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Difference between revisions of "Weddell Sea"
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[[File:Antarctic-seas-en.jpg|thumb]] | [[File:Antarctic-seas-en.jpg|thumb]] | ||
The '''Weddell Sea''' is part of the [[Southern Ocean]] and contains the Weddell Gyre, one of two circulating ocean currents in [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] waters. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of [[Coats Land]] and the [[Antarctic Peninsula]]. The easternmost point is | The '''Weddell Sea''' is part of the [[Southern Ocean]] and contains the Weddell Gyre, one of two circulating ocean currents in [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] waters. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of [[Coats Land]] and the [[Antarctic Peninsula]]. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, [[Queen Maud Land]]. To the east of Cape Norvegia is the King Haakon VII Sea. Much of the southern part of the sea is covered by a permanent, massive ice shelf field, the [[Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf]] (not pack ice). The sea is contained within the two overlapping [[Antarctic]] territorial claims of Argentina, and Britain ([[British Antarctic Territory]]), and also resides partially within the territorial claim of Chile ([[Chilean Antarctic Territory]]). At its widest the sea is around 2000 km across, and its area is around 2.8 million km<sup>2</sup>. | ||
Various ice shelves, including the [[Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf]], fringe the Weddell sea. Some of the ice shelves on the east side of the [[Antarctic Peninsula]], which formerly covered roughly 3900 mi<sup>2</sup> of the Weddell Sea, had completely disappeared by 2002. While a dramatic event, the area that disappeared was far smaller than the total area of ice shelf that remains. | Various ice shelves, including the [[Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf]], fringe the Weddell sea. Some of the ice shelves on the east side of the [[Antarctic Peninsula]], which formerly covered roughly 3900 mi<sup>2</sup> of the Weddell Sea, had completely disappeared by 2002. While a dramatic event, the area that disappeared was far smaller than the total area of ice shelf that remains. | ||