Beaufort Sea

This attraction is related to the following countries:CanadaUNITED STATES

The Beaufort Sea is a sea of the Arctic Ocean. It washes the northern coast of the Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory, and Alaska. The sea adjoins the western part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The northwestern boundary of the Beaufort Sea is a line from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Cape Land’s End, Prince Patrick Island. The area of the sea is about 450,000 km². The sea was named after the British hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort.

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General Information

The Beaufort Sea is fed by the large River Mackenzie, as well as numerous smaller rivers. Because this part of the Arctic Ocean is still relatively untapped by commercial shipping, it is an important habitat for whales and seabirds.

As of 2006, there is a dispute between the U.S. and Canada over the delimitation of the maritime boundary in the Beaufort Sea.

The main natural resource of the sea is considered to be offshore oil deposits, which are a geologic extension of the explored fields in the vicinity of the Mackenzie River and on the so-called North Slope (part of Alaska).

The Beaufort Sea was first explored in the 1960s, and the first offshore oil production platform was discovered in 1986.

Virtually all of the Beaufort Sea is under ice for most of the year; the northern part is covered by permanent ice fields.