Sea · United States, Canada
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is an icy sea of the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska and northern Canada. It is frozen almost all year round; only near the coast does a narrow strip of water open in late summer.
Picture credit: BLM Alaska (Public domain) · NASA / DMS (Public domain) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Beaufort Sea?
Part of: Arctic Ocean.
Countries on its coasts: the United States, Canada.
The story behind it
The Beaufort Sea is named after Sir Francis Beaufort, a hydrographer – someone who measures and maps the sea. Near the coast the water is shallower than 60 metres, but further north the seabed drops steeply to about 4 683 metres. The Mackenzie River, the longest river in Canada, flows into the sea and brings about 15 million tonnes of mud and sand every year. In summer, beluga whales gather in the Mackenzie Estuary; about 39 000 of these white whales live in this sea. Polar bears roam the ice, while bearded seals and walruses feed on small animals on the seabed. A little fish called the polar cod is food for belugas, seals and seabirds. Because the Arctic is getting warmer, the open water in late summer has grown much bigger. Tuktoyaktuk in Canada and Prudhoe Bay in Alaska lie on its cold shores.
Find it on the globe
Beaufort Sea is there as a name written across its water — tap the water and its card opens. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
Questions children ask
How big is the Beaufort Sea?
The Beaufort Sea covers about 476 000 km². At its deepest point it is about 4 683 metres deep, but near the coast it is shallower than 60 metres.
Is the Beaufort Sea always frozen?
Almost. For most of the year ice covers the sea, and only in August and September does a strip of open water appear near the shore. Because the Arctic is warming, this ice-free area has grown much larger in recent years.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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