56°24′35″N143°22′53″E / 56.4097°N 143.3815°E
Iony Island Остров Ионы | |
|---|---|
 Location of Ioni Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. | |
| Country | Russian Federation |
| Federal subject | Khabarovsk Krai |
| Elevation | 165 m (541 ft) |
Iony Island (Russian : Остров Ионы), or Jonas' Island, formerly Ostrov Svyatogo Iony ( Saint Jonas' Island), [1] is a small island in the Sea of Okhotsk. Administratively, Iony belongs to the Khabarovsk Krai of the Russian Federation. [2]
Iony Island is the only island in the Sea of Okhotsk that is located in the open sea. All other islands in the Okhotsk Sea are either coastal or belong to the Kuril island chain. [3] [4] It is 1.6 km (1 mi) in length, 850 m (2,790 ft) wide, and rises to a height of 165 m (541 ft). The island is barren and conical in shape with sheer cliffs rising to heights of 30–45 m (98–148 ft). Several rocks lie off the island, including a group of four 9–12 m (30–39 ft) high rocks about 800 metres (0.50 mi) to the north-northwest and several detached rocks 160–320 m (520–1,050 ft) to the south.
The island is often enveloped in dense fog due to cold bottom water upwelling to the surface. The flood tidal current off the island sets west, while the ebb sets to the east or east-southeast. These currents may reach up to 1.5 to 2 knots during spring tides and create numerous eddies, small whirlpools, and tide rips around the island for some distance offshore. [5]
As early as 1849 whaleships had reached Jonas Island. [6] Between 1852 and 1866 the island's waters were a common hunting ground for ships cruising for bowhead whales — Captain Moses Snell, of the ship Pacific, of Fairhaven, reported seeing as many as forty-five other ships from his masthead just to the south of the island early in June 1855. [7] The fleet would usually reach the area by late May or early June, [8] spending a few weeks cruising for whales before sailing to the south and west, following the retreating ice. Some would go ashore to take advantage of the bounty of seabirds and pinnipeds residing on the island's rocky shores. [9] [10]
On 3 June 1855 the ship Edgar, of Cold Spring, was wrecked on the island during a fog. All hands were saved. [11] The ship then caught or was set on fire. [12] Ships sent boats ashore to salvage what they could of the reported 1,200 to 1,600 bbls of oil that had been aboard the ship, while others picked up whatever they found drifting offshore. [13]
Schooners hunted fur seals on the island between 1889 and 1896. At least 2,250 were caught, with a peak of 879 by four schooners in 1890. [14] [15]
The island is a breeding ground for the Steller sea lion. [16] [17] In the spring and summer, a number of seabirds nest on the island, including northern fulmar, several species of auklet (whiskered, least, and crested), horned and tufted puffin, common and thick-billed murre, Leach's and fork-tailed storm petrel, kittiwake, gulls, and cormorants. [18] The island, along with its surrounding waters, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because of its significant seabird colonies. [19]
Okhotsk is an urban locality and the administrative center of Okhotsky District of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located at the mouth of the Okhota River on the Sea of Okhotsk. Population: 4,215 (2010 Census); 5,738 (2002 Census); 9,298 (1989 Soviet census).
The Fourth Kuril Strait is a very deep strait separating the islands of Onekotan and Paramushir in the Kuril Islands, Russia. It is 46.7 km wide. It was formerly known as the Amphitrite Strait. The flood tidal current in the strait sets west-northwest, while the ebb flows in the opposite direction. These currents may reach over two knots.
Shelikhov Gulf is a large gulf off the northwestern coast of Kamchatka, Russia. The gulf is named after Russian explorer Grigory Shelikhov.
Sakhalin Gulf is a gulf in the Sea of Okhotsk between continental Russia and the Schmidt Peninsula, at the northern tip of Sakhalin Island. The width of the gulf reaches up to 160 km (99 mi). It is covered with ice from mid-November until late April, but north winds can leave the bay blocked with ice until July.
The Shantar Islands are a group of fifteen islands located off the northwestern shore of the Sea of Okhotsk east of Uda Gulf and north of Academy Bay. Most of the islands have rugged cliffs, but they are of moderate height; the highest point in the island group is 720 metres. The name of the island group has its origins in the Nivkh language from the word ч’андь č’and’ meaning "to be white".
Bolshoy Shantar is the main island of the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia; its area is 1,766 square kilometres and it measures about 72 by 49 km. It has a large brackish lake on its north side which is connected to the sea through a narrow passage. Yakshin Bay indents the southwest side of the island.
Feklistova or Feklistov Island is one of the Shantar Islands in Sea of Okhotsk. With an area of 372 square kilometres, it is the second largest in the archipelago.
The Spafaryev Islands, or Spafaryev Island, a relatively large double island, are located in the Sea of Okhotsk. It was formerly known as Korovi Island. It lies 7 km east of the Antamlan Peninsula, the southernmost peninsula enclosing the Taui Bay from its western side.
Nedorazumeniya Island is an island on the north coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. It lies on the north side of Taui Bay, between Amakhton Bay to the west and Nagaev Bay to the east. It is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of the city of Magadan.
Taui Bay is a body of water in the Sea of Okhotsk off the coast of the Magadan Oblast in Russia. The bay opens to the south.
Nikolaya Bay, formerly Usalginsky Bay, is a small, narrow bay in the northwestern Sea of Okhotsk, just south of the Shantar Islands. It is a southeastern branch of the larger Academy Bay to the north. Its northern and southern points, Lamsdorf Point and Cape Grote, are separated by only 8 km (5 mi), while the bay itself is about 59.5 km (37 mi) deep in a southerly direction. The Tokara Peninsula separates it from Ulban Bay to the west. The Usalgin River runs into its head. Spring tides rise 5.5 m (18 ft), while neaps rise 2.4–3 m (8–10 ft). There is ice in the bay from mid-November to mid-July.
Tugur Bay or Tugursky Bay is a large bay in the Tuguro-Chumikansky District of Khabarovsk Krai, Russian Federation.
Maly Shantar Island is a small, narrow island in the northwestern Sea of Okhotsk, one of the Shantar Islands.
Prokofyeva is a small island in the Sea of Okhotsk. It is one of the Shantar Islands. It lies to the northeast of Bolshoy Shantar Island.
Lindholm Strait is a strait in the northwestern Sea of Okhotsk. It separates Malyy Shantar and Belichiy Islands to the north from the Tugur Peninsula to the south. At its narrowest it is only 3.2 km wide. Tides are semidiurnal. Springs rise 4.9 m, while neaps rise 3.6 m. The flood current sets west, while the stronger ebb current flows in the opposite direction. The former creates large eddies and whirlpools. Tidal currents vary from 3.5 to 6 knots.
Ptichy Island is a small island in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Lebyazhya Bay is a small bay that indents the south side of Feklistova Island, one of the Shantar Islands, in the western Sea of Okhotsk. Its entrance is 11.3 kilometers (7.0 mi) wide and it is 5.6 kilometers (3.5 mi) deep. There are three small bays at its head: Enegelma Road to the west, Soboleva to the north, and Rosseta to the east. A small island, Sukhotina, lies to its southeast. In the spring and summer it is host to a small nesting colony of thick-billed murre. A number of streams of fresh water flow down the hills into the bay. Spring tides rise 6.5 meters (21 ft) while neaps rise 2.4 meters.
Severo-Vostochnaya Gavan' is a small bay on the north side of Uda Gulf, in the western Sea of Okhotsk. It lies 2.4 km (1.5 mi) west of Cape Nosorog. It offers shelter from northeast gales.
The Bussol Strait, known in Japan as the North Urup Channel, is a wide strait that separates the islands of Broutona and Chirpoy to the west from Simushir to the east. It is nearly 58 km wide, making it the largest channel in the Kuril Islands.
Yakshin Bay is a small bight in the western Sea of Okhotsk. It is 29 km wide and indents the southwest side of Bolshoy Shantar Island. The bay is entered between Capes Raduzhnyy to the west and Filippa to the east. The Yakshin River flows into the head of the bay. There is ice in the bay from December to July. Tides rise 4.9 m (16 ft) at springs, with the flood current flowing in a counterclockwise direction round the bay and the ebb in the reverse direction. These tidal currents may reach 3.5 to 4 knots near the entrance of the bay but are less than 2 knots at its head.
