This gazetteer presents the names of seafloor and coastal features of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Arc. It is the second of three gazetteers that cover the offshore and coastal features of Alaska. Alaska was divided into three major regions - the Gulf of Alaska (Gerin and Molnia, 1978), the Bering Sea and Aleutian Arc, and the Arctic Seas. (Fig. 1) The Bering Sea was divided further into subregions, and the named features are grouped together by subregions. The subregions for the Bering Sea are: 1) the Aleutian Islands from Unimak to Attu, including the features of the store and trench; 2) the Bering Sea coast from Isanotski Strait on the Alaska Peninsula north to the Bering Strait, including Nunivak and Saint Lawrence Islands; and 3) the Bering Sea, offshore features from the Aleutian Islands to the Bering Strait. (Fig. 2)
The purpose of the gazetteer is to serve as a collection of named features of the region, both current and new names. This gazetteer provides a single source of names for coastal and offshore features rather than separate land and sea references. With the increased activity of offshore exploration there is an increased use of current and new names in reports and maps of the Bering Sea.
