Bellingshausen Sea

The Bellingshausen Sea is a marginal sea of the Southern Ocean off West Antarctica, between the Antarctic Peninsula and Thurston Island. Its waters border extensive floating ice shelves and some of the fastest-changing parts of the Antarctic ice sheet.

Southern Ocean: The ocean surrounding Antarctica, commonly defined as waters south of 60° south latitude. The Bellingshausen Sea is one of its marginal seas.
Antarctic ice-sheet mass balance: The net change in the mass of Antarctica’s ice sheet as snowfall, melting, and ice discharge compete. Ocean-driven melting along this coast contributes to regional ice loss.
Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen: A Russian naval officer who led an Antarctic expedition from 1819 to 1821. The sea is named for the explorer whose expedition reached Antarctic waters.
West Antarctic Ice Sheet: The portion of the Antarctic ice sheet resting on bedrock largely below sea level in West Antarctica. Its stability is affected by ocean conditions along the Bellingshausen coast.
Antarctic Peninsula: The narrow peninsula extending north from mainland Antarctica toward South America. It forms the sea’s eastern boundary.
Pine Island Glacier: A fast-flowing glacier in West Antarctica that drains into the Amundsen Sea. Its retreat is a nearby comparison for ice-sheet change farther west.
United States Antarctic Program: The United States federal program that coordinates American scientific research in Antarctica. Its surveys and field research contribute observations from the region.
Ice-shelf basal melting: The melting of an ice shelf’s underside where it contacts ocean water. Warm water intrusion can thin shelves bordering this sea.
Thurston Island: An island off the coast of West Antarctica, near the boundary between the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas. It marks the sea’s western extent.
Thwaites Glacier: A large, fast-flowing glacier in West Antarctica that drains into the Amundsen Sea. Its ocean-driven instability illustrates processes relevant to neighboring Antarctic seas.

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