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Beaufort Sea Facts

Beaufort Sea Facts
Beaufort Sea is located in the Arctic Ocean, west of Canada's Artic Islands, and north of Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. The sea was named after Sir Francis Beaufort, a hydrographer and Royal Navy officer (1774-1857). The Beaufort Sea is subjected to a severe climate and is frozen much of the year. It covers an area of 69,000 square miles and has an average depth of 407 feet.
Interesting Beaufort Sea Facts:
One of the few permanent settlements on the shore of the Beaufort Sea is located where the Major Mackenzie River empties into it.
The present population on the seacoast is very low. At one time there were claims that it was once as high as 30,000 people but this has been mostly proven not to be true.
There are supposed large oil and gas resources under the Beaufort Sea's shelf, including the Amauligak field.
Locals in the area of the Beaufort Sea continue to fish, as well as hunt for seals and whales but this is not done on a commercial scale.
Commercial fishing in the region is controlled by the United States and Canadian governments, which helps protect the large colony of beluga whales in the Beaufort Sea.
There is a border dispute for the slice of land on the International Boundary between the Yukon and Alaska in the sea. Canada and the US have yet to resolve the dispute for the wedge-shaped piece of property.
There are several rivers that drain into the Beaufort Sea including the Kongakut River, and the Major Mackenzie.


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