Several deep inlets of the Kara Sea cut into the mainland. The l.... sea kara

The largest rivers flowing into the sea are the Yenisey, Ob, Pyasina, and Kara, from which the sea derives its name. The Kara Sea lies on the Siberian Shelf; thus, about 40 percent of it is less than 160 feet (50 m) deep, and only 2 percent is over 1,600 feet (500 m) deep. The Kara Sea formed as a result of deglaciation during the last Ice Age, traces of glacial ice being found under a thin layer of silty sediment. In the winter the water temperature averages 29.1 F (-1.6 C); in the summer it reaches 43 F (6 C) in the southwestern part of the sea and 36 F (2 C) in the north. Fish found in the Kara Sea include cod, salmon, and sturgeon. The sea's mammals include the seal, sea hare, white whale, walrus, and polar bear. The Kara Sea is on the Russian Northern Sea route.