| Ecosystem |
Laptev Sea |
| Type |
Sea/Bay/Gulf |
| Salinity |
saltwater |
| Other Names |
|
| Location |
|
LME SAU No 57. LME2002, Modified LME 2006, SAU 2008. |
80° N 70° N - 104° E 142° E |
|
| Location Map |
Laptev_Sea.png |
| Size Ref |
|
River Length |
|
Area |
893318 km2 |
Drainage Area |
|
|
| Depth |
|
Average Depth |
|
Max Depth |
|
Ref |
|
|
| Temperature |
|
| Description |
The Laptev Sea Large Marine Ecosystem is a high-latitude marine region located within the Polar Cycle on the eastern part of the huge Siberian shelf. It is separated from the East-Siberian Sea LME by the New Siberian Islands. The Northern Land islands separate it from the Kara Sea LME to the West. There are extremely severe climatic conditions with major seasonal and annual changes. It is covered with ice for most of the year. Large amounts of sea ice form on the Laptev Sea shelf, providing an important link to the earth's global climate system. The sea is mostly shallow, although there are variations in depth, with a deeper northern sector. The coastline is indented with many islands, shallow bays, gulfs and inlets. The Yana, Lena, Olenek, Anabar, Khatanga and Kotuy Rivers provide an important source of fresh water for the Arctic Ocean. It is an LME with a unique sensitivity to environmental change (http://na.nefsc.noaa.gov/lme/text/lme57.htm). |
| Comments on faunal list |
Area from SAU (November 2015). |
| URL 1 |
http://www.seaaroundus.org/lme/57.aspx |
| URL 2 |
|
| Ecosystem Checklist Link |
|
| Total |
|
Species |
Families |
Species |
Families |
Reference |
|
751 |
316 |
|
|
|
|
