Ocean Floor Antartica

The white patches indicate the presence of microbes feeding on methane as it seeps to the surface.

Ocean floor antartica.

An image of the sea floor at the cinder cones dive site in antarctica s mcmurdo sound. The dark seafloor beneath the ice is covered with sea stars urchins and ribbon worms looking for their next meal which can come from sponges dead animals that float to the sea floor or even other sea star species. It is a process that s likely to accelerate the process of global heating. The deepest part of the ocean however is about 36 200 feet or 6 9 miles at the southern.

A newly released bathymetric map of the southern ocean surrounding antarctica fills in missing seafloor gaps south of 60th parallel. The ocean in and around antarctica like so much of the world s oceans are still revealing their many secrets. Its antarctic circumpolar current the most powerful current on the planet links the pacific atlantic and indian oceans and has effectively isolated the antarctic continent and its ice masses from the rest of the world for over 30 million years. As such it is regarded as the second smallest of the five principal oceanic divisions.

The southern ocean is one of the most important pillars of the earth s climate system. Australian antarctic division advertisement. Smaller than the pacific atlantic and indian oceans but larger than the arctic ocean. The southern ocean also known as the antarctic ocean or the austral ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean generally taken to be south of 60 s latitude and encircling antarctica.

It was the first attempt by the international community to establish a formal agreement on a logical allocation of ocean resources. Scientists have for the first time discovered the first active leak of methane gas from the sea floor in antarctica.