Ross Sea

The Ross Sea (english Ross Sea ) is a marginal sea in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica, which lies between Cape Adare in the northeast of Victoria Land and Cape Colbeck, the northern point of the Edward VII Peninsula in the westernmost part of the Marie Byrd Land. Due to its location at the 176 longitude around New Zealand is the closest land mass outside Antarctica. There is an average of 500 feet deep with a maximum depth of 1,200 meters. Its surface area is approximately 958,000 km ².

The Ross Sea is more than half permanently covered by a solid, thick and almost 500,000 km ² ice - the Ross Ice Shelf. It is named after James Clark Ross, who discovered it in 1841.

To the west of the Ross Sea, the Ross Island lie with Mount Erebus, an active volcano, and the McMurdo Sound, which forms a natural harbor, which is usually free of ice during the Antarctic summer. East of this Sund is the Franklin Island and northeast of it the Coulman Island.

Where the Ross Ice Shelf is excreted in Treibeiszone, that about one third of all Adelie penguins. Strong storms blow the ice to the side and create scattered, tens of square kilometers large free water surfaces, so-called polynyas. These form the basis of life of penguins. Where the sun shines on the water that bloom microalgae, the basic food for the krill; this in turn is the favorite prey of penguins.

Beginning of November 2012 failed at a conference of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources ( CCAMLR) in Hobart Australian negotiations on the creation of 1.6 million km ² protected area in the region. China, Russia and Ukraine had expressed concerns about possible restrictions on the fishery.