Weddell Sea

The Weddell Sea is a large Southern Ocean sea bordered by the Antarctic Peninsula and East Antarctica. It is a major source of dense water that helps drive global ocean circulation.

Weddell Sea Bottom Water: A cold, dense water mass formed in the Weddell Sea that spreads along the ocean floor. Its formation makes the sea one of the principal sources of the global abyssal ocean.
Weddell Sea expedition: James Weddell's 1822–1824 voyages into the southern ocean that now bears his name. These voyages established the sea's early European charting and exploration record.
Antarctic Treaty System: The agreements and institutions that govern international activity in Antarctica. Its rules provide the framework for research and conservation decisions affecting the sea.
James Weddell: A Scottish sealer and navigator who explored the Antarctic region and reached a record southern latitude in 1823. His voyages gave the sea its name and first widely circulated descriptions.
Antarctic sea ice: Frozen seawater surrounding Antarctica, expanding in winter and retreating in summer. Its extent and seasonal behavior shape access, habitats, and ocean exchange in the Weddell Sea.
Antarctic Bottom Water: The coldest, densest water mass in the global ocean, formed around Antarctica and spreading into other ocean basins. Weddell Sea Bottom Water contributes to this continent-wide water mass.
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: Ernest Shackleton's 1914–1917 expedition, whose ship Endurance was trapped and crushed in Weddell Sea ice. The expedition's survival story made the sea one of Antarctica's best-known settings.
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources: An international agreement for conserving Antarctic marine life and managing fisheries using an ecosystem approach. Its commission regulates fishing and considers protected areas in the Weddell Sea.
Ernest Shackleton: An Irish-born Antarctic explorer who led the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. His expedition's ordeal in the sea became a defining episode in Antarctic exploration.
Southern Ocean overturning circulation: The large-scale circulation that moves water between the Southern Ocean's surface and deep layers. Changes in Weddell Sea dense-water formation can alter this global circulation.

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