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> Yukon River
Amy_Clapp
post Jun 2 2005, 06:00 PM
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Max,
Today in class I was showing students maps of the Yukon Watershed and showing them where the Yukon dumps into the ocean. They asked me a question that I don't know the answer to, but I'm hoping you do. The question is: Why does the water from the Yukon River go into the Arctic Ocean instead of the Pacific Ocean?

Thanks Max,
Ms. Clapp
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Max_Holmes
post Jun 21 2005, 10:21 AM
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Hi Amy,

As your students figured out, the Yukon River flows into the Bering Sea, which is part of the Pacific Ocean. But the currents in the Bering Sea take the Yukon River water north through the Bering Strait and into the Arctic Ocean. Because we're interested in river water in the Arctic Ocean, we also include the Yukon River in the study.

The other answer to the question is that there is a mountain range running east to west across northern Alaska (the Brooks Range). This mountain range makes it impossible for rivers to flow from the central part of Alaska (where the Yukon River is) directly to the Arctic Ocean.

Thanks for the question,

Max
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