The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

defined by the curve of the southern coast of

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found. The Gulf shoreline is a combination of forest, mountain and a number of tidewater glaciers. Alaska's largest glaciers, the Malaspina Glacier and Bering Glacier, spill out onto the coastal line along the Gulf of Alaska. The coast is heavily indented with Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound, the two largest connected bodies of water. It includes Yakutat Bay and Cross Sound.

Lituya Bay Lituya Bay (; Tlingit language, Tlingit: ''Ltu.aa'',. Spelled L'tua in translation of Tebenkov's log. meaning 'lake within the point') is a fjord located on the coast of the south-east part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is long and wide at ...

(a fjord north of Cross Sound, and south of Mount Fairweather) is the site of the largest recorded

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

in history. It serves as a sheltered anchorage for fishing boats. Gulfofalaskamap

The Gulf of Alaska is considered a Class I, productive ecosystem with more than 300 grams of carbon per square meter per year based on SeaWiFS data. Deep water

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

s can be found in the Gulf of Alaska. '' Primnoa pacifica'' has contributed to the location being labeled as Habitat Areas of Particular Concern. ''P. pacifica'' is a deep water coral typically found between and here. Thanks to the North Pacific Current, which is in turn fed by the warm

Kuroshio Current The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...

, the Gulf of Alaska remains ice-free throughout the year. In 1977, the Gulf of Alaska started to manifest an unexpected and at that time inexplicable shift on its normal climate regime, resulting in a growth of the mean temperature of the sea surface and in an increased availability and variety of commercial fish species. A similar volatile

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

was observed during the 1970s in the

North Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

seas.

Meteorology

The Gulf is a great generator of

storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...

s. In addition to dumping vast quantities of snow and ice on southern Alaska, resulting in some of the largest concentrations south of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

, many of the storms move south along the coasts of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Washington,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and as far south as

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

(primarily during

El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

events). Much of the seasonal rainfall and snowfall in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

and

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

comes from the Gulf of Alaska.

Extent

The

International Hydrographic Organization The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) (French: ''Organisation Hydrographique Internationale'') is an intergovernmental organization representing hydrography. the IHO comprised 102 member states. A principal aim of the IHO is to ...

defines the limits of the Gulf of Alaska as follows:

''On the north.'' The coast of
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. ''On the south.'' A line drawn from Cape Spencer, the northern limit of the Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia to Kabuch Point, the southeast limit of the
Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...
, in such a way that all the adjacent islands are included in the Gulf of Alaska.

The US Geological Survey's

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...

database defines the Gulf of Alaska as bounded on the north by the coast of Alaska and on the south by a line running from the south end of Kodiak Island on the west to Dixon Entrance on the east.

Islands

* Admiralty Island *

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Island * Aghiyuk Island * Aiaktalik Island * Akun Island * Akutan Island * Aleutika Island * Amaknak Island * Adronica Island * Annette Island * Anyaka Island * Ariadne Island * Augustine Island * Avatanak Island * Baker Island * Ban Island * Baranof Island * Beautiful Isle * Bell Island * Benjamin Island * Biorka Island * Bligh Island * Chat Island * Chenega Island * Chichagof Island * Chisik Island * Chiswell Island(s) * Chowiet Island *

Coronation Island Coronation Island is the largest of the South Orkney Islands, long and from wide. The island extends in a general east–west direction, is mainly ice-covered and comprises numerous bays, glaciers and peaks, the highest rising to . History T ...

* Cronin Island * Culross Island * Dall Island * Deer Island * Doggie Island * Dolgoi Island * Douglas Island * Duke Island * East Chugach Island * Egg Island * Egg Island(s) * Eldred Rock * Eleanor Island * Elizabeth Island * Erlington Island * Esther Island * Etolin Island * Fish Island * Fitzgerald Island * Forrester Island * Goloi Island * Granite Island * Gravina Island * Green Island * Gregson Island * Gull Island * Haenke Island * Harbor Island * Hawkins Island * Heceta Island * Herring Island(s) * Hesketh Island * Hinchinbrook Island * Kalgin Island * Kanak Island * Karpa Island * Kataguni Island * Kayak Island * Khantaak Island * Knight Island * Kodiak Island * Korovin Island * Kosciusko Island * Kriwoi Island * Kruzof Island * Kuiu Island * Kupreanof Island * Latouche Island * Lemesurier Island * Lincoln Island * Lone Island *

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

* Lulu Island * Lynn Brothers * Ma Relle Island(s) * Mab Island * Marmot Island * Mitkof Island * Montague Island * Nakchamik Island * Naked Island * Near Island * Noyes Island * Nuka Island * Osier Island * Otmeloi Island * Outer Island * Partofshikof Island * Pearl Island * Perry Island * Pleasant Island * Popof Island * Powder Island * Prince of Wales Island * Rabbit Island * Ragged Island * Rugged Island * Raspberry Island * Revillagigedo Island * Rootok Island * San Fernando Island * San Juan Island * Sebree Island * Sentinel Island * Shelter Island * Shikosi Island * Shuyak Island * Sinith Island(s) * Sitkalidak Island * Sitkinak Island * Spruce Island * Strawberry Island * Suemez Island * Sullivan Island * Sutwik Island * Talsani Island * Tanker Island * Tigalda Island * Tugidak Island * Twoheaded Island * Uganik Island * Unalaska Island * Unalga Island * Unavikshak Island * Unga Island * Warren Island * Whale Island * Wingham Island * Wooded Island(s) * Woronkofski Island * Wrangell Island * Yakobi Island * Yukon Island * Zarembo Island

References

External links

World Atlas: Gulf Of Alaska – Map & Description
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alaska Bodies of water of Alaska Gulfs of the Pacific Ocean Gulfs of the United States Temperate Northern Pacific