Representatives of the older generation in geography lessons at school studied 4 oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic. However, not so long ago, part of the educational community identified the fifth ocean - the South. The International Hydrographic Association has agreed to allocate this ocean since 2000, but so far this decision has not been recognized by everyone.
What is South ocean? Who discovered it and under what circumstances? Where is he located? What shores does it wash and what currents circulate in it? The answers to these and many other questions are waiting for you in the article.
History of Fifth Ocean Exploration
It is in the 21st century that there are no unexplored places left on the world map for a person. Technological progress has made it possible not only to see previously inaccessible territories on a satellite image, but also to get there relatively comfortably.
In the period of modern history, there was not yet any space satellites, nor powerful icebreakers capable of breaking through the layer permafrost, no engines internal combustion. Man had only his own physical strength and flexibility of mind at his disposal. It is not surprising that the first mention of the Southern Ocean is theoretical.
The first mention of the ocean
Back in the 17th century, in 1650, the Dutch explorer-geographer Verenius announced the existence of a continent in the south, as yet unexplored, pole of the Earth, washed by the waters of the ocean. The idea was originally 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 strayed off course, sailing past 64 degrees south latitude and stumbling into the South Orkney Islands. South Georgia, Bouvet Island, and Kargelan Island were explored in a similar way.
First expeditions to the South Pole
In the 18th century maritime powers carried out active research this region. Until that time, a purposeful study of the pole was not carried out.
One of the first serious expeditions to the southern part of the globe, historians call the expedition of the Englishman Cook, who passed the Arctic Circle at 37 degrees east longitude. Buried in impenetrable ice fields, having spent significant forces to overcome them, Cook had to deploy his ships. In the future, he wrote a description of the Southern Ocean so colorfully that the next daredevil went to storm the South Pole only at the beginning of the 19th century.
Bellingshausen expedition
In the early 1830s, the Russian explorer Bellingshausen circumnavigated the South Pole for the first time in history. At the same time, the navigator discovered the island of Peter I and Alexander I Land. The fact that he traveled on light maneuverable ships that were not at all designed to deal with ice gives special weight to the traveler's merit.
Expedition of Dumont-Derville
The campaign of the French in 1837 was crowned with the discovery of Louis-Philippe Land. The expedition also discovered Adélie Land and the Clari Coast. The expedition was complicated by the fact that the Dumont-Derville ships were "captured" by the ice, from which they had to be rescued with the help of ropes and human strength.
American expeditions
A significant contribution to the exploration of the Southern Ocean was made by the then "young" United States of America. During the expedition of 1839, a group of ships led by Villis tried to pass from the Archipelago of Tierra del Fuego 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 became known as Wilkes Land.
Where is the Southern Ocean located?
Geographers call the southern part of the World Ocean, consisting of the most southern parts Indian, Pacific, 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.
To date, it is customary to limit the boundaries of the Southern Ocean to the 60th parallel of south latitude - an imaginary line that envelops the southern hemisphere of the Earth.
The problem of determining the actual boundaries is quite relevant today. The researchers tried to designate the boundaries of the fifth ocean using the currents of the Southern Ocean. This attempt was not crowned with success, as the currents gradually change their trajectory. It also turned out to be problematic to establish the island boundaries of the "new" ocean. Thus, the unequivocal 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 length of the Southern Ocean from north to south is determined very conditionally, 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?
The oceans are the largest hydrographic features in modern geography. Each consists of several seas adjacent to land or expressed using the relief of the Earth, which is under water.
Consider the ocean. To date, geographers identify 20 seas that are part of the "new" ocean. Five of them were discovered by Russian and Soviet researchers.
| sea name | |
| Sea of Lazarev | From 0 to 15 degrees east longitude |
| Sea of King Haakon VII | 20 to 67 degrees south latitude |
| Riiser-Larsen Sea | From 14th to 34th degrees of east longitude |
| Weddell Sea | 10 to 60 degrees west longitude, 78 to 60 degrees south latitude |
| Sea of Cosmonauts | Longitude 34 to 45 East |
| sea scotia | Longitude 30 to 50 East, Latitude 55 to 60 South |
| Commonwealth Sea | Longitude 70 to 87 East |
| Bellingshausen Sea | Longitude 72 to 100 degrees west |
| Davis Sea | Longitude 87 to 98 East |
| Amundsen Sea | Longitude 100 to 123 West |
| Mawson Sea | From 98th to 113th degrees of east longitude |
| Ross Sea | Longitude 170 East to Longitude 158 West |
| Durville Sea | Longitude 136 to 148 East |
| Sea of Somov | Longitude 148 to 170 East |
It should be noted that geographers rarely single out the Sea of King Haakon VII because of the adjacent territories with the Lazarev Sea. However, the Norwegian side, which opened it, insists on separating the Sea of King Haakon VII and does not recognize the borders of the Lazarev Sea.
Currents of the Southern Ocean
The main current characteristic of the ocean is the Antarctic Current - the most powerful flow of water in the oceans. Geographers call it Circular because it flows around the mainland - Antarctica. This is the only current that crosses absolutely all the meridians of the globe. Another, more romantic name is the current of the West Winds. It carries its waters between the subtropical zone and the Antarctic zone. If expressed in degrees, then it flows within the 34-50th degrees of south latitude.
Speaking of the course of the West Winds, it is impossible not to note that interesting fact that it is divided almost along its entire length into two symmetrical streams located from the northern and southern edges of the current. In these streams, a fairly high speed is recorded - up to 42 centimeters per second. Between them, the current is weaker, moderate. Thanks to this phenomenon, enclosing Antarctica in a continuous ring, the Antarctic waters cannot leave their circulation. This conditional 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 speed of the currents is noticeably weaker than in the Antarctic Convergence, and is up to 6 centimeters per second. The currents of this area are mainly directed to the east.
Currents near Antarctica make it possible to talk about the circulation of water around the mainland in the opposite direction - to the west. However, this theory has not been proven to date. main reason this is served by periodic changes in currents that occur quite often.
An interesting feature of the water circulation in the fifth ocean, which distinguishes it from other hydrographic objects of this category, is the depth of the water circulation. We are talking about the fact that the current in the Southern Ocean drives water masses not only on the surface, but down to the very bottom. This phenomenon is explained by the presence of special gradient currents, exciting and deep waters. In addition, the density and uniformity of water in the "new" ocean is higher than in others.
Temperature regime of the ocean
The temperature range on the mainland and in the ocean surrounding it is very wide. The most heat, recorded in Antarctica, was 6.5 degrees Celsius. lowest temperature- 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.
Interestingly, during the day the temperature in Antarctica is lower than at night. This phenomenon is still unresolved.
The climate of the Southern Ocean is clearly characterized by the level of glaciation of the mainland. Scientists have found that the glaciation of the mainland is slowly, but beginning to decrease. This suggests that the average air temperature in Antarctica and the fifth ocean is increasing. True, in this case it is 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
The gradual melting of the Antarctic ice leads to the appearance of icebergs - huge pieces of ice that break off the mainland and set sail across the oceans. The largest of them can measure hundreds of meters and cause great trouble to ships that meet 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 experiencing countries are trying to use giant icebergs for its mining. To do this, icebergs are caught and towed to specially equipped mining sites. fresh water.
Ocean dwellers
Despite the difficult climatic conditions, the ocean area is quite densely populated by fauna.
The most prominent 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, petrels and skuas are the most common.
The Southern Ocean is a habitat for many species of whales. The humpback whale, blue whale and other species live here. Seals are also common at the south pole.
The youngest ocean on the planet is the South or Antarctic. He is in southern hemisphere, has points of contact with other oceans, excluding the Northern Ocean. The waters of the Southern Ocean wash Antarctica. The International Geographical Organization identified it in 2000, uniting the waters of the southern regions of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans into one. This ocean has conditional boundaries, since there are no continents and islands in the northern part of its water area.
Discovery history
The Southern Ocean has been an object of human interest for a very long time. They tried to explore it back in the 18th century, but at that time the ice shell was an insurmountable obstacle for travelers. It appeared on the map even earlier, in 1650. In the 19th century, whalers from England and Norway managed to visit polar Antarctica. In the 20th century, the Southern Ocean was a whaling area and a site for scientific research.
The existence of the Southern Ocean is now a proven fact, but this decision hydrological organization is not legalized. Thus, legally there is no such area on the planet. At the same time, the Southern Ocean is marked on the world map. The southern boundary of its water area is Antarctica, northern border th is considered 60 degrees south latitude.
Geographic details
The ocean occupies more than 20 million square meters. km. The South Sandwich Trench is the most deep place in the ocean, where the maximum mark reaches 8428 m. The map of the Southern Ocean shows that it is formed by the following seas: Commonwealth, Mawson, Ross, Durvel, Somov, Skosh, Lazarev, Cosmonauts, Riiser-Larsen, Amundsen, Weddell, Davis and Bellingshausen. There are many islands of different sizes in the water area. Almost all of them are of volcanic origin. The largest islands include South Shetland, South Orkney, Kerguelen.
Climatic features
The coast of the Southern Ocean is an area dominated by harsh elements. Conditions prevail over water maritime climate, and on the coast there is an Antarctic climate. All year round It's cold, windy and overcast here. Snow falls in any season.
Closer to the Arctic Circle, the most powerful winds on the planet are formed. Storms are formed due to the huge temperature difference between the waters of the ocean and the air. In winter, the air reaches 60-65 degrees below zero. The atmosphere above the water area is characterized by ecological cleanliness.
Weather due to a number of reasons: the proximity of Antarctica, permanent ice cover, lack of warm sea currents. Zone high blood pressure constantly formed over land. At the same time, an area of low pressure, or the Antarctic depression, is forming around Antarctica. A feature of the water area is a large number of icebergs, which are formed as a result of breaking off parts of glaciers under the influence of tsunamis, swells and waves. There are more than 200,000 icebergs annually in the Southern Ocean.
Southern Ocean in cartography
The Southern Ocean was first identified in 1650 by the Dutch geographer Benhard Varenius and included as yet undiscovered by Europeans " southern mainland", and all areas above the southern polar circle.
At present, the ocean itself continues to be considered a water mass, which is mostly surrounded by land. In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization adopted a five-ocean division, but this decision has never been ratified. The current 1953 definition of the oceans does not include the Southern Ocean.
In the Soviet tradition (1969), the approximate boundary of the conditional "Southern Ocean" was considered the zone of the Antarctic convergence (the northern boundary of the Antarctic surface waters), near 55 ° south latitude. In other countries, the border is also blurred - the latitude south of Cape Horn, the border of floating ice, the Antarctic Convention zone (the area south of 60 parallel south latitude). The Australian Government considers the "Southern Ocean" to be the waters immediately south of the Australian continent.
The name "Southern Ocean" was included in atlases and geographical maps until the first quarter of the 20th century. AT Soviet time this term was not used, however, from the end of the 20th century, it began to be signed on maps published by Roskartografiya.
History of Southern Ocean exploration
XVI-XIX centuries
The first ship to cross the border of the Southern Ocean belonged to the Dutch; it was commanded by Dirk Geeritz, who sailed in the squadron of Jacob Magyu. In 1559, in the Strait of Magellan, the ship Geeritz, after a storm, lost sight of the squadron and went south. Having descended to 64 ° south latitude, it saw high ground- Possibly South Orkney. In 1671, Anthony de la Roche discovered South Georgia; in 1739 Bouvet Island was discovered; in 1772 French Marine officer Kerguelen discovered an island in the Indian Ocean named after him.
Almost simultaneously with the sailing of Kerguelen from England, James Cook set off on his first journey to the southern hemisphere, and already in January 1773, his ships Adventure and Resolution crossed the Antarctic Circle at meridian 37 33" east longitude. After a hard struggle with the ice, he reached 67 ° 15" south latitude, where he was forced to turn north. In December of the same year, Cook again went to the Southern Ocean, on December 8 he crossed the Antarctic Circle at 150 ° 6 "West longitude and at the parallel of 67 ° 5" S. latitude was covered with ice, freed from which, went further south and, in late January 1774, reached 71°15" south latitude, at 109°14" west longitude, southwest of Tierra del Fuego. Here an impenetrable wall of ice prevented him from going further. On his second voyage in the Southern Ocean, Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle twice. During both voyages, he became convinced that the abundance of ice mountains indicates the existence of a significant Antarctic continent. The difficulties of polar navigation were described by him in such a way that only whalers continued to visit these latitudes and the southern polar scientific expeditions ceased for a long time.
In 1819, the Russian navigator Bellingshausen, commanding the warships Vostok and Mirny, visited South Georgia and tried to penetrate deep into the Southern Ocean; for the first time, in January 1820, almost on the meridian of Greenwich, he reached 69 ° 21 "south latitude; then, having gone beyond the limits of the southern polar circle, Bellingshausen passed along it to the east to 19 ° east longitude, where he crossed it again and reached in February again almost the same latitude (69°6"). Further east, it rose only to 62 ° parallel and continued its journey along the margin of the floating ice, then, on the meridian of the Balleny Islands, it reached 64 ° 55 ", in December 1820, at 161 ° west longitude, passed the southern polar circle and reached 67 ° 15 "south latitude, and in January 1821, between the meridians 99 ° and 92 ° west longitude, reached 69 ° 53" south latitude; then, almost on the meridian 81 °, opened in 68 ° 40 "south latitude, a high coast islands of Peter I, and passing even to the east, inside the southern polar circle - the coast of Alexander I Land. Thus, Bellingshausen was the first to make a full voyage around the South Arctic continent, discovered by him, almost all the time between latitudes 60 ° - 70 °, on small sailing ships.
An American expedition, consisting of three ships: "Vincennes", "Peacock" and "Porpoise", under the command of Lieutenant Willis, set out from the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in February 1839 in order to try to pass the Weddel route to the south, but she was met with the same insurmountable obstacles , like Dumont-Durville, and she was forced to return without any special results to Chile (on the meridian of 103 ° west longitude, she reached almost 70 ° south latitude and then, as if, she saw the earth). In January 1840, the American explorer Charles Wilkes went almost due south along longitude 160° east. Already at the parallel of 64 ° 11 "S, the ice blocked his further path. Turning west and reaching the meridian 153 ° 6" East longitude, at 66 ° South latitude, he saw a mountain 120 km away, which was named by Ringold Knoll. Ross, who visited these places a little later, disputed Wilkes' discovery, but without foundation. The honor of discovering various parts of Wilkes Land actually belongs to each of the three navigators - Wilkes, Dumont-Durville and Ross - individually. During January and February 1840, Wilkes traveled a considerable distance along the margins of the Antarctic continent and reached the meridian 96° East. For all the time of the voyage, he did not manage to land on the shore anywhere.
The third English expedition, under the command of James Clark Ross, on the steam ships Erebus (Erebus) and Terror (Erebus commander was Crozier), was equipped to explore the south polar countries in general. In August 1840, Ross was in Tasmania, where he learned that Dumont-D'Urville had just discovered the coast of Adélie's Land; this prompted him to begin his explorations further east, on the meridian of the Balleny Islands. In December 1840, the expedition crossed the Antarctic Circle on the meridian 169 ° 40 "E. and soon began to struggle with ice. After 10 days, the ice strip was passed, and on December 31 (old style) they saw the high coast of Victoria Land, one of the highest mountain peaks which Ross named after the initiator of the expedition - Sabina, and the entire chain of mountains with a height of 2000 - 3000 m - the Admiralty ridge. All the valleys of this chain were littered with snow and huge glaciers descending to the sea. Behind Cape Adar, the coast turned south, remaining mountainous and impregnable Ross landed on one of the Possession Islands, at 71 ° 56 "south latitude and 171 ° 7" east longitude, completely devoid of vegetation and inhabited by a mass of penguins that covered its shores with a thick layer of guano. Continuing his navigation further south, Ross discovered the Kuhlman Islands and Franklin (the latter - at 76 ° 8 "south latitude) and saw the coast directly to the south and high mountain(Erebus volcano) with a height of 3794 meters, and a little to the east another volcano was seen, already extinct, called Terror, with a height of 3230 meters. Way forward to the south it was blocked by a coast that turned east and was bordered by a continuous vertical ice wall, up to 60 meters high above the water, which, according to Ross, descended to a depth of about 300 meters. This ice barrier distinguished by the absence of any significant depressions, bays or capes; its nearly level, vertical wall stretched for a vast distance. Outside the ice shore, to the south, the peaks of a high mountain range were visible, extending into the depths of the southern polar continent; it is named after Parry. Ross passed from Victoria Land to the east for about 840 km, and throughout this length the character of the ice coast remained unchanged. Finally, late time year forced Ross to return to Tasmania. On this voyage, he reached 78 ° 4 "south latitude, between meridians 173 ° -174 ° west longitude. On the second voyage, his ships crossed the Antarctic Circle again on December 20, 1841 and went south. In early February 1842, on meridian 165 ° west, they reached over high seas and headed straight south, approaching the icy shore a little further east than in 1841. At 161° 27" west they reached 78° 9" south latitude, that is, they came closer to the south pole than anyone hitherto. Further navigation to the east was blocked solid ice(pak), and the expedition turned to the north. In December 1842, Ross made a third attempt to penetrate south; this time he chose the path of Weddel and headed for the Land of Louis-Philippe. Going east, Ross crossed the Arctic Circle on meridian 8° west and on February 21 reached 71°30" south latitude, 14°51 west longitude.
Almost 30 years later, an expedition on the Challenger corvette visited, among other things, the southern polar countries. Having visited Kerguelen Island, the Challenger headed south and reached 65° 42 "S. should have been at a distance of only 30 kilometers, it was not visible.
Climate and weather
Sea temperatures vary from about −2 to 10 °C. The cyclonic movement of storms is eastward around the continent and often becomes intense due to the temperature contrast between the ice and the open ocean. The ocean region from 40 degrees south latitude to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds on Earth. In winter, the ocean freezes to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 °C; at some coastal points, persistent strong winds leave the coastline ice-free during the winter.
Zooplankton in the waters of the Southern Ocean is represented by copepods (about 120 species), bipedals (about 80 species) and others. Of lesser importance are the chaetognaths, polychaetes, ostracods, appendicularians, and mollusks. In quantitative terms, copepods (copepods) are in the first place, accounting for almost 75% of the zooplankton biomass of the Pacific and Indian sectors of the ocean. There are few copepods in the Atlantic sector, but the Antarctic krill is widespread here.
The Southern Ocean, especially for its Antarctic regions, is characterized by a massive accumulation of krill (Antarctic crustaceans). The biomass of krill in these areas reaches 2200 million tons, which makes it possible to catch up to 50-70 million tons of krill annually. Here, krill is the main food of toothless whales, seals, fish, cephalopods, penguins and tube-nosed birds. The crustaceans themselves feed on phytoplankton.
The number of zooplankton during the year has two peaks. The first is associated with the rise of species that have overwintered and are observed in surface waters. The second peak is characterized large quantity zooplankton in the entire water column and is due to the birth of a new generation. This is the period of summer zooplankton bloom, when most of the zooplankton passes into the upper layers and moves north, where its noticeable accumulation occurs in the Antarctic Convergence Zone. Both peaks appear as two latitudinal bands of zooplankton concentration.
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Notes
- // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron
- South ocean- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
- South ocean. Antarctica // Atlas of the World / comp. and prepare. to ed. PKO "Cartography" in 2009; ch. ed. G. V. Pozdnyak. - M. : PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - S. 201. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
- Grushinsky, N.; Dralkin A.. - M.: Nedra, 1988. - 199 p. - ISBN 5-247-00090-0
- Antarctic // Great Soviet Encyclopedia (second edition), Vol. 2 (1950), pp. 484-485.
Links
- // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
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An excerpt characterizing the Southern Ocean
Soon after uncle, she opened the door, obviously a barefoot girl by the sound of her feet, and through the door with a large tray in her hands came a fat, ruddy, beautiful woman 40 years old, with a double chin, and full, ruddy lips. She, with hospitable representativeness and attractiveness in her eyes and every movement, looked round at the guests and bowed respectfully to them with an affectionate smile. Despite the thickness of more than usual, forcing her to put forward her chest and stomach and hold her head back, this woman (uncle's housekeeper) stepped extremely lightly. She walked over to the table, set down the tray, and with her white, chubby hands deftly removed and arranged the bottles, snacks, and treats on the table. Having finished this, she moved away and stood at the door with a smile on her face. “Here she is and me! Do you understand your uncle now?” her appearance told Rostov. How not to understand: not only Rostov, but also Natasha understood the uncle and the meaning of frowned eyebrows, and the happy, self-satisfied smile that wrinkled his lips a little while Anisya Fyodorovna entered. On the tray were herbalist, liqueurs, mushrooms, black flour cakes on yurag, honeycomb, boiled and effervescent honey, apples, raw and roasted nuts and nuts in honey. Then Anisya Fyodorovna brought jam with honey and sugar, and ham, and chicken, freshly fried.All this was Anisya Fyodorovna's household, collection and jam. All this smelled and resonated and had the taste of Anisya Fyodorovna. Everything resonated with juiciness, purity, whiteness and a pleasant smile.
“Eat, young lady countess,” she kept saying, giving Natasha this or that. Natasha ate everything, and it seemed to her that she had never seen or eaten such cakes on Yuraga, with such a bouquet of jams, nuts on honey, and such a chicken. Anisya Fyodorovna went out. Rostov and his uncle, washing down their dinner with cherry liqueur, talked about past and future hunting, about Rugai and the Ilaginsky dogs. Natasha, with sparkling eyes, sat straight up on the sofa, listening to them. Several times she tried to wake Petya to give him something to eat, but he said something incomprehensible, obviously not waking up. Natasha was so cheerful at heart, so happy in this new environment for her, that she was only afraid that the droshky would come for her too soon. After an accidental silence, as almost always happens with people who receive their acquaintances for the first time in their house, the uncle said, answering the thought that his guests had:
“So I’m living out my life… If you die, it’s a pure march—nothing will be left.” What a sin then!
Uncle's face was very significant and even beautiful when he said this. At the same time, Rostov involuntarily remembered everything that he had heard good things from his father and neighbors about his uncle. My uncle had a reputation throughout the whole neighborhood of the province as the noblest and most disinterested eccentric. He was called to judge family cases, he was made an executor, secrets were trusted to him, he was elected to judge and other positions, but from public service he stubbornly refused, spending autumn and spring in the fields on his brown gelding, sitting at home in the winter, lying in his overgrown garden in the summer.
- Why don't you serve, uncle?
- He served, but quit. I'm not fit, it's a clean march, I can't make out anything. It's your business, and I'm not smart enough. As for hunting, it's another matter, it's a pure march! Open that door, he shouted. - What did they shut up! - The door at the end of the corridor (which uncle called the kolidor) led to an idle hunting room: that was the name of the human for hunters. Bare feet quickly slapped and an invisible hand opened the door to the hunting room. From the corridor, the sounds of a balalaika were clearly audible, which was apparently played by some kind of master of this business. Natasha had been listening to these sounds for a long time and now went out into the corridor to hear them more clearly.
- This is my coachman Mitka ... I bought him a good balalaika, I love it, - said my uncle. - It was customary for my uncle that when he came home from hunting, Mitka would play the balalaika in the bachelor's hunting lodge. Uncle loved to listen to this music.
“How good, really excellent,” said Nikolai with some involuntary disdain, as if he was ashamed to admit that these sounds were very pleasant to him.
- How great? - Natasha said reproachfully, feeling the tone in which her brother said this. - Not great, but it's a charm, what is it! - Just like mushrooms, honey and uncle's liqueurs seemed to her the best in the world, so this song seemed to her at that moment the height of musical charm.
“More, please, more,” Natasha said at the door, as soon as the balalaika fell silent. Mitka tuned in and again valiantly rattled the Lady with busts and interceptions. Uncle sat and listened, his head tilted to one side with a slight smile. The motif of the Lady was repeated a hundred times. The balalaika was tuned several times and the same sounds rattled again, and the listeners did not get bored, but only wanted to hear this game again and again. Anisya Fyodorovna came in and leaned her fat body against the lintel.
“If you please listen,” she said to Natasha, with a smile very similar to her uncle’s smile. “He plays well with us,” she said.
“He’s doing something wrong in this knee,” my uncle suddenly said with an energetic gesture. - Here it is necessary to scatter - a clean march - scatter ...
– Do you know how? Natasha asked. Uncle smiled without answering.
- Look, Anisyushka, that the strings are intact, or something, on the guitar? I haven’t taken it in my hands for a long time - it’s a pure march! abandoned.
Anisya Fyodorovna willingly went with her light step to carry out her master's order and brought the guitar.
Uncle, without looking at anyone, blew off the dust, tapped the lid of the guitar with his bony fingers, tuned it, and straightened himself in his chair. He took (with a somewhat theatrical gesture, putting the elbow of his left hand aside) the guitar above the neck and winking at Anisya Fyodorovna, he began not to the Lady, but took one sonorous, clear chord, and measuredly, calmly, but firmly began to finish with a very quiet tempo famous song: Along the street and the pavement. At the same time, in time with that sedate joy (the same that Anisya Fyodorovna's whole being breathed), the motive of the song sang in the soul of Nikolai and Natasha. Anisya Fyodorovna blushed and, covering herself with a handkerchief, laughingly left the room. Uncle continued to cleanly, diligently and energetically firmly finish the song, looking with a changed inspired look at the place from which Anisya Fyodorovna had left. A little bit something laughed in his face on one side under a gray mustache, especially laughed when the song dispersed further, the beat accelerated and something came off in places of busts.
- Charm, charm, uncle; more, more, ”Natasha shouted as soon as he finished. She jumped up from her seat, hugged her uncle and kissed him. - Nikolenka, Nikolenka! she said, looking round at her brother and as if asking him: what is this?
Nikolai also really liked the uncle's game. Uncle played the song a second time. The smiling face of Anisya Fyodorovna appeared again at the door, and from behind her there were still other faces ... "Behind the cold key, she shouts: wait a girl!" my uncle played, again made a deft enumeration, tore it off and moved his shoulders.
“Well, well, my dear, uncle,” Natasha groaned in such an imploring voice, as if her life depended on it. Uncle stood up and as if there were two people in him - one of them smiled seriously at the merry fellow, and the merry fellow made a naive and neat trick before the dance.
- Well, niece! - shouted the uncle, waving his hand to Natasha, tearing off the chord.
Natasha threw off the handkerchief that was thrown over her, ran ahead of her uncle and, propping her hands on her hips, made a movement with her shoulders and stood.
Where, how, when she sucked in herself from that Russian air that she breathed - this countess, brought up by a French emigrant, this spirit, where did she get these techniques that pas de chale should have long been forced out? But these spirits and methods were the same, inimitable, not studied, Russian, which her uncle expected from her. As soon as she stood up, she smiled solemnly, proudly and cunningly cheerfully, the first fear that gripped Nikolai and all those present, the fear that she would do something wrong, passed and they were already admiring her.
She did the same thing, and did it so exactly, so quite exactly, that Anisya Fyodorovna, who immediately handed her the handkerchief necessary for her work, burst into tears through laughter, looking at this thin, graceful, so alien to her, educated countess in silk and velvet. who knew how to understand everything that was in Anisya, and in Anisya's father, and in her aunt, and in her mother, and in every Russian person.
“Well, the countess is a pure march,” said the uncle, laughing joyfully, having finished the dance. - Oh yes, niece! If only you could choose a good fellow for you, - march is a clean business!
“Already chosen,” said Nikolai smiling.
- O? said the uncle in surprise, looking inquiringly at Natasha. Natasha nodded her head in the affirmative with a happy smile.
- Another one! - she said. But as soon as she said this, another, new line of thoughts and feelings arose in her. What did Nikolai's smile mean when he said: "already chosen"? Is he happy about it or not? He seems to think that my Bolkonsky would not have approved, would not have understood our joy. No, he would understand. Where is he now? thought Natasha, and her face suddenly became serious. But it only lasted for one second. “Don’t think about it, don’t dare to think about it,” she said to herself, and smiling, she sat down again with her uncle, asking him to play something else.
Uncle played another song and a waltz; then, after a pause, he cleared his throat and sang his favorite hunting song.
Like powder from the evening
Turned out good...
Uncle sang the way the people sing, with that complete and naive conviction that in a song all meaning lies only in the words, that the melody comes by itself and that there is no separate melody, but that the melody is only for the warehouse. Because of this, this unconscious tune, like the song of a bird, was unusually good with my uncle. Natasha was delighted with her uncle's singing. She decided that she would no longer study the harp, but would only play the guitar. She asked her uncle for a guitar and immediately picked up the chords for the song.
At ten o'clock, Natasha and Petya were picked up by a line, a droshky, and three riders sent to look for them. The count and countess did not know where they were and were very worried, as the messenger said.
Petya was taken down and laid down as dead body in a line; Natasha and Nikolai got into the droshky. Uncle wrapped up Natasha and said goodbye to her with a completely new tenderness. He escorted them on foot to the bridge, which had to be bypassed into a ford, and ordered the hunters to go ahead with lanterns.
“Farewell, dear niece,” his voice shouted out of the darkness, not the one that Natasha had known before, but the one that sang: “Like powder since the evening.”
The village we passed had red lights and a cheerful smell of smoke.
- What a charm this uncle is! - said Natasha, when they drove out onto the main road.
“Yes,” said Nikolai. - Are you cold?
- No, I'm fine, fine. I feel so good, - Natasha even said with bewilderment. They were silent for a long time.
The night was dark and damp. The horses were not visible; all you could hear was their paddling through the invisible mud.
What was going on in this childish, receptive soul, which so greedily caught and assimilated all the most diverse impressions of life? How did it fit into her? But she was very happy. Already approaching the house, she suddenly sang the motive of the song: “Like powder from the evening,” a motive that she caught all the way and finally caught.
- Got it? Nikolay said.
“What are you thinking now, Nikolenka?” Natasha asked. They liked to ask each other that.
- I? - said Nikolai remembering; - you see, at first I thought that Rugay, the red dog, looked like an uncle and that if he were a man, he would still keep the uncle with him, if not for the jump, then for the frets, he would keep everything. How good he is, uncle! Is not it? - Well, what about you?
- I? Hold on, hold on. Yes, at first I thought that here we are going and we think that we are going home, and God knows where we are going in this darkness and suddenly we will arrive and see that we are not in Otradnoye, but in a magical kingdom. And then I thought… No, nothing more.
“I know, I was thinking about him right,” Nikolai said smiling, as Natasha recognized by the sound of his voice.
“No,” answered Natasha, although at the same time she really thought both about Prince Andrei and about how he would like his uncle. “And I also repeat everything, I repeat all the way: how Anisyushka performed well, well ...” said Natasha. And Nikolai heard her sonorous, causeless, happy laughter.
“You know,” she said suddenly, “I know that I will never be as happy and calm as I am now.
“That’s nonsense, nonsense, lies,” said Nikolai and thought: “What a charm this Natasha of mine is! I don't have another friend like him and never will. Why should she get married, everyone would go with her!
“What a charm this Nikolai is!” thought Natasha. - BUT! there’s still a fire in the living room,” she said, pointing to the windows of the house, which shone beautifully in the wet, velvet darkness of the night.
Count Ilya Andreich resigned from the leaders because this post was too expensive. But things didn't get better for him. Often Natasha and Nikolai saw the secret, restless negotiations of their parents and heard rumors about the sale of a rich, ancestral Rostov house and a suburban one. Without leadership, it was not necessary to have such a large reception, and the life of congratulations was conducted more quietly than in previous years; but the huge house and outbuilding were still full of people, everyone sat down at the table more people. All of these were people who had settled down in the house, almost members of the family, or those who, it seemed, had to live in the count's house. Such were Dimmler - a musician with his wife, Yogel - a dance teacher with his family, the old lady Belova, who lived in the house, and many others: Petya's teachers, the former governess of young ladies and just people who were better or more profitable to live with the count than at home. There was no such big visit as before, but the course of life was the same, without which the count and countess could not imagine life. There was the same, still increased by Nikolai, hunting, the same 50 horses and 15 coachmen at the stable, the same expensive gifts on name days, and solemn dinners for the whole county; the same count whists and bostons, behind which he, dissolving cards for everyone to see, allowed himself to be beaten every day by hundreds of neighbors who looked at the right to play the game of Count Ilya Andreich as the most profitable lease.
The count, as if in huge snares, went about his business, trying not to believe that he was entangled, and with each step he became more and more entangled and feeling himself unable to either break the nets that entangled him, or carefully, patiently begin to unravel them. Countess loving heart she felt that her children were going bankrupt, that the count was not to blame, that he could not be different from what he is, that he himself was suffering (although he hides it) from the consciousness of his own and children's ruin, and she looked for means to help the cause. From her feminine point of view, there was only one way - the marriage of Nicholas to a rich bride. She felt that it was last hope, and that if Nikolai refuses the party that she found for him, it will be necessary to say goodbye forever to the opportunity to improve things. This party was Julie Karagina, the daughter of a beautiful, virtuous mother and father, known from childhood to Rostov, and now a rich bride on the occasion of the death of the last of her brothers.
The Countess wrote directly to Karagina in Moscow, offering her the marriage of her daughter to her son, and received a favorable response from her. Karagina replied that she, for her part, agreed that everything would depend on the inclination of her daughter. Karagina invited Nikolai to come to Moscow.
Several times, with tears in her eyes, the Countess told her son that now that both her daughters were added, her only wish was to see him married. She said that she would lie down in the coffin calm, if that were the case. Then she said that she had a beautiful girl in mind and elicited his opinion about marriage.
In other conversations, she praised Julie and advised Nikolai to go to Moscow for the holidays to have fun. Nikolai guessed what his mother's conversations were leading to, and in one of these conversations he called her to complete frankness. She told him that all the hope of getting things right was now based on his marriage to Karagina.
- Well, if I loved a girl without a fortune, would you really demand, maman, that I sacrifice feeling and honor for a fortune? he asked his mother, not understanding the cruelty of his question and wishing only to show his nobility.
“No, you didn’t understand me,” said the mother, not knowing how to justify herself. “You didn’t understand me, Nikolinka. I wish you happiness,” she added, and felt that she was telling a lie, that she was confused. She started crying.
“Mamma, don’t cry, but just tell me that you want it, and you know that I will give my whole life, I will give everything so that you are calm,” said Nikolai. I will sacrifice everything for you, even my feelings.
But the countess did not want to put the question that way: she did not want a sacrifice from her son, she herself would like to sacrifice to him.
“No, you didn’t understand me, let’s not talk,” she said, wiping her tears.
“Yes, maybe I love the poor girl,” Nikolai said to himself, well, should I sacrifice feeling and honor for the state? I wonder how my mother could tell me this. Because Sonya is poor, I can’t love her, he thought, I can’t respond to her true, devoted love. And I'll probably be happier with her than with some kind of Julie doll. I can always sacrifice my feelings for the good of my relatives, he said to himself, but I cannot command my feelings. If I love Sonya, then my feeling is stronger and higher than anything for me.
Nikolai did not go to Moscow, the countess did not resume the conversation with him about marriage, and with sadness, and sometimes with anger, she saw signs of an ever greater rapprochement between her son and the dowryless Sonya. She reproached herself for that, but she could not help but grumble, find fault with Sonya, often stopping her for no reason, calling her "you" and "my dear." Most of all, the kind countess was angry with Sonya because this poor, black-eyed niece was so meek, so kind, so devotedly grateful to her benefactors, and so faithfully, unfailingly, selflessly in love with Nicholas that it was impossible to reproach her for anything. .
Nikolai spent his vacation with his relatives. The 4th letter was received from the groom, Prince Andrei, from Rome, in which he wrote that he would have been on his way to Russia long ago if his wound had not suddenly opened in a warm climate, which makes him postpone his departure until the beginning of next year . Natasha was just as in love with her fiancé, just as reassured by this love, and just as receptive to all the joys of life; but at the end of the fourth month of separation from him, moments of sadness began to come over her, against which she could not fight. She felt sorry for herself, it was a pity that she had been lost for nothing, for no one, all this time, during which she felt herself so capable of loving and being loved.
It was sad in the Rostovs' house.
Christmas time came, and apart from the ceremonial mass, except for the solemn and boring congratulations from neighbors and courtyards, except for all the new dresses worn, there was nothing special commemorating Christmas time, but in a windless 20-degree frost, in a bright blinding sun during the day and in starry winter light at night, the need for some kind of commemoration of this time was felt.
On the third day of the holiday, after dinner, all the households went to their rooms. It was the most boring time of the day. Nikolai, who went to the neighbors in the morning, fell asleep in the sofa room. The old count was resting in his study. Sonya was sitting at a round table in the living room, sketching a pattern. The Countess laid out the cards. Nastasya Ivanovna, with a sad face, was sitting at the window with two old ladies. Natasha entered the room, went up to Sonya, looked at what she was doing, then went up to her mother and silently stopped.
- Why are you walking around like a homeless person? her mother told her. - What do you want?
“I need him ... now, this minute I need him,” said Natasha, her eyes shining and not smiling. The Countess lifted her head and looked at her daughter intently.
- Don't look at me. Mom, don't look, I'll cry now.
“Sit down, sit with me,” said the countess.
Mom, I need it. Why am I disappearing like this, mother? ... - Her voice broke off, tears splashed from her eyes, and in order to hide them, she quickly turned around and left the room. She went out into the sofa room, stood for a moment, thought, and went into the girls' room. There, the old maid grumbled at a young girl, out of breath, who had come running from the cold from the servants.
“That will play,” said the old woman. - There is all the time.
“Let her go, Kondratyevna,” said Natasha. - Go, Mavrusha, go.
And releasing Mavrusha, Natasha went through the hall into the hall. The old man and two young footmen were playing cards. They interrupted the game and stood up at the entrance of the young lady. "What should I do with them?" thought Natasha. - Yes, Nikita, please go ... where can I send him? - Yes, go to the servants and bring a rooster please; yes, and you, Misha, bring oats.
- Would you like some oats? Misha said cheerfully and willingly.
“Go, go quickly,” said the old man.
- Fedor, and you get me some chalk.
Passing by the buffet, she ordered the samovar to be served, although it was not at all the time.
Fok the barman was the most angry person in the whole house. Natasha loved to try her power over him. He did not believe her and went to ask if it was true?
- Oh, this young lady! said Foka, feigning a frown at Natasha.
No one in the house sent out so many people and gave them so much work as Natasha. She could not see people with indifference, so as not to send them somewhere. It was as if she was trying to see if she would get angry, if one of them would pout at her, but people did not like to fulfill anyone's orders as much as Natasha's. “What should I do? Where should I go? Natasha thought as she slowly walked down the corridor.
- Nastasya Ivanovna, what will be born from me? she asked the jester, who, in his kutsaveyka, was walking towards her.
- From you fleas, dragonflies, blacksmiths, - answered the jester.
“My God, my God, it’s all the same. Ah, where should I go? What should I do with myself? - And she quickly, clattering her feet, ran up the stairs to Vogel, who lived with his wife on the top floor. Vogel had two governesses, and there were plates of raisins, walnuts, and almonds on the table. The governesses talked about where it was cheaper to live, in Moscow or Odessa. Natasha sat down, listened to their conversation with a serious, thoughtful face, and stood up. “The island of Madagascar,” she said. “Ma da gas car,” she repeated each syllable distinctly, and without answering m me Schoss’s questions about what she was saying, she left the room. Petya, her brother, was also upstairs: he and his uncle arranged fireworks, which he intended to set off at night. - Petya! Petka! she shouted to him, “take me downstairs. c - Petya ran up to her and turned his back. She jumped on top of him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and he jumped up and ran with her. “No, no, it’s the island of Madagascar,” she said, and, jumping off it, went down.
As if she had bypassed her kingdom, tested her power and made sure that everyone was submissive, but still boring, Natasha went into the hall, took a guitar, sat in a dark corner behind a cabinet and began to pluck the strings in the bass, making a phrase that she remembered from one opera heard in St. Petersburg together with Prince Andrei. For outsiders, something came out on her guitar that had no meaning, but in her imagination, because of these sounds, it resurrected whole line memories. She sat at the cupboard, fixing her eyes on the streak of light falling from the pantry door, listening to herself and remembering. She was in a state of remembrance.
The Southern Ocean is a part of the World Ocean, covering the waters of the Pacific, Indian and surrounding Antarctica.
The Southern Ocean formed about 30 million years ago when South America separated from Antarctica to form the Drake Passage.
in the southern ocean great amount plankton and krill are the main elements of the diet of whales. One of the most common whale species in the Southern Ocean, the humpback whale is also one of the most agile whales that loves to perform spectacular acrobatic stunts by jumping high out of the water.
On most nautical charts, there is no such thing as the Southern Ocean at all. Mariners also do not use it in practical purposes. Moreover, in scientific environment no agreement on exact definition its boundaries.
The boundaries of this ocean are extremely conditional because the very definition of the location of the ocean is in question. As a separate ocean, it was marked on maps as early as 1650 by the geographer of German-Dutch origin Bernhard Waren, also called Bernhardus Varenius (1622-1650). AT Last year Varenius's life came out main work"General geography: a general scientific systematic description of the surface of the Earth", in which Varenius tried to collect all the geographical knowledge accumulated by that time by mankind.
The reason why Varenius combined the Antarctic regions of the three oceans into one - the Southern - is that at that time it had not yet been discovered, as well as all other regions above the Antarctic Circle.
In 1845 the Royal geographical society in London, they tried to introduce the name "South Arctic Ocean", but it did not take root.
The Southern Ocean attended geographical maps up to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1937, the International Hydrographic Organization used the name "Southern Ocean" in a number of publications. Moreover, many editions of geographical atlases referred to the Southern Ocean and the territory of the ice-covered continent of Antarctica. At the same time, the latitude of the Antarctic Circle (66°33"44"" S) was considered the boundary of the Southern Ocean.
By the beginning of the XX century. the southern regions of the three oceans were already sufficiently studied, and disputes began in the scientific community regarding the boundary of the Southern Ocean. Each science considered its own way of determining the boundaries of the ocean to be the only true one. Hydrologists and climatologists drew the boundary of the Southern Ocean on the basis of the circulation of water and the atmosphere: 35 ° S. sh. Marine geologists, having studied the nature of the bottom, insisted on drawing a boundary along 60 ° S. sh. When compiling the Atlas of the Antarctic in 1969, oceanologists of the USSR drew the boundary of the Southern Ocean at 55 ° S. sh. - the northern border of the Antarctic Convergence Zone (the zone of convergence of northern, relatively warmer, and southern, cold surface waters).
In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization adopted a division into five oceans, but this decision was not finally ratified.
Because practical value there was no separate ocean, the issue of the Southern Ocean gradually disappeared from the practice of navigation, it ceased to be mentioned in marine manuals. Currently, the topic of the Southern Ocean is sometimes raised by scientists specializing in very narrow branches of oceanology.
The question of the boundary of the Southern Ocean has remained controversial, but as a compromise, most experts draw the northern boundary at 60 ° N. sh., and the southern - along the coast of Antarctica. In accordance with this, the Southern Ocean can be considered the fourth largest.
Geography
The Southern Ocean is located in the South Polar Region of the Earth. Most often, this is the name given to the southern parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans adjacent to Antarctica. Per southern border Ocean is considered to be the coast of Antarctica, the northern boundary is conventionally drawn approximately along the parallel of 60 ° S. sh. Here (more precisely, up to 55 ° S. latitude) is the northern boundary of the Antarctic surface waters (Antarctic circumpolar current).
"Roaring Forties" sailors called the oceanic space between 40 ° and 50 ° latitude in the southern hemisphere of the Earth, where strong and steady westerly winds constantly blow, causing frequent storms.
A distinctive feature of the Southern Ocean is the atmospheric circulation of air masses moving over a considerable distance over the open ocean, never encountering obstacles in the form of mountains or large areas of flat land.
Over the water area of the Southern Ocean, intense cyclonic activity is extremely developed. Most cyclones move from west to east. This zone is included in the area between the 60th and 70th parallels of south latitude, called the "howling sixties" because of the strongest wind, constantly dominant in this region, reaching a speed of 145 km / h and raising waves 15 m high and above.
Another distinctive feature of the Southern Ocean is the course of the Western winds, which spreads throughout the entire water column and carries them in an easterly direction. To the south of this current, the Western Coastal Current is formed. The cold and dense water masses formed here move from the shores of Antarctica along the ocean floor far to the north.
It is here, in the Southern Ocean, that the largest icebergs are formed, constantly breaking off from the Antarctic ice sheet. At the same time, there are more than 200 thousand icebergs in the Southern Ocean. Average length iceberg - about 500 m, but colossal ice floes up to 180 km long and several tens of kilometers wide come across. Currents carry icebergs to the north, and they can even reach 35-40 ° S. sh .: a significant mass melts under the sun long time. Average duration the existence of an iceberg in the Southern Ocean - 6 years, but there are also "veterans" aged 12-15 years.
Flora and fauna
Climatic conditions for the flora and fauna of the Southern Ocean only seem harsh. On the contrary, plants and animals have perfectly adapted to use the cold as a protective element. The Southern Ocean is distinguished by giant accumulations of phyto- and zooplankton, krill, many species of sponges and echinoderms live on the bottom. There are several families of fish here, but nototheniids predominate.
Birds are very peculiar: the southern giant petrel, black-browed albatross, skuas are able to travel long distances through the air, and the flightless penguin can walk on ice. The abundance of food explains the exceptional species diversity of whales (blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, humpback whale) and seals (Weddell seal, crabeater seal, leopard seal, fur seal). Industrial fishing for cetaceans has seriously reduced their numbers, and now whaling is prohibited. Among other dangers threatening the number of local fauna are poachers overfishing, breeding of rats on the Antarctic islands, where the number of bird nests is very high.
Population
On the islands and the continental coast South Sea the population is unstable and not numerous: it is primarily polar explorers. Other settlers in accordance with the Convention on Antarctica cannot be there, since the continent and islands located south of 60 ° S. sh., cannot belong to any state, and only scientific activity is allowed there. Unfortunately, this does not mean that the States Parties to the Convention do not have territorial claims: very large territories on the continent, Great Britain, Norway, Australia are considered their own, since 1908 Great Britain claims to be, since 1940 - Chile, since 1943 - Argentina. The US and Russia also have their sights set on them. Since 1929, Norway has claimed the island of Peter I. There are a number of disputed islands in the Southern Ocean, but there is no permanent population on all of them, only in summer the islands are visited by scientific expeditions.
general information
Location: Southern hemisphere.Composition: water area around Antarctica (southern regions of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans).
Seas: Atlantic Ocean (Lazarev, Riiser-Larsen, Skosha,), Indian (Davis, Cosmonauts, Mawson, Commonwealth), Pacific (Amundsen, Bellingshausen, Durville, Somov).
Geographic boundaries: northern - 60 ° S sh., southern - the coast of Antarctica.
Largest islands: Ross, Adelaide, archipelagos: Palmer South Shetland Islands, South Orkney Islands, including the largest islands of Antarctica completely surrounded by shelf ice: Alexander I Land, Berkner, Thurston.
Numbers
Area: 20.327 million km 2.Average depth: 3500 m.
Max Depth: South Sandwich Trench (Atlantic Ocean, 8428 m).
Depth of the Antarctic shelf: up to 500 m.
Ice cover area in September-October: 1819 million km 2, in January-February - 2-3 million km 2.
■ Natural: ice shelf Rossa, Una Peaks (Le Mer Canal), Bunger Oasis ( Western part Wilkes Lands), tabular icebergs, bird colonies.
Curious facts
■ The 60th parallel of south latitude is not only the northern boundary of the Southern Ocean, but also the northern boundary of the demilitarized zone free from nuclear weapons(Antarctic Treaty 1959).
■ In the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth, 61% of its surface is occupied by water, and in the Southern - 81%.
■ Sectors are distinguished in the Southern Ocean: Atlantic - between northern tip the Antarctic Peninsula and the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope, the Indian - between the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope and the meridian of the South East Cape on the island of Tasmania, and the Pacific - between the meridian of the South East Cape on the island of Tasmania and the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
■ The South Sandwich Trench is not only the deepest in the Southern Ocean, but also the second deepest in the Atlantic Ocean - after the Puerto Rico Trench (8742 m).
■ Most of the southern ocean species of fauna that live at water temperatures close to freezing (up to -1.9 ° C) have in the blood and other body fluids a kind of automobile "anti-freeze": glycoproteins - special connection Sugars with proteins that prevent the formation of ice in the body.
■ The grey-headed albatross is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the bird with the fastest horizontal flight: 127 km/h, the speed the albatross kept for more than 8 hours while returning to its nest on South Georgia Island. The wandering albatross living there has the largest wingspan among birds: up to 325 cm.
■ Another record holder among Antarctic birds is the gentoo penguin with Falkland Islands, developing under water at a speed of 36 km / h, is the fastest of all penguins.
The most little-studied and, perhaps, the most interesting from the point of view of science is the Southern or Antarctic Ocean. Until 2000, the concept of the "Southern Ocean" was conditional - this is how oceanologists called the part of the world ocean, consisting of the southern parts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans and washing the coast of Antarctica.
The study of the specifics of this part of the world ocean, associated with the peculiarity of the hydrological regime of the Antarctic waters between the convergence zone and northern shores Antarctica, which are united by the circumpolar current, the uniqueness of the bottom shelf, flora and fauna, as well as its special influence on the planet's climate, gave scientists reason to single out the fifth Southern or Antarctic Ocean in 2000.
The boundary of the Southern Ocean runs along the 60th parallel of south latitude and corresponds to the northern boundary of the Antarctic convergence zone and the uniqueness of the bottom topography. Its area is 20,327 thousand square meters. km. and it is the fourth largest ocean globe. Its water part includes the Amundsen, Bellingshausen, Ross, Weddel-la seas, part of the Drake Passage, a small part of the Scottish Sea and others. bodies of water Antarctica. The relief of the Southern Ocean for the most part has a depth of 4,000 to 5,000 m with minor areas of shallow water. continental shelf it is extremely deep, narrow and lies at depths from 400 to 800 m. The deepest point of the Antarctic Ocean is the southern tip of the Sandwich Trench - 7,235 m.
The biggest ocean current in the world that affects the formation and change of climate on the whole earth - the Antarctic polar current. It moves east around Antarctica and carries 130 million cubic meters of water per second. This figure is a hundred times greater than the amount of water carried by all the rivers of the globe. The climate of the Southern Ocean is distinguished by its severity.
Fashionable direction of the 20-21 centuries - tours to Antarctica
The water temperature in the surface layers of the ocean varies from +10?C to -2?C. Due to the strong temperature contrast between the area of ice and the open ocean, cyclonic storms are almost constantly observed here, which move around Antarctica in an easterly direction. Harsh cold winds here blow much stronger than anywhere else on the planet. AT winter time The Southern Ocean freezes up to 65 parallel south latitude in the area Pacific Ocean and up to the 55th parallel in the area Atlantic Ocean and surface temperatures drop well below freezing.
The Roaring Forties…
Antarctic ice packs occupy average area from a low of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to a maximum of 18.8 million square kilometers in September, an increase of about seven times during this time. They represent the largest supply of the purest fresh water on the planet. Fragments of ice shelves and continental glaciers form icebergs and floating ice. Individual Antarctic icebergs can exist for 10 or more years.
Despite the harsh climatic conditions of the Southern Ocean, living life in Antarctic waters is rich and unique. The waters of the southern ocean are extremely saturated with phyto- and zooplankton, represented primarily by krill. Krill is the basis of nutrition for many species of fish, cetaceans, penguins, squids, sponges, echinoderms, seals and other animals. Among the mammals that have adapted to living in such harsh conditions, it should be noted penguins, fur seals, seals. The waters of the Southern Ocean are a favorite habitat for many species of whales, such as the blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, humpback whale. An extremely rich species diversity of valuable species of oceanic fish, which are represented by endemic families of notothenia and white-blooded fish.
The non-vertebrate animals that live in the South Ocean waters are very peculiar. Of particular interest are huge jellyfish, reaching a weight of up to 150 kilograms. Penguins are a symbol of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. These peculiar birds with a vertical body position are represented by 17 species. They lead a semi-terrestrial lifestyle, feed on small crustaceans and fish in the water and do not know how to fly at all like their relatives.
The Southern Ocean, due to its very harsh climate, is still little studied and represents huge interest for science and scientific discoveries. The secrets kept in the waters of the Southern Ocean will amaze humanity with their discoveries and sensations more than once.
