Kara Sea

1 7.9

A sea north of Siberia and east of the Barents Sea, often frozen much of the year

proper noun

: mar de Kara

The Kara Sea remains frozen for much of the year due to its harsh Arctic climate.

Examples

Several important Russian rivers, such as the Ob and Yenisei, flow into the Kara Sea.
Explorers have long been challenged by the unpredictable ice conditions of the Kara Sea.
The Kara Sea is often covered in ice.
Many researchers study the Kara Sea for climate change effects.
Explorers have long been challenged by the unpredictable ice conditions of the Kara Sea.
The Kara Sea remains frozen for much of the year due to its harsh Arctic climate.
Several important Russian rivers, such as the Ob and Yenisei, flow into the Kara Sea.

Surface Forms

Kara Sea main

Morphology

Kara + sea

The element 'sea' clearly signals a body of water, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer that this is a sea named 'Kara'. However, 'Kara' is a proper name with no lexical meaning, so the specific location (north of Siberia) and properties (icebound much of the year) are not derivable from the parts. The cross-linguistic pattern 'X Sea' helps learners infer the referent category but not the detailed semantic information.

Etymology

Kara Sea may take its name from the nearby Kara River and the local people who lived along it. Early mapmakers often called a sea by the river that flowed into it, so the name reminds us that this is the cold Arctic water where that river meets the ocean and which stays frozen much of the year.