Ross Sea

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Lore & Background

The Ross Sea was discovered by the Ross expedition in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano; in the east is Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered by the Ross Ice Shelf. Roald Amundsen started his South Pole expedition in 1911 from the Bay of Whales, which was located at the shelf. In the western parts of the Ross Sea, McMurdo Sound is a port that is usually free of ice during the summer. The southernmost part of the Ross Sea is Gould Coast, which is approximately 200 miles (320 km) from the geographic South Pole. The Ross Sea overlies a deep continental shelf, with an average depth of about 500 meters, much deeper than the global average of about 130 meters. This over-deepened condition is due to cycles of erosion and deposition from expanding and contracting ice sheets during Oligocene and later time. Seismic studies in the latter half of the twentieth century defined major features including four north-trending graben systems: the Northern and Victoria Land Basin, the Central Trough, and the Eastern Basin.

Reader's Guide

The Ross Sea is significant as the southernmost sea on Earth and a relatively pristine marine environment. Its nutrient-laden water supports an abundance of plankton and a rich marine fauna, including at least ten mammal species, six bird species, and 95 fish species, as well as many invertebrates. Marine biologists consider the sea to have a high level of biological diversity, and it is the site of much scientific research. The circulation of the Ross Sea is dominated by a wind-driven ocean gyre, and the flow is strongly influenced by three submarine ridges that run from southwest to northeast. The circumpolar deep water current is a relatively warm, salty and nutrient-rich water mass that flows onto the continental shelf at certain locations. New Zealand insists that the sea comes under its jurisdiction as part of the Ross Dependency. In 2016 an international agreement established the region as a marine park. The sea remains relatively unaffected by human activities, making it a focus for environmentalist groups who have campaigned to have the area proclaimed as a world marine reserve. Geologic drilling projects such as the Cape Roberts Project and ANDRILL have recovered cores from the western edges, and the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 374 drilled additional holes in 2018 for determining Neogene and Quaternary ice sheet history.

Did You Know?

• The Ross Sea is the southernmost sea on Earth, with its southernmost part covered by the Ross Ice Shelf about 200 miles (320 km) from the South Pole.
• Roald Amundsen started his South Pole expedition in 1911 from the Bay of Whales, which was located at the Ross Ice Shelf.
• The average depth of the Ross Sea continental shelf is about 500 meters, much deeper than the global average of about 130 meters.
• At least ten mammal species, six bird species, and 95 fish species are found in the Ross Sea.
• In 2016 an international agreement established the Ross Sea region as a marine park.