Gulf of Alaska

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/gulf-of-alaska

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Southern coast of Alaska, North Pacific Ocean
2. What is the oceanographic influence?Moderated by the North Pacific Current, fed by the warm Kuroshio Current
3. Why does the Gulf of Alaska stay ice‑free all year?Warm water from the North Pacific Current, which comes from the Kuroshio Current in the western Pacific, keeps the Gulf warm enough that sea ice does not form.
4. How do glaciers affect the Gulf of Alaska?Glaciers melt and send fresh water and ice into the Gulf, shaping the shoreline and helping to move sediment around. Some of the biggest glaciers in North America, like the Malaspina and Bering, end in the Gulf.

Tidewater Glacier: A glacier that terminates in the sea, characterized by ice calving and significant freshwater input into the marine environment.
Oceanographic Regime Shift: A significant and relatively abrupt change in the physical and biological characteristics of an ocean basin, often linked to climate variability.
Benthic Ecosystem: The ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers.
Habitat Areas of Particular Concern: Specific marine areas identified as critical for the conservation of vulnerable or essential habitats, often requiring special management.