Southern Ocean on the navigation chart. Southern Ocean: where it is located, area, currents, climate

Representatives of the older generation studied 4 oceans in geography lessons at school: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic. However, not so long ago, part of the educational community identified a fifth ocean - the Southern. The International Hydrographic Association has agreed to highlight this ocean since 2000, but this decision is still not recognized by everyone.

What is South ocean? Who discovered it and under what circumstances? Where is he located? Which shores does it wash and what currents circulate in it? Answers to these and many other questions await you in the article.

History of exploration of the fifth ocean

In the 21st century, there are no unexplored places left on the world map for humans. Technological progress has made it possible not only to see previously inaccessible territories on a satellite image, but also to get there relatively comfortably.

During new history There were no space satellites, no powerful icebreaker ships capable of breaking through the permafrost layer, no internal combustion engines. Man had only his own physical strength and mental flexibility at his disposal. It is not surprising that the first mentions of the Southern Ocean are theoretical.

First mention of the ocean

Back in the 17th century, in 1650, the Dutch geographer Verenius declared the existence of a continent in the southern, as yet unexplored, pole of the Earth, washed by ocean waters. The idea was initially expressed in the form of a theory, since humanity was unable to unambiguously confirm or refute it.

"Random" discoveries

Like many geographical discoveries, the first “swims” towards the South Pole occurred by accident. Thus, Dirk Geeritz's ship was caught in a storm and lost its course, sailing beyond 64 degrees south latitude and hitting the South Orkney Islands. South Georgia, Bouvet Island, and Kargelan Island were explored in a similar way.

The first expeditions to the South Pole

In the 18th century, maritime powers actively explored this region. Until this time, no targeted exploration of the pole had been carried out.

Historians call the expedition of the Englishman Cook, who passed the Arctic Circle at 37 degrees east longitude, one of the first serious expeditions to the southern part of the globe. Having run into impenetrable ice fields, having spent considerable strength to overcome them, Cook had to turn his ships around. In the future, he created such a colorful description of the Southern Ocean that the next daredevil set off to storm the South Pole only at the beginning of the 19th century.

Bellingshausen expedition

In the early thirties of the 19th century, the Russian explorer Bellingshausen circled the South Pole for the first time in history. At the same time, the navigator discovered the island of Peter I and the Land of Alexander I. Particular weight is given to the traveler’s merit by the fact that he traveled on light, maneuverable ships, not at all designed to deal with ice.

Dumont-Derville Expedition

The French campaign in 1837 culminated in the discovery of the Land of Louis Philippe. The expedition also discovered Adélie Land and the Clary Coast. The expedition was complicated by the fact that Dumont-Derville's ships were “captured” by the ice, from which they had to be rescued with the help of ropes and manpower.

American expeditions

The then “young” United States of America made a significant contribution to the research of the Southern Ocean. During the expedition of 1839, a group of ships led by Villiers tried to pass from the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago to the south, but ran into ice barriers and turned around.

In 1840, an expedition led by Wilkes discovered part of the territory of East Antarctica, which later received the name “Wilkes Land”.

Where is the Southern Ocean?

Geographers call the southern part of the World Ocean, consisting of the southernmost parts of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic. The waters of the Southern Ocean wash Antarctica on all sides. The fifth ocean does not have such clear island boundaries as the other four.

Today, it is customary to limit the boundaries of the Southern Ocean to the 60th parallel of southern latitude - an imaginary line encircling the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth.

The problem of determining the actual boundaries is quite relevant today. Researchers have tried to delineate the boundaries of the fifth ocean using the currents of the Southern Ocean. This attempt was unsuccessful, as the currents gradually changed their trajectory. It also proved problematic to establish the island boundaries of the “new” ocean. Thus, the clear answer to the question of where the Southern Ocean is located is: beyond the 60th parallel of south latitude.

Some interesting facts

The deepest point of the fifth ocean is almost 8300 meters (South Sandwich Trench). The average depth is 3300 meters. The length of the ocean coast reaches 18 thousand kilometers.

The extent of the Southern Ocean from north to south is determined very arbitrarily, since there are no reference points from which to count. Until now, geographers do not have a common opinion about the boundaries of the ocean.

What seas does the fifth ocean consist of?

Oceans are the largest hydrographic objects in modern geography. Each consists of several seas adjacent to land or expressed by the Earth's relief under water.

Consider the ocean. Today, geographers identify 20 seas that are part of the “new” ocean. Five of them were discovered by Russian and Soviet researchers.

It should be noted that geographers rarely distinguish the King Haakon VII Sea due to its adjacent territories with the Lazarev Sea. However, the Norwegian side, which discovered it, insists on separating the Sea of ​​King Haakon VII and does not recognize the boundaries of the Lazarev Sea.

Southern Ocean Currents

The main current characteristic of the ocean is the Antarctic Current - the most powerful flow of water in the World Ocean. Geographers call it Circular because it flows around the continent - Antarctica. This is the only current that crosses absolutely all meridians of the globe. Another, more romantic name is the current of the Western Winds. It carries its waters between the subtropical zone and the Antarctic zone. If expressed in degrees, then it flows within 34-50 degrees south latitude.

Speaking about the flow of the Western Winds, one cannot fail to note that interesting fact, that almost along its entire length it is divided into two symmetrical flows located at the northern and southern edges of the current. These streams capture enough high speed- up to 42 centimeters per second. Between them the current is weaker and more moderate. Thanks to this phenomenon, which encloses Antarctica with a continuous ring, Antarctic waters cannot leave their circulation. This conventional band is called the Antarctic convergence.

In addition, there is another zone of water circulation in the ocean. It is located at 62-64 degrees south latitude. Here, the current speed is noticeably weaker than in the Antarctic Convergence and amounts to up to 6 centimeters per second. Currents in this area are predominantly directed to the east.

Currents near Antarctica make it possible to talk about the circulation of water around the continent in the opposite direction - to the west. However, this theory has not been proven to date. The main reason This is due to periodic changes in currents, which occur quite often.

An interesting feature of water circulation in the fifth ocean, which distinguishes it from other hydrographic objects in this category, is the depth of water circulation. The point is that the current in the Southern Ocean moves water masses not only on the surface, but also to the very bottom. This phenomenon is explained by the presence of special gradient currents that also capture deep waters. In addition, the density and homogeneity of water in the “new” ocean is higher than in others.

Ocean temperature

The temperature range on the mainland and in the surrounding ocean is very wide. The most heat, recorded in Antarctica, was 6.5 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperature is minus 88.2 degrees.

As for the average ocean temperature, it ranges from minus 2 degrees to 10 degrees Celsius.

Most low temperatures cover Antarctica in August, and the highest in January.

It is interesting that during the day the temperature in Antarctica is lower than at night. This phenomenon is still unsolved.

The climate of the Southern Ocean is clearly characterized by the level of continental glaciation. Scientists have found that glaciation of the continent is slowly but beginning to decrease. This suggests that the average air temperature in Antarctica and the fifth ocean is increasing. True, in in this case we're talking about about the so-called global warming, which covers not only the South Pole, but the entire Earth. The main proof of this theory is the parallel decrease in glaciation at the North Pole.

Icebergs

Gradual melting Antarctic ice leads to the appearance of icebergs - huge pieces of ice that break off from the mainland and set sail across the World Ocean. The largest of them can measure hundreds of meters and cause great trouble to ships encountered on their way. The “lifespan” of such icebergs drifting in the ocean can be up to 16 years. This fact significantly increases the risk of damage to the ship when sailing in these latitudes.

Some testing countries are trying to use giant icebergs to mine it. To do this, icebergs are caught and towed to specially equipped places for fresh water extraction.

Ocean inhabitants

Despite the difficult climatic conditions, the ocean area is quite densely populated by fauna.

The most striking representatives of the animal world of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are penguins. These flightless seabirds feed in waters teeming with plankton and small fish.

Of the other birds, the most common are petrels and skuas.

The Southern Ocean is the habitat of many species of whales. The humpback whale, blue whale and other species live here. Seals are also common at the south pole.

Convention: The Southern Ocean was first identified in 1650 by the Dutch geographer Benhard Varenius and included both the “southern continent”, which had not yet been discovered by Europeans, and all areas above the southern polar circle.

The term "Southern Ocean" appeared on maps in the 18th century, when systematic exploration of the region began. The name “Southern Ocean” usually meant, according to the boundaries established in 1845 by the Royal Geographical Society in London, the space bounded on all sides by the southern polar circle and extending from this circle to the south pole to the limits of the Antarctic continent. In publications of the International Hydrographic Organization, the Southern Ocean was separated from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific in 1937. There was an explanation for this: in its southern part, the boundaries between the three oceans are very arbitrary, while at the same time, the waters adjacent to Antarctica have their own specifics, and are also united by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. However, later they abandoned the distinction of a separate Southern Ocean.

Currently, the ocean itself continues to be considered a body of water, which is mostly surrounded by land. In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization adopted a division into five oceans, but this decision was never ratified. The current definition of oceans from 1953 does not include the Southern Ocean.

There are currently four oceans in the world: the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic and Arctic.

Some sources indicate that the International Hydrographic Organization in 2000 made a legally binding decision to divide the World Ocean into five parts. Other sources record that this decision has no legal force. It is necessary to understand whether the decision of the International Hydrographic Organization of 2000 has legal force?

Most sources indicate that the 2000 International Hydrographic Organization decision has not yet been ratified. Let me note that ratification should be understood as the process of giving legal force to a document. From the above it follows that the decision of the International Hydrographic Organization of 2000 does not yet have legal force, that is, the number of oceans is currently four, not five. I note that in 1953 the International Hydrogeographical Bureau developed a new division of the World Ocean, according to which There are four oceans, not five. The current definition of oceans from 1953 does not include the Southern Ocean. Therefore, there are currently four oceans.

South ocean- the youngest among all the oceans of the planet. Located exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, it washes Antarctica and merges with all oceans except the Northern.

South ocean

As already mentioned, the boundaries of the Southern Ocean are arbitrary; from the south, the ocean’s border is the coast of Antarctica; from the north, the encircling boundary is considered to be 60 degrees south latitude. The ocean area is 20.327 million km².
The greatest depth of the Southern Ocean is South Sandwich Trench. It is equal to 8428 m.

To the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean (there are 13 in total):

1. Mawson,
2. Rossa,
3. Somova,
4. Durvel,
5. Cosmonauts,
6. Lazareva,
7. Bellingshausen,
8. Rieser-Larsen and
9. Amudsen.

The islands in those places look something like this

Climatic conditions in the Southern Ocean

Temperatures range from -2 to 10º C. Starting from 40 degrees south. latitudes towards the Arctic Circle experience the strongest average winds on the planet. In winter, the air over the ocean freezes to 55-65 degrees below zero. Due to the huge temperature contrast between ice and ocean waters, intense cyclonic storm movement rages east of Antarctica.

the air above those latitudes is crystal clear, not polluted by emissions or exhaust gases. Thanks to this, the sky of the Southern Ocean amazes with its beauty

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and the number of visible stars. Where else can you see such a gorgeous picture of the night sky over the ocean?

You can find icebergs in those Antarctic latitudes throughout the Southern Ocean. Some of the Antarctic icebergs reach enormous sizes and are between 6 and 15 years old.

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It is estimated that up to 200 super-large icebergs exist in Antarctic waters at any one time. Smaller icebergs, their fragments and ice often create greater difficulties for ships.

Life in the Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean was, until recently, a conventionally designated area of ​​water surrounding Antarctica. In 2000, the international cartographic organization decided to name the waters from Antarctica to 60° S. Southern Ocean. This version was supported by numerous studies by scientists who proved that this water area is unique in its geology, geophysics and natural world. But this decision was not ratified, although, starting from the 21st century, the term “Southern Ocean” appears on all maps of the world.

Russian scientists determine the boundary of the ocean along the border of the Antarctic surface waters. In a number of other countries, such a border is drawn along latitude, beyond which they are not found floating ice and icebergs.

Characteristics

Area: 20.327 million sq. km

Average depth: 3500 m, maximum - 42 m (South Sandwich Trench)

Average temperature: -2°C to +10°C

Southern Ocean Currents

Western winds(or Antarctic Circumpolar) is the main current of the Southern Ocean, which has a significant impact on water circulation, temperature changes and the formation of the coastline. The current penetrates the entire thickness of the water, reaching the bottom. Moves, encircling Earth in the area of ​​40° S. It is this current that becomes the “culprit” for the occurrence of powerful hurricanes and typhoons. The average current speed is 30-35 cm/sec.

Western Coastal the current moves from east to west. It is located south of the Western Winds, approximately 65° S. Average speed - 15-30 cm/sec.

Underwater world of the ocean

Despite the harsh climatic conditions characteristic of the Arctic and subarctic zones, the nature of the Southern Ocean amazes with its abundance and uniqueness.

The flora is represented by a variety of phytoplankton, which have two bloom peaks in the Southern Ocean. Lots of diatoms, much less blue-green.

The ocean is rich in zooplankon; its waters are inhabited by a large number of species of echinoderms, sponges, krill. Of the fish family (more than 100 species), the majority are representatives of nototheniids (blue and green notothenias, broad carps, toothfish, Antarctic silverfish trematomas).

Birds: 44 species (petrels, skuas, Arctic terns), penguin colonies are especially numerous, of which there are 7 species.

Animals: whales, fur seals and seals. The largest predators are leopard seals. Since 1965, the waters of the Southern Ocean have become the center of whaling. Since the 1980s, whaling has been prohibited. Since then, the Southern Ocean has become a catchment area for krill and fish.

Southern Ocean Research

The history of research in the Southern Ocean can be divided into three stages:

1. From the era of great geographical discoveries to the 19th century - geographical discoveries of islands, seas, attempts at research underwater world and depths.

2. Early XIX century - the end of the 20th century - the discovery of Antarctica, the beginning of scientific oceanographic research.

3. XX century - our days - a comprehensive study of the ocean in all areas of oceanography.

(I. Aivazovsky. "Ice Mountains in Antarctica" 1870)

Important dates and openings:

1559 - voyage of D. Geeritz, who was the first to cross the ocean border.

1773 - "around the world" by D. Cook, who reached the southern polar circle and suggested that the abundance ice mountains indicates the presence of a continent to the south.

1819-1821 - F.F. Bellingshausen's round-the-world Antarctic expedition, discovery of Antarctica.

1821-1839 - more than a dozen whaling ships, in search of catch, reach the shores of Antarctica and discover islands along the way.

1840 - expedition of the Englishman D.K. Ross, compiled to explore the Antarctic regions, compile a map of the coast, study currents and ocean depths.

Officially, Antarctica does not belong to any country, but many states have put forward their claims to own individual islands and parts of the continent. While the point is, the Americans have already launched the issue of Antarctic currency: the Antarctic dollar.

In 1956, the largest iceberg was discovered in the Southern Ocean, covering an area of ​​about 31 thousand sq. km.

The number of seals in the Southern Ocean accounts for 65% of all pinnipeds in the world.

The name "Antarctica" is translated from ancient Greek as "opposite the Arctic."

Antarctica is the only continent that has no time zones. People who work here calculate time according to their country's time.

Seas of the Southern Ocean, the fifth ocean existing on our planet. Unlike others, sailors and geographers, for the most part, do not distinguish the seas of this region into a separate cluster.

South ocean

Its water expanses consist of water areas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. The conventional border separating it from them is 60 degrees south latitude. His total area is approximately 20.327 million km². Thus surpassing the Arctic in area. The deepest place in this ocean is the South Sandwich Trench. In the deepest place, reaching 8248 m. The Antarctic shelf has a depth of up to 500 m.
The very concept of “” first appeared back in 1650, it was formulated by the Dutch geographer Benhard Varenius. Already in the 18th century, this began to be shown on maps. It was at this time that systematic research into this region began. Enough for a long time there was such a designation as Southern Arctic Ocean. This concept and its boundaries were outlined in 1845. This event took place in London and was an achievement of the Royal Geographical Society.
This ocean received its modern boundaries in 1937. The reason for this was the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that unites these waters and the absence of clear boundaries in this area of ​​three oceans. In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization adopted the division into 5 oceans. But to this day this decision has not been ratified and formally there are only four oceans left on the planet.

Seas of the Southern Ocean - list

This ocean washes only one continent, Antarctica. In addition, within its borders there are such large islands as: South Orkney, South Shetland Islands, Berkner Islands, Balleny and Kerguelen.

It includes 13 seas:
— Amundsen;
— Bellingshausen;
— Rossa;
— Somova;
— ;
— ;
— ;
- Lazarev;
— ;
— Mawson;
— Cosmonauts;
- D'Urville;
— Rieser-Larsen.

These seas are characterized by a fairly cool climate and the strongest average winds on the planet. The average sea temperature varies from approximately -2 to 10 °C. Their waters are often frozen from the mainland, up to 55 - 60 degrees south latitude. There are also a huge number of icebergs of various sizes and ages.
As a result of all these factors, the waters of the seas of the Southern Ocean are among the most dangerous for shipping on the planet.
It is also worth noting the richness and diversity of marine life that exists in these places