Glacial Land Bridge between Siberia and Alaska

[dasa]

Postglacial Flooding of the Bering Land Bridge: A Geospatial Animation

 

 

 

The animation above shows sea level rising across the land bridge between Siberia (left) and Alaska (right).

 

 

During the Last Glacial Maximum, about 21,000 years ago, global sea level was approximately 120 m (400 ft) lower than today. The Bering Land Bridge existed as a vast tundra plain connecting Asia and North America. As the world's glaciers and ice sheets melted over the following millenia, rising sea level flooded the land bridge — blocking migration routes for animals and humans.

 

The land bridge animation is based on the best available digital information, and reveals large-scale patterns of shifting coastlines and environments as the land bridge evolved. Bathymetry and elevation are color-coded in 1000 calendar-year time steps.