About Weddell Sea, facts and maps

Scientists have declared the waters of the Weddell Sea to be the clearest water of any sea on Earth. The clarity of the water is on par with distilled water. The Weddell Sea is frequented by a large number of Orcas, Humpback, and Minke Whales as well as Leopard, Weddell, and Crabeater Seals.
The Weddell Sea marks the northern most part of mainland Antarctica. Bordered to the east by Coats Land and the west by the Antarctic peninsula, it forms part of the Southern Ocean. At 73° S, 45° W, it covers an area of approximately 2,800,000 square km.

What does Weddell mean?

noun. : a vocal Antarctic hair seal (Leptonychotes weddelli) noted for its deep dives in search of food. The Weddell Sea is named after James Weddell, a Scottish explorer and seal hunter. Weddell first sailed the area in 1823, and named it “the sea of King George IV.” The area was later renamed the Weddell Sea in honour of James Weddell.

Ownership. During the last one and a half centuries Weddell Island has been owned in turn by the Williams, Hamilton, Ferguson, Visick and Clifton families. One of the past owners, Robert Ferguson, was born on the island.

The Antarctic Bottom Water of the Weddell Sea usually ranges from -0,8 to 0 degrees Celsius (31.8 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit), but surface temperatures are generally below freezing.

Weddell seals were an important source of food for both men and dogs throughout the early periods of Antarctic exploration and were used as dog food in McMurdo Sound until the 1990s. The local population was affected, but it has recovered since harvests ended.

Can you visit the Weddell Sea?

How to get to the Weddell Sea. Setting sail from Ushuaia at the tip of South America, your expedition ship will guide you through the Drake Passage towards the South Shetlands, before navigating to the east of the Antarctica Peninsula and into the Weddell Sea.

How many people live in Antarctica?
In the summer, the continent has a population of around 5000 people but during the winter this number is reduced to roughly a fourth with 1000 people. The inhabitants are mainly based on research stations with the McMurdo Station as the largest.

The more saline WSBW is derived from the southwestern Weddell Sea, where high salinity shelf water is abundant. The less saline WSBW, like the more ventilated Weddell Sea Deep Water (WSDW), is derived from lower-salinity shelf water at a point farther north along the Antarctic Peninsula.

Weddell seals were an important source of food for both men and dogs throughout the early periods of Antarctic exploration and were used as dog food in McMurdo Sound until the 1990s. The local population was affected, but it has recovered since harvests ended.

Is Antarctica owned by Argentina?

Argentina’s claim to this area is subject to the Antarctic Treaty. Administratively, Argentine Antarctica is a department of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands. also The British Antarctic Territory (BAT) is the oldest territorial claim to a part of the continent. It includes all the lands and islands in a wedge extending from the South Pole to 60° S latitude between longitudes 20° W and 80° W.

Why does Antarctica water not freeze?

The high concentration of salt in ocean water lowers its freezing point from 32° F (0° C) to 28° F (-2° C). As a result, the ambient temperature must reach a lower point in order to freeze the ocean than to freeze freshwater lakes.

What language do Antarctica speak?

The most commonly spoken language of Antarctica is Russian, which happens to be the official language of Bellingsgauzenia, New Devon, and Ognia. English is also one of the most widespread languages spoken. You can find English spoken in the Balleny Islands, New South Greenland, Eduarda, etc.

Can you buy land in Antarctica?

Antarctica is the only place on the planet where the land isn’t officially owned by anyone. A few countries have made land claims (for more about this, see the information box on the next page), but those claims aren’t officially recognized and don’t cover the entire continent.

Is there a hidden world in Antarctica? A “hidden world” discovered under the ice in Antarctica
He and other New Zealand scientists have just discovered an underwater ecosystem 500 metres under the Antarctic ice, in an estuary hundreds of kilometres from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice barrier on the white continent.

What is Russia doing in Antarctica?

In Antarctica, Russia’s posture relates to protecting its national interests from territorial claims over the continent by other Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) member states. Moscow views the Arctic as a strategic continuum stretching from the North Atlantic to the North Pacific.