The Bering Sea, in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean, represents a typical area of transition from a sub-Arctic ecosystem to an Arctic ecosystem. The study of its CO_2 sources and sinks will provide an important reference for high-latitude continental margin regions. Within the context of global warming, the Bering Sea is undergoing climatic and environmental changes. The effects of these changes on both the CO_2 sources and sinks and the related biogeochemical processes of the area are considerable. This paper summarizes the CO_2 sources and sinks and their control mechanisms in the Bering Sea, describes the tendencies of those CO_2 sources and sinks, and predicts their future prospects. Previous studies have argued that the Bering Sea acts as a sink for atmospheric CO_2 but the results have been notably varied. Recent studies have reported that the CO_2 sinks on the Bering shelf and in the entire Bering Sea are about -6.81*10~(12)g C·a~(-1) and -34*10~(12)g C·a~(-1), respectively. However, if climatic and environmental changes continue to intensify in the future, conditions that could result in a decrease or in an increase in the magnitude of the CO_2 sink might exist simultaneously. Therefore, it remains inconclusive whether the function of the Bering Sea as a carbon sink will be enhanced or weakened in the future.