Ugashik Bay
Encyclopedia
Ugashik Bay is a bay
of the Bering Sea
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
. It is an elongated, comma-shaped estuary formed where the Ugashik River
empties into Bristol Bay
, on the western coast of the Alaska Peninsula
.
Its waters are characteristically turbid and turbulent, the result of muddy feeder streams, frequent winds, and very high tides. Some Bristol Bay tides are thought to rank eighth highest in the world, and Ugashik Bay is greatly influenced by this tidal action.
The bay is bordered on the north by a sand beach stretching from Smoky Point
on the west to the wide mouth of Dago Creek
, on the east by a mud-and-sand shoreline running nearly true north-south past the village of Pilot Point
to Muddy Point. The southern shore is a shifting series of mud-and-sand ridges, the northernmost and most prominent of which is called South Spit.
The bay influences a marine zone ranging from Cape Greig
eight miles (14 km) north, to Cape Menshikof twelve miles (20 km) to the south.
Ugashik Bay's weather is quite variable, especially during winter when storm systems frequently change climatological influences on the area. Storms blowing winds up from the North Pacific can make winter conditions relatively mild, even balmy; whereas winds from the Alaska Interior
can bring clear and bitter cold conditions. Westerly winds blowing off the Bering Sea
bring high humidity and biting cold, combined with coastal low clouds and fog, even in summer. This is so commonplace that Smoky Point was named from the frequent inclement weather.
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
of the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It is an elongated, comma-shaped estuary formed where the Ugashik River
Ugashik River
The Ugashik River is a 42-mile-long river on the Alaska Peninsula of the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows from headwaters near Lower Ugashik Lake and empties into Ugashik Bay, an estuary of the Bering Sea's Bristol Bay....
empties into Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
, on the western coast of the Alaska Peninsula
Alaska Peninsula
The Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The peninsula separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea....
.
Its waters are characteristically turbid and turbulent, the result of muddy feeder streams, frequent winds, and very high tides. Some Bristol Bay tides are thought to rank eighth highest in the world, and Ugashik Bay is greatly influenced by this tidal action.
The bay is bordered on the north by a sand beach stretching from Smoky Point
Smoky Point
Smoky Point is a point of land in the U.S. state of Alaska, located at , where Ugashik Bay joins the much larger Bristol Bay. The most easily distinguishable landmark is the United States Coast Guard lighthouse which is visible to mariners on the eastern shore of Bristol Bay and all of Ugashik...
on the west to the wide mouth of Dago Creek
Dago Creek
Dago Creek is an estuary of and small feeder stream to Ugashik Bay, located on the western flats of the central Alaska Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska, at ....
, on the east by a mud-and-sand shoreline running nearly true north-south past the village of Pilot Point
Pilot Point, Alaska
Pilot Point is a city in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States, on the Alaska Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 100.-Geography:Pilot Point is located at...
to Muddy Point. The southern shore is a shifting series of mud-and-sand ridges, the northernmost and most prominent of which is called South Spit.
The bay influences a marine zone ranging from Cape Greig
Cape Greig
Cape Greig is a geographical feature of the Alaska Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska, where a 290-foot ridge juts into the Bering Sea. It is located on the Bristol Bay coast eight miles north of Smoky Point and 32 miles south of Goose Point .The bay was named after the Russian admiral Alexey...
eight miles (14 km) north, to Cape Menshikof twelve miles (20 km) to the south.
Ugashik Bay's weather is quite variable, especially during winter when storm systems frequently change climatological influences on the area. Storms blowing winds up from the North Pacific can make winter conditions relatively mild, even balmy; whereas winds from the Alaska Interior
Alaska Interior
The Alaska Interior covers most of the U.S. state's territory. It is largely wilderness. Mountains include Mount McKinley in the Alaska Range, the Wrangell Mountains, and the Ray Mountains....
can bring clear and bitter cold conditions. Westerly winds blowing off the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
bring high humidity and biting cold, combined with coastal low clouds and fog, even in summer. This is so commonplace that Smoky Point was named from the frequent inclement weather.