Scotia Sea

The Scotia Sea is a sea in the Southern Ocean between South America, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the islands of the Scotia Arc. Its deep basin lies within a tectonically active region connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Scotia Arc: A curved chain of islands, submarine ridges, and continental fragments surrounding the Scotia Sea. Its islands and ridges define the sea’s margins and link South America with Antarctica.
Scotia Plate: A small tectonic plate beneath the Scotia Sea and surrounding regions. Its motion drives the basin’s tectonic activity and the development of the Scotia Arc.
Antarctic krill: A small, schooling crustacean that forms a major part of the Southern Ocean food web. Krill support abundant predators in the Scotia Sea and underpin its commercial fishery.
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: A British Overseas Territory comprising South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Its islands occupy the Scotia Sea and its eastern margin.
Drake Passage: A broad sea passage between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands. It connects the Scotia Sea to the Pacific and carries the Antarctic Circumpolar Current through a narrow gateway.
South Sandwich Trench: A deep ocean trench east of the South Sandwich Islands, formed at a subduction zone. The South American Plate descends beneath the Scotia Plate along this active boundary.
South Georgia: A mountainous subantarctic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the Falkland Islands. Its waters are a major krill-feeding ground for whales, seals, and penguins in the Scotia Sea region.
South Orkney Islands: A group of subantarctic islands northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. They form a prominent island group within the Scotia Sea.
Weddell Sea: A marginal sea of the Southern Ocean east of the Antarctic Peninsula. Its waters meet Scotia Sea circulation near the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkney Islands.
South Sandwich Islands: A volcanic island arc in the southern Atlantic Ocean, east of the Scotia Sea. Their volcanism and trench mark active subduction at the sea’s eastern edge.

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