View source for Ross Sea

{{Short description|Deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{ Infobox sea
| name=Ross Sea
| image=Ross Sea, Summer 2016 25.jpg
| caption=Sea ice in the Ross Sea
| alt = Sea ice in the Ross Sea
|pushpin_map=Antarctica
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Ross Sea
| image_bathymetry=Antarctic-seas-en.svg|caption_bathymetry=Seas of Antarctica, with the Ross Sea in the bottom-left|location=[[Antarctica]]|type=Sea|outflow=[[Southern Ocean]]
| alt_bathymetry = Seas of Antarctica, with the Ross Sea in the bottom-left
| coordinates = {{coord|75|S|175|W|region:AQ_type:waterbody_scale:10000000|display=inline,title}}
| etymology=[[James Clark Ross|James Ross]]
}}

The '''Ross Sea''' is a deep bay of the [[Southern Ocean]] in [[Antarctica]], between [[Victoria Land]] and [[Marie Byrd Land]] and within the [[Ross Embayment]], and is the southernmost sea on Earth. It derives its name from the British explorer [[James Clark Ross]] who visited this area in 1841. To the west of the sea lies [[Ross Island]] and Victoria Land, to the east [[Roosevelt Island, Antarctica|Roosevelt Island]] and [[King Edward VII Land|Edward VII Peninsula]] in Marie Byrd Land, while the southernmost part is covered by the [[Ross Ice Shelf]], and is about {{convert|200|mi}} from the [[South Pole]]. Its boundaries and area have been defined by the New Zealand [[National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research]] as having an area of {{Convert|637000|sqkm|sqmi}}.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.niwa.co.nz/fisheries/the-ross-sea-trophic-model/about-the-ross-sea|title=About the Ross Sea|date=2012-07-27|work=NIWA|access-date=2018-02-23|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224053208/https://www.niwa.co.nz/fisheries/the-ross-sea-trophic-model/about-the-ross-sea|archive-date=24 February 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The circulation of the Ross Sea is dominated by a wind-driven [[ocean gyre]] and the flow is strongly influenced by three submarine ridges that run from southwest to northeast.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}} The [[circumpolar deep water]] current is a relatively warm, salty and nutrient-rich water mass that flows onto the continental shelf at certain locations.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jacobs|first1=Stanley S.|last2=Amos|first2=Anthony F.|last3=Bruchhausen|first3=Peter M.|date=1970-12-01|title=Ross sea oceanography and antarctic bottom water formation|journal=Deep Sea Research and Oceanographic Abstracts|volume=17|issue=6|pages=935–962|doi=10.1016/0011-7471(70)90046-X|bibcode=1970DSRA...17..935J |issn=0011-7471}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dinniman|first1=Michael S.|last2=Klinck|first2=John M.|last3=Smith|first3=Walker O.|date=2003-11-01|title=Cross-shelf exchange in a model of the Ross Sea circulation and biogeochemistry|journal=Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography|series=The US JGOFS Synthesis and Modeling Project: Phase II|volume=50|issue=22|pages=3103–3120|doi=10.1016/j.dsr2.2003.07.011|bibcode=2003DSRII..50.3103D |issn=0967-0645}}</ref> The Ross Sea is covered with ice for most of the year.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}

The nutrient-laden water supports an abundance of [[plankton]] and this encourages a rich marine fauna. At least ten mammal species, six bird species and 95 fish species are found here, as well as many invertebrates, and the sea remains relatively unaffected by human activities. New Zealand insists that the sea comes under its jurisdiction as part of the [[Ross Dependency]]. Marine biologists consider the sea to have a high level of biological diversity and it is the site of much scientific research. It is also the focus of some environmentalist groups who have campaigned to have the area proclaimed as a world marine reserve. In 2016 an international agreement established the region as a [[marine park]].<ref name="Guardian Slezak 2016" />

==Description==
The Ross Sea was discovered by the [[Ross expedition]] in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is [[Ross Island]] with the [[Mount Erebus|Mt. Erebus]] [[volcano]]; in the east is [[Roosevelt Island, Antarctica|Roosevelt Island]]. The southern part is covered by the [[Ross Ice Shelf]].<ref name="britannica1">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/510142/Ross-Sea |title=Ross Sea (sea, Pacific Ocean) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |access-date=2012-08-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311231139/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/510142/Ross-Sea |archive-date=11 March 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> [[Roald Amundsen]] started his [[South Pole]] expedition in 1911 from the [[Bay of Whales]], which was located at the shelf. In the western parts of the Ross Sea, [[McMurdo Sound]] is a port that is usually free of ice during the summer. The southernmost part of the Ross Sea is [[Gould Coast]], which is approximately {{convert|200|mi|km}} from the geographic [[South Pole]]. {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

== Geology ==
=== The continental shelf ===
[[File:GPM 16 fred Ross CC.pdf|thumb|Bathymetric map of the Ross Sea, Antarctica]]

The Ross Sea (and [[Ross Ice Shelf]]) overlies a deep [[continental shelf]]. Although the average depth of the world's continental shelves (at the [[Continental shelf|shelf break]] joining the continental slope) is about 130 meters,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Oceanography: A view of the Earth|last=Gross|first=M. Grant|publisher=Prentice Hall|year=1977|edition=6|location=New Jersey|page=28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Submarine Geology|last=Shepard|first=F.P.|publisher=Harper & Row|year=1963|edition=2|location=New York|pages=264}}</ref> the Ross shelf average depth is about 500 meters.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|chapter-url=http://deepseadrilling.org/28/volume/dsdp28_34.pdf|last1=Hayes|first1=D.E.|last2=Davey|first2=F.J.|doi=10.2973/dsdp.proc.28.134.1975|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715031355/http://deepseadrilling.org/28/volume/dsdp28_34.pdf|archive-date=15 July 2017|df=dmy-all|title=Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, 28|volume=28|year=1975|chapter=A Geophysical Study of the Ross Sea, Antarctica }}</ref> It is shallower in the western Ross Sea (east longitudes) than the east (west longitudes).<ref name=":0" /> This over-deepened condition is due to cycles of erosion and deposition of sediments from expanding and contracting ice sheets overriding the shelf during [[Oligocene]] and later time,<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Bartek|first1=L. R.|last2=Vail|first2=P. R.|last3=Anderson|first3=J. B.|last4=Emmet|first4=P. A.|last5=Wu|first5=S.|date=1991-04-10|title=Effect of Cenozoic ice sheet fluctuations in Antarctica on the stratigraphic signature of the Neogene|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth|language=en|volume=96|issue=B4|pages=6753–6778|doi=10.1029/90jb02528|bibcode=1991JGR....96.6753B |issn=2156-2202}}</ref> and is also found on other locations around Antarctica.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Barker, P.F., Barrett, P.J., Camerlenghi, A., Cooper, A.K., Davey, F.J., Domack, E.W., Escutia, C., Kristoffersen, Y. and O'Brien, P.E.|year=1998|title=Ice sheet history from Antarctic continental margin sediments: the ANTOSTRAT approach|journal=Terra Antarctica|volume=5|issue=4|pages=737–760}}</ref> Erosion was more focused on the inner parts of the shelf while deposition of sediment dominated the outer shelf, making the inner shelf deeper than the outer.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Geology and Seismic Stratigraphy of the Antarctic Margin|last1=Ten Brink|first1=Uri S.|last2=Schneider|first2=Christopher|last3=Johnson|first3=Aaron H.|publisher=American Geophysical Union|year=1995|isbn=9781118669013|editor-last=Cooper|editor-first=Alan K.|pages=1–24|language=en|chapter=Morphology and stratal geometry of the Antarctic continental shelf: insights from models|doi=10.1029/ar068p0001|editor-last2=Barker|editor-first2=Peter F.|editor-last3=Brancolini|editor-first3=Giuliano|hdl = 1912/1602}}</ref>

[[File:Ross Sea Antarctica sea floor geology.svg|thumb|Ross Sea Antarctica sea floor geology showing major basins and drill sites|alt=|left|314x314px]]Seismic studies in the latter half of the twentieth century defined the major features of the geology of the Ross Sea.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=The Antarctic continental margin : geology and geophysics of the western Ross Sea|date=1987|publisher=Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources|others=Cooper, Alan K., Davey, Frederick J., Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources.|isbn=978-0933687059|location=Houston, Texas|oclc=15366732}}</ref> The deepest or basement rocks, are faulted into four major north trending [[graben]] systems, which are basins for sedimentary fill. These basins include the Northern and Victoria Land Basin in the west, the Central Trough, and the Eastern Basin, which has approximately the same width as the other three. The Coulman High separates the Victoria Land Basin and Central Trough and the Central High separates the Central Trough and Eastern Basin. The majority of the faulting and accompanying graben formation along with crustal extension occurred during the rifting away of the [[Zealandia]] microcontinent from Antarctica in Gondwana during [[Cretaceous]] time.<ref>Lawver, L. A., and L. M. Gahagan. 1994. "Constraints on timing of extension in the Ross Sea region."  ''Terra Antartica''1:545–552.</ref> [[Paleogene]] and [[Neogene]] -age and faulting and extension is restricted to the Victoria Land Basin and Northern Basin.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Davey|first1=F. J.|last2=Cande|first2=S. C.|last3=Stock|first3=J. M.|date=2006-10-27|title=Extension in the western Ross Sea region-links between Adare Basin and Victoria Land Basin|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|language=en|volume=33|issue=20|article-number=2006GL027383 |doi=10.1029/2006gl027383|bibcode=2006GeoRL..3320315D |issn=0094-8276|url=https://authors.library.caltech.edu/45879/1/grl22102.pdf|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Granot|first1=Roi|last2=Dyment|first2=Jérôme|date=2018-08-09|title=Late Cenozoic unification of East and West Antarctica|journal=Nature Communications|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=3189|doi=10.1038/s41467-018-05270-w|issn=2041-1723|pmc=6085322|pmid=30093679|bibcode=2018NatCo...9.3189G }}</ref>

=== Stratigraphy ===
[[Basement (geology)|Basement]] grabens are filled with rift sediments of uncertain character and age.<ref name=":2" /> A widespread [[unconformity]] has cut into the basement and sedimentary fill of the large basins.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Geology and seismic stratigraphy of the Antarctic margin, 2|date=1997|publisher=American Geophysical Union|others=Barker, Peter F., Cooper, Alan K.|isbn=9781118668139|location=Washington, D.C.|oclc=772504633}}</ref> Above this major unconformity (named RSU-6<ref>Hinz, K., and M. Block. 1984. "Results of geophysical investigations in the Weddell Sea and in the Ross Sea, Antarctica." In ''Proceedings of the Eleventh World Petroleum Congress (London 1983)'', edited by World_Petroleum_Council, 279–291. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.</ref>) are a series of glacial marine sedimentary units deposited during multiple advances and retreats of the [[Antarctic ice sheet|Antarctic Ice Sheet]] across the sea floor of the Ross Sea during the [[Oligocene]] and later.<ref name=":1" />

=== Geologic drilling ===
Drill holes have recovered cores of rock from the western edges of the sea. The most ambitious recent efforts are the [[Cape Roberts Project]] (CRP) and the [[ANDRILL]] project.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Barrett|first1=P. J.|title=Sedimentology and petrology of core from DVDP 15, western McMurdo Sound|date=1981|work=Dry Valley Drilling Project|pages=281–314|publisher=American Geophysical Union|language=en-US|doi=10.1029/ar033p0281|isbn=978-0875901770|last2=Treves|first2=S. B. |doi-broken-date=18 July 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Davey|first1=F. J.|last2=Barrett|first2=P. J.|last3=Cita|first3=M. B.|last4=van der Meer|first4=J. J. M.|last5=Tessensohn|first5=F.|last6=Thomson|first6=M. R. A.|last7=Webb|first7=P.-N.|last8=Woolfe|first8=K. J.|date=2001|title=Drilling for Antarctic Cenozoic climate and tectonic history at Cape Roberts, Southwestern Ross Sea|journal=Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union|language=en|volume=82|issue=48|pages=585|doi=10.1029/01eo00339|bibcode=2001EOSTr..82Q.585D |issn=0096-3941|doi-access=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Paulsen|first1=Timothy S.|last2=Pompilio|first2=Massimo|last3=Niessen|first3=Frank|last4=Panter|first4=Kurt|last5=Jarrard|first5=Richard D.|date=2012|title=Introduction: The ANDRILL McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) and Southern McMurdo Sound (SMS) Drilling Projects|journal=Geosphere|language=en|volume=8|issue=3|pages=546–547|doi=10.1130/ges00813.1|bibcode=2012Geosp...8..546P |issn=1553-040X|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Deep Sea Drilling Project]] (DSDP) Leg 28 completed several holes (270–273) farther from land in the central and western portions of the sea.<ref name=":3">{{Citation|last1=Hayes|first1=D.E.|date=1975|chapter-url=http://deepseadrilling.org/28/volume/dsdp28_36.pdf|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|doi=10.2973/dsdp.proc.28.136.1975|access-date=2018-08-28|last2=Frakes|first2=L.A.|title=Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, 28|volume=28|chapter=General Synthesis, Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 28|doi-access=free}}</ref> These resulted in defining a stratigraphy for most of the older glacial sequences, which comprise Oligocene and younger sediments. The Ross Sea-wide major unconformity RSU-6 has been proposed to mark a global climate event and the first appearance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Oligocene.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Anderson|first1=John B.|title=Cenozoic glacial history of the Ross Sea revealed by intermediate resolution seismic reflection data combined with drill site information|date=1992|work=The Antarctic Paleoenvironment: A Perspective on Global Change: Part One|pages=231–263|publisher=American Geophysical Union|language=en-US|doi=10.1029/ar056p0231|isbn=978-0875908236|last2=Bartek|first2=Louis R.}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last1=Brancolini|first1=Giuliano|title=Seismic Facies and Glacial History in the Western Ross Sea (Antarctica)|date=2013-03-16|work=Geology and Seismic Stratigraphy of the Antarctic Margin|pages=209–233|publisher=American Geophysical Union|language=en|doi=10.1029/ar068p0209|isbn=9781118669013|last2=Cooper|first2=Alan K.|last3=Coren|first3=Franco}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Decesari, Robert C., Christopher C. Sorlien, Bruce P. Luyendyk, Douglas S. Wilson, Louis Bartek, John Diebold, and Sarah E. Hopkins|date=2007-07-24|title=USGS Open-File Report 2007-1047, Short Research Paper 052|journal=Regional Seismic Stratigraphic Correlations of the Ross Sea: Implications for the Tectonic History of the West Antarctic Rift System|volume=2007|issue=1047sir052|doi=10.3133/of2007-1047.srp052|issn=0196-1497}}</ref>

During 2018, Expedition 374 of the [[International Ocean Discovery Program]] (IODP), the latest successor to the DSDP, drilled additional holes (U1521–1525) in the central Ross Sea for determining [[Neogene]] and [[Quaternary]] ice sheet history.<ref>{{Cite book|title=International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 374 Preliminary Report|last=Robert M. McKay; Laura De Santis; Denise K. Kulhanek; and the Expedition Scientists 374|date=2018-05-24|publisher=International Ocean Discovery Program|series=International Ocean Discovery Program Preliminary Report|language=en|doi=10.14379/iodp.pr.374.2018}}</ref>

=== Basement ===
The nature of the basement rocks and the fill within the grabens are known in few locations. Basement rocks have been sampled at DSDP Leg 28 drill site 270 where [[metamorphic rock]]s of unknown age were recovered,<ref name=":3" /> and in the eastern Ross Sea where a bottom dredge was collected.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Siddoway|first1=Christine Smith|last2=Baldwin|first2=Suzanne L.|last3=Fitzgerald|first3=Paul G.|last4=Fanning|first4=C. Mark|last5=Luyendyk|first5=Bruce P.|date=2004|title=Ross Sea mylonites and the timing of intracontinental extension within the West Antarctic rift system|journal=Geology|language=en|volume=32|issue=1|pages=57|doi=10.1130/g20005.1|bibcode=2004Geo....32...57S |issn=0091-7613}}</ref> In both these locations the metamorphic rocks are [[mylonite]]s deformed in the [[Cretaceous]] suggesting extreme stretching of the Ross Embayment during that time.<ref>Fitzgerald, P. G., and S. L. Baldwin. 1997. "Detachment Fault Model for the Evolution of the Ross Embayment." In ''The Antarctic Region: Geological Evolution and Processes'', edited by C. A. Ricci, 555–564. Siena: Terra Antarctica Pub.</ref><ref name=":4" />

'''Marie Byrd Land''': Rocks exposed in western [[Marie Byrd Land]] on the [[King Edward VII Land|Edward VII Peninsula]] and within the [[Ford Ranges]] are candidates for basement in the eastern Ross Sea.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Luyendyk|first1=Bruce P.|last2=Wilson|first2=Douglas S.|last3=Siddoway|first3=Christine S.|date=2003|title=Eastern margin of the Ross Sea Rift in western Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica: Crustal structure and tectonic development|journal=Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems|language=en|volume=4|issue=10|page=1090 |doi=10.1029/2002gc000462|bibcode=2003GGG.....4.1090L |s2cid=2310914|issn=1525-2027|doi-access=free}}</ref> The oldest rocks are [[Permian]] sediments of the Swanson Formation, which is slightly metamorphosed. The Ford granodiorite of [[Devonian]] age intrudes these sediments. Cretaceous Byrd Coast granite in turn intrudes the older rocks. The Byrd Coast and older formations have been cut by [[basalt]] [[Dike swarm|dikes]]. Scattered through the Ford Ranges and Fosdick Mountains are late [[Cenozoic]] [[volcanic rock]]s that are not found to the west on Edward VII Peninsula. Metamorphic rocks, [[migmatite]]s, are found in the [[Fosdick Mountains]] and [[Alexandra Mountains]].<ref>Luyendyk, B. P., S. M. Richard, C. H. Smith, and D. L. Kimbrough. 1992. "Geological and geophysical investigations in the northern Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica." In ''Recent Progress in Antarctic Earth Science: Proceedings of the 6th Symposium on Antarctic Earth Science, Saitama, Japan, 1991'', edited by Y. Yoshida, K. Kaminuma and K. Shiraishi, 279–288. Tokyo: Terra Pub.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Richard|first1=S. M.|last2=Smith|first2=C. H.|last3=Kimbrough|first3=D. L.|last4=Fitzgerald|first4=P. G.|last5=Luyendyk|first5=B. P.|last6=McWilliams|first6=M. O.|date=1994|title=Cooling history of the northern Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica|journal=Tectonics|language=en|volume=13|issue=4|pages=837–857|doi=10.1029/93tc03322|bibcode=1994Tecto..13..837R|issn=0278-7407}}</ref> These were metamorphosed and deformed in the Cretaceous.<ref>Siddoway, C., S. Richard, C. M. Fanning, and B. P. Luyendyk. 2004. "Origin and emplacement mechanisms for a middle Cretaceous gneiss dome, Fosdick Mountains, West Antarctica (Chapter 16)." In ''Gneiss domes in orogeny'', edited by D. L. Whitney, C. T. Teyssier and C. Siddoway, 267–294. Geological Society of America Special Paper 380.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Korhonen|first1=F. J.|last2=Brown|first2=M.|last3=Grove|first3=M.|last4=Siddoway|first4=C. S.|last5=Baxter|first5=E. F.|last6=Inglis|first6=J. D.|date=2011-10-17|title=Separating metamorphic events in the Fosdick migmatite-granite complex, West Antarctica|journal=Journal of Metamorphic Geology|language=en|volume=30|issue=2|pages=165–192|doi=10.1111/j.1525-1314.2011.00961.x|s2cid=1977832 |issn=0263-4929}}</ref>

'''The Ross Supergroup system and Beacon Supergroup''': Ross System rocks exposed in [[Victoria Land]] and in the [[Transantarctic Mountains]] on the western side of the Ross Sea<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last1=Faure|first1=Gunter|last2=Mensing|first2=Teresa M.|date=2011|title=The Transantarctic Mountains|language=en-gb|doi=10.1007/978-90-481-9390-5|isbn=978-1-4020-8406-5}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite book|title=The Ross orogen of the Transantarctic Mountains|last=Stump|first=Edmund|date=1995|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0521433143|location=Cambridge [England]|oclc=30671271}}</ref> are possible basement rock below the sedimentary cover of the sea floor. The rocks are of upper [[Precambrian]] to lower [[Paleozoic]] in age, deformed in many places during the Ross Orogeny in the [[Cambrian]].<ref name=":6" /> These [[miogeosyncline]] [[metasedimentary]] rocks are partly composed of [[calcium carbonate]], often including [[limestone]]. Groups within the Ross System include the Robertson Bay Group, Priestley Group, Skelton Group, Beardmore Group, Byrd Group, Queen Maud Group, and Koettlitz Group.  The Robertson Bay Group compares closely with other Ross System members. The Priestley Group rocks are similar to those of the Robertson Bay Group and include dark slates, [[argillites]], [[siltstones]], fine [[sandstones]] and limestones. They can be found near the Priestley and Campbell glaciers. For thirty miles along the lower [[Skelton Glacier]] are the calcareous [[greywackes]] and argillites of the Skelton Group. The region between the lower [[Beardmore Glacier]] and the lower [[Shackleton Glacier|Shackelton Glacier]] sits the Beardmore Group. North of the [[Nimrod Glacier]] are four block faulted ranges that make up the Byrd Group. The contents of the Queen Maud Group area are mainly post-tectonic [[granite]].

[[Beacon Supergroup|Beacon Sandstone]] of [[Devonian]]-[[Triassic]] age<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Barrett|first=P. J.|date=1981|title=History of the Ross Sea region during the deposition of the Beacon Supergroup 400–180 million years ago|journal=Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand|language=en|volume=11|issue=4|pages=447–458|doi=10.1080/03036758.1981.10423334|issn=0303-6758|doi-access=|bibcode=1981JRSNZ..11..447B }}</ref> and the [[Karoo-Ferrar|Ferarr]] volcanic rocks of [[Jurassic]] age are separated from the Ross Supergroup by the [[Kukri Peneplain]]. Beacon rocks are reported to have been recovered in the drill cores of the Cape Roberts Project at the western edge of the Ross Sea.<ref>Barrett, P. J., C. R. A. Fielding, and S. Wise, eds. 1998. ''Initial Report on CRP-1, Cape Roberts Project, Antarctica''. Vol. 5, ''Terra Antartica''. Siena: Terra Antartica.</ref><ref>Barrett, P.J., F.J. Davey, W.U. Ehrmann, M.J. Hambrey, R. Jarrard, J.J.M. van der Meer, J. Raine, A.P. Roberts, F. Talarico, and D.K. Watkins, eds. 2001. ''Studies from the Cape Roberts Project, Ross Sea, Antarctica, Scientific Results of CRP-2/2A, Parts I and II''. Vol. 7, ''Terra Antartica''.</ref><ref>Barrett, P. J., M.  Massimo Sarti, and S. Wise, eds. 2000. ''Studies from the Cape Roberts Project, Ross Sea, Antarctica: Initial report on CRP-3''. Vol. 7, ''Terra Antartica''. Siena: Terra Antarctica Pub.</ref><ref>Barrett, P.J. 2007. "Cenozoic climate and sea level history from glacimarine strata off the Victoria Land coast, Cape Roberts Project, Antarctica." In ''Glacial Sedimentary Processes and Products'', edited by M.J. Hambrey, P. Christoffersen, N.F. Glasser and B. Hubbart, 259–287. Blackwell: International Association of Sedimentologists.</ref>

== Oceanography ==
=== Circulation ===
[[File:Bloom in the Ross Sea.jpg|thumb|Bloom in the Ross Sea, January 2011]]

The Ross Sea circulation, dominated by [[polynya]] processes, is in general very slow-moving. [[Circumpolar Deep Water]] (CDW) is a relatively warm, salty and nutrient-rich water mass that flows onto the continental shelf at certain locations in the Ross Sea. Through heat flux, this water mass moderates the ice cover.  The near-surface water also provides a warm environment for some animals and nutrients to excite primary production. CDW transport onto the shelf is known to be persistent and periodic, and is thought to occur at specific locations influenced by bottom topography.  The circulation of the Ross Sea is dominated by a wind-driven [[gyre]]. The flow is strongly influenced by three submarine ridges that run from southwest to northeast. Flow over the shelf below the surface layer consists of two anticyclonic gyres connected by a central cyclonic flow. The flow is considerable in spring and winter, due to influencing tides. The Ross Sea is covered with ice for much of the year and ice concentrations and in the south-central region little melting occurs.  Ice concentrations in the Ross Sea are influenced by winds with ice remaining in the western region throughout the austral spring and generally melting in January due to local heating. This leads to extremely strong stratification and shallow mixed layers in the western Ross Sea.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ccpo.odu.edu/~klinck/Reprints/PDF/dinnimanDSR03.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-12-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224113244/http://www.ccpo.odu.edu/~klinck/Reprints/PDF/dinnimanDSR03.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Observation and data access in the region is coordinated by the Ross Sea Working Group of the [[Southern_Ocean_Observing_System_(SOOS)|Southern Ocean Observing System]].

==Ecological importance and conservation==
The Ross Sea is one of the last stretches of [[sea]]s on [[Earth]] that remains relatively unaffected by human activities.<ref name="Ballard 2012">{{cite journal|last1=Ballard|first1=Grant|last2=Jongsomjit|first2=Dennis|last3=Veloz|first3=Samuel D.|last4=Ainley|first4=David G.|title=Coexistence of mesopredators in an intact polar ocean ecosystem: The basis for defining a Ross Sea marine protected area|journal=Biological Conservation|date=1 November 2012|volume=156|pages=72–82|doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.017|bibcode=2012BCons.156...72B }}</ref> Consequently, the Ross Sea has become a focus of numerous environmentalist groups who have campaigned to make the area a world marine reserve, citing the rare opportunity to protect the Ross Sea from a growing number of threats and destruction. The Ross Sea is regarded by marine biologists as having a very high biological diversity and as such has a long history of human exploration and scientific research, with some datasets going back over 150 years.<ref>[http://www.asoc.org/AntarcticAdvocacy/CampaignstoProtectAntarctica/ProtectingtheRossSea/tabid/140/Default.aspx]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925022404/http://www.asoc.org/AntarcticAdvocacy/CampaignstoProtectAntarctica/ProtectingtheRossSea/tabid/140/Default.aspx |date=25 September 2010 }}</ref><ref name="ASOC pdf">{{cite web|last1=Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition|title=The Ross Sea|url=http://www.asoc.org/storage/documents/MPAs/The_Ross_Sea.pdf|website=The Ross Sea – Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition|publisher=ASOC|access-date=26 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511025352/http://www.asoc.org/storage/documents/MPAs/The_Ross_Sea.pdf|archive-date=11 May 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Biodiversity===
The Ross Sea is home to at least 10 mammal species, half a dozen species of birds, 95 species of fish, and over 1,000 invertebrate species. Some species of birds that nest in and near the Ross Sea include the [[Adélie penguin]], [[emperor penguin]], [[Antarctic petrel]], [[snow petrel]], and south polar [[skua]].  Marine mammals in the Ross Sea include the [[Antarctic minke whale]], [[killer whale]], [[Weddell seal]], [[crabeater seal]], and [[leopard seal]]. [[Antarctic toothfish]], [[Antarctic silverfish]], [[Antarctic krill]], and [[crystal krill]] also swim in the cold Antarctic water of the Ross Sea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lastocean.org/Ross-Sea/Antarctic-wildlife-animals-Adelie-penguin-Emperor-penguin-__I.2431|title=Ross Sea Species|website=www.lastocean.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217010157/http://www.lastocean.org/Ross-Sea/Antarctic-wildlife-animals-Adelie-penguin-Emperor-penguin-__I.2431|archive-date=17 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A distinct ecotype of Orca called Type C can be found in the Ross Sea.<ref name="Pitman2003">{{cite journal |author1=Pitman, Robert L. |author2=Ensor, Paul |year=2003 |url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Programs/Ecology/PitmanandEnsor2003JCRM.pdf |title=Three forms of killer whales (''Orcinus orca'') in Antarctic waters |journal=Journal of Cetacean Research and Management |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=131–139 |doi=10.47536/jcrm.v5i2.813 |s2cid=52257732 |access-date=January 9, 2010 |archive-date=April 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427185038/https://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Programs/Ecology/PitmanandEnsor2003JCRM.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Albatross]]es rely on wind to travel and cannot get airborne in a calm.  The [[westerlies]] do not extend as far south as the ice edge and therefore albatrosses do not travel often to the ice-pack.  An albatross would be trapped on an [[Drift ice|ice floe]] for many days if it landed in the calm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rosssea.info/sub-antarctic-bird-life.html|title=Sub-Antarctic and Polar bird life|date=23 April 2015|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423115646/http://www.rosssea.info/sub-antarctic-bird-life.html|archive-date=23 April 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The coastal parts of the sea contain a number of rookeries of Adélie and Emperor penguins, which have been observed at a number of places around the Ross Sea, both towards the coast and outwards in open sea.<ref name="britannica1"/>

A 10-metre (32.8&nbsp;feet) long [[colossal squid]] weighing 495 kilograms (1,091&nbsp;lb) was captured in the Ross Sea on February 22, 2007.<ref name="Anderton, H.J. 2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/node/28451|title=World's largest squid landed in NZ – Beehive (Govt of NZ)|date=2007-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523152104/http://www.beehive.govt.nz/node/28451|archive-date=23 May 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-06-11}}</ref><ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6385071.stm|title=NZ fishermen land colossal squid – BBC News|date=2007-02-22|access-date=2013-06-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917094636/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6385071.stm|archive-date=17 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Kim Griggs">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6453997.stm|title=Colossal squid's headache for science – BBC News|date=2007-03-15|access-date=2013-06-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927071951/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6453997.stm|archive-date=27 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Kent Atkinson">{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/science/news/article.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10507295|title=Size matters on 'squid row' (+photos, video) – The New Zealand Herald|date=2008-05-01|access-date=2013-06-11}}</ref><ref name="Richard Black">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7374297.stm|title=Colossal squid's big eye revealed – BBC News|date=2008-04-30|access-date=2013-06-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919050815/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7374297.stm|archive-date=19 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Toothfish fishery===
In 2010, the Ross Sea Antarctic toothfish fishery was independently certified by the Marine Stewardship Council,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marine Stewardship Council|title=Ross Sea toothfish longline – Marine Stewardship Council|url=https://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/fisheries-in-the-program/certified/southern-ocean/ross-sea-toothfish-longline/ross-sea-toothfish-longline/?searchterm=toothfish|website=www.msc.org|access-date=26 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513234338/https://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/fisheries-in-the-program/certified/southern-ocean/ross-sea-toothfish-longline/ross-sea-toothfish-longline/?searchterm=toothfish|archive-date=13 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and has been rated as a 'Good Alternative' by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}}. However, a 2008 document submitted to the [[Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources]] (CCAMLR) reported significant declines in toothfish populations of McMurdo Sound coinciding with the development of the industrial toothfishing industry since 1996, and other reports have noted a coincident decrease in the number of orcas. The report recommended a full moratorium on fishing over the Ross shelf.<ref name="DeVries 2008">{{cite web|last1=DeVries|first1=Arthur L.|last2=Ainley|first2=David G.|last3=Ballard|first3=Grant|title=Decline of the Antarctic toothfish and its predators in McMurdo Sound and the southern Ross Sea, and recommendations for restoration.|url=http://assets1.thelastocean.co.nz/assets/Decline-of-the-Antarctic-toothfish_1.pdf|publisher=CCAMLR|access-date=26 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124225717/http://assets1.thelastocean.co.nz/assets/Decline-of-the-Antarctic-toothfish_1.pdf|archive-date=24 January 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In October 2012, Philippa Ross, James Ross' great, great, great granddaughter, voiced her opposition to fishing in the area.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Ross-descendant-wants-sea-protected/tabid/1160/articleID/274498/Default.aspx | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222214944/http://www.3news.co.nz/Ross-descendant-wants-sea-protected/tabid/1160/articleID/274498/Default.aspx | url-status=dead | archive-date=22 February 2013 | work=3 News NZ | title=Ross descendant wants sea protected | date=29 October 2012 }}</ref>

In the southern winter of 2017 New Zealand scientists discovered the breeding ground of the [[Antarctic toothfish]] in the northern Ross Sea seamounts for the first time<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/peeping-mile-deep-club|title=Peeping in on the Mile Deep Club |work=Hakai Magazine|access-date=2017-08-16|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817034553/https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/peeping-mile-deep-club|archive-date=17 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> underscoring how little is known about the species.

===Marine Protected Area===
On 28 October 2016, at its annual meeting in [[Hobart]], a Ross Sea marine park was declared by the CCAMLR, under an agreement signed by 24 countries and the [[European Union]]. It protected over 1.5 million square kilometers of sea and was the [[List of largest protected areas|world's largest protected area]] at the time. However, a [[sunset provision]] of 35 years was part of negotiations, which means it does not meet the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] definition of a [[marine protected area]], which requires it to be permanent.<ref name="Guardian Slezak 2016">{{cite news|last1=Slezak|first1=Michael|title=World's largest marine park created in Ross Sea in Antarctica in landmark deal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/28/worlds-largest-marine-park-created-in-ross-sea-in-antarctica-in-landmark-deal|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=28 October 2016|language=en-GB|date=26 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028152059/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/28/worlds-largest-marine-park-created-in-ross-sea-in-antarctica-in-landmark-deal|archive-date=28 October 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Beginning in 2005, the [[Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources]] (CCAMLR) commissioned scientific analysis and planning for [[Marine Protected Area]]s (MPA) in the Antarctic. In 2010, the CCAMLR endorsed their Scientific Committee's proposal to develop Antarctic MPAs for conservation purposes. The US State Department submitted a proposal for a Ross Sea MPA at the September 2012 meeting of the [[Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources|CCAMLR]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Delegation of the United States|title=A Proposal for the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/197887.pdf|website=Proposed Marine Protected Area in Antarctica's Ross Sea|publisher=U.S. Department of State|access-date=26 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> At this stage, a sustained campaign by various international and national NGOs commenced to accelerate the process.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.antarcticocean.org/|title=Antarctic Oceans Alliance|website=www.antarcticocean.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817033827/http://www.antarcticocean.org/|archive-date=17 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In July 2013, the CCAMLR held a meeting in [[Bremerhaven]] in Germany, to decide whether to turn the Ross Sea into an MPA. The deal failed due to Russia voting against it, citing uncertainty about whether the commission had the authority to establish a marine protected area.<ref>[[New Scientist]], No. 2926, 20 July, "Fight to preserve last pristine ecosystem fails"</ref>

In October 2014, the MPA proposal was again defeated at the CCAMLR by votes against from China and Russia.<ref name="Guardian Mathiesen 2014">{{cite news|last1=Mathiesen|first1=Karl|title=Russia accused of blocking creation of vast Antarctic marine reserves|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/31/russia-accused-of-blocking-creation-of-vast-antarctic-marine-reserves|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=26 April 2016|language=en-GB|date=31 October 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513012625/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/31/russia-accused-of-blocking-creation-of-vast-antarctic-marine-reserves|archive-date=13 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> At the October 2015 meeting a revised MPA proposal from the US and New Zealand was expanded with the assistance of China, who however shifted the MPA's priorities from conservation by allowing commercial fishing. The proposal was again blocked by Russia.<ref name="Pew 2015">{{cite press release|last1=The Pew Charitable Trusts|title=Pew: Nations Miss Historic Opportunity to Protect Antarctic Waters|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pew-nations-miss-historic-opportunity-to-protect-antarctic-waters-300169451.html|website=www.prnewswire.com|access-date=26 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509124239/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pew-nations-miss-historic-opportunity-to-protect-antarctic-waters-300169451.html|archive-date=9 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Oceans|Geography}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Beaufort Island]]
* [[Glomar Challenger Basin]]
* [[Hallett Ridge]]
* [[Iceberg B-15]]
* [[Mawson Bank]]
* [[McMurdo Station]]
* [[Pennell Bank]]
* [[Ross Canyon]]
* [[Ross Dependency]]
* [[Ross Gyre]]
* [[Ross Ice Shelf]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commonscat|Ross Sea}}
* [https://protectedplanet.net/ross-sea-region-marine-protected-area-marine-protected-area-ccamlr World Database on Protected Areas – Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807001422/https://www.protectedplanet.net/ross-sea-region-marine-protected-area-marine-protected-area-ccamlr |date=7 August 2020 }})
* Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, New Zealand and United States Delegation, 2015.  [https://www.mfat.govt.nz/assets/_securedfiles/Antarctica/Proposal-for-establishment-of-Ross-Sea-region-MPA-CCAMLR-XXXIV29-Rev1.pdf "A proposal for the establishment of a Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area"] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422035018/https://www.mfat.govt.nz/assets/_securedfiles/Antarctica/Proposal-for-establishment-of-Ross-Sea-region-MPA-CCAMLR-XXXIV29-Rev1.pdf |date=22 April 2020 }})
* J. Glausiusz, 2007, [http://discovermagazine.com/2007/apr/raw-data-beacon-bird-of-climate-change "Raw Data: Beacon Bird of Climate Change"]—''Discover Magazine''.
* Gunn, B., nd, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150423115357/http://www.rosssea.info/geology.html "Geology: The Ross Sea Dependency Including Victoria-Land"] Ross Sea, Antarctica, Including the Ross Sea Dependency, the Sub-Antarctic Islands and sea, up to New Zealand from the Pole.
* K. Hansen, 2007, [http://www.geotimes.org/mar07/article.html?id=nn_penguins.html "Paleoclimate: Penguin poop adds to climate picture"]. Geotimes.
*International Polar Foundation, 2007, [http://www.sciencepoles.org/index.php?s=2&rs=home&uid=1020&lg=en "Interview with Dr. Steven Emslie: The Adélie Penguins' Diet Shift"]. SciencePoles website.
* C. Michael Hogan. 2011. [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ross_Sea?topic=49523 "Ross Sea"]. Eds. P. Saundry & C. J. Cleveland. ''Encyclopedia of Earth''. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington, D.C.
* Locarnini, R. A., 1995, [https://web.archive.org/web/20061231034436/http://www-ocean.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/QD3.1/Locarnini/locarnini.html "The Ross Sea"]. ''Quarterdeck'', vol. 1, no. 3. (Department of Oceanography, [[Texas A&M University]], College Station, Texas.)
* {{cite news |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/72356/nth-korean-boats-caught-fishing-in-conservation-area |title=Nth Korean boats caught fishing in conservation area |publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]] |access-date=7 April 2011}}
* [http://www.antarcticocean.org/ Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition]—International campaign to establish Marine Protected Areas in the Southern Ocean. 
* [http://www.britannica.com/place/Ross-Sea "Ross Sea"]—''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''
* [http://www.videoproject.com/The-Last-Ocean.html ''The Last Ocean''], documentary film on the Ross Sea and the international debate over its fate.

{{Antarctica}}
{{List of seas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Antarctic region]]
[[Category:Bays of Antarctica]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of the Ross Dependency]]
[[Category:Seas of the Southern Ocean]]