C). In July, averages are from 30° to 43° F (-1° to 6° C), with a maximum of 61° F (16° C). Winter brings frequent gales and snowstorms, while summer brings snow, snow squalls, and fogs. For most of the year the sea is covered with ice.

      The water masses of the Kara Sea are extremely cold and stratified. In the winter the water temperature averages 29.1° F (-1.6° C); in the summer it reaches 43° F (6° C) in the southwestern part of the sea and 36° F (2° C) in the north. Currents move in two slow, counterclockwise rotations in the southwestern and northeastern parts of the sea.

      Fish found in the Kara Sea include cod, salmon, and sturgeon. The sea's mammals include the seal, sea hare, white whale, walrus, and polar bear.

      The Kara Sea is on the Russian Northern Sea route. The main port along it is Dikson. Timber, building materials, furs, and foodstuffs are the most important cargoes transported across it. The importance of the Kara Sea route has increased following the discovery in the Ob-Yenisey region of large deposits of oil and natural gas.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kara Sea — [kä′rə] arm of the Arctic Ocean, between Novaya Zemlya & NW Siberia …   English World dictionary

  • Kara Sea — Coordinates: 77°N 77°E / 77°N 77°E / 77; 77 …   Wikipedia

  • Kara Sea — noun A part of the Arctic Ocean in north Russia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya …   Wiktionary

  • Kara Sea — noun part of the Arctic Ocean to the north of Siberia and to the east of the Barents Sea; icebound most of the year • Instance Hypernyms: ↑sea • Part Holonyms: ↑Arctic Ocean • Part Meronyms: ↑Gulf of Ob, ↑Bay of Ob …   Useful english dictionary

  • KARA SEA —    is a portion of the Arctic Sea, on the NE. corner of Russia, between Nova Zembla and the Yalmal; receives the rivers Obi and Yenisei, and is navigable from July to September …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • kara sea — n. sea that borders the northwestern coast of Siberian Russia (it is part of the Arctic Ocean) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Kara Sea — Ka′ra Sea′ [[t]ˈkɑr ə[/t]] n. geg an arm of the Arctic Ocean between Novaya Zemlya and the N Russian Federation …   From formal English to slang

  • Kara Sea — geographical name arm of Arctic Ocean off coast of Russia E of Novaya Zemlya …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Kara Sea — /karə ˈsi/ (say kahruh see) noun an arm of the Arctic Ocean between Novaya Zemlya and northern Russia …  

  • Nansen Island (Kara Sea) — For other uses, see Nansen Island (disambiguation). Nansen Island Russian: Остров Нансена Nansen Island (Nansena) is located on the left side of the map …   Wikipedia

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