Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios (Δ13C and Δ15N) of organic matter were measured in three sediment cores from deep basins of the Bering Sea to investigate past changes in surface nutrient conditions. For surface water reconstructions, hemipelagic layers in the cores were distinguished from turbidite layers (on the basis of their sedimentary structures and 14C ages) and analyzed for isotopic studies. Although Δ13C profiles may have been affected by diagenesis, both Δ15N and Δ13C values showed common positive anomalies during the last deglaciation. We explain these anomalies as reflecting suppressed vertical mixing and low nutrient concentrations in surface waters caused by injection of meltwater from alpine glaciers around the Bering Sea. ¿ American Geophysical Union 199