A deep bay of the Southern Ocean cutting into Antarctica, one of the least-spoiled marine wildernesses left on Earth.
Area
637,000 km²
Ocean basin
Southern
Location
The world’s largest marine protected area
Average depth
about 500 m
Maximum depth
about 2,500 m
Salinity
~34 ppt
Temperature
Near freezing, around −2°C
Region
Off Antarctica, south of the Pacific
About the Ross Sea
The Ross Sea is a huge southern indentation of the Southern Ocean, backed by the colossal Ross Ice Shelf. Often called “the Last Ocean”, it is one of the most pristine marine ecosystems remaining, teeming with Adélie and emperor penguins, Weddell seals, minke whales and orcas. In 2016 it became the largest marine protected area in the world.
Did you know?
It is protected as the world’s largest marine protected area — a vast ocean sanctuary bigger than many countries.
Highlights
- The world’s largest marine protected area
- Backed by the vast Ross Ice Shelf
- One of Earth’s most pristine seas
Photo gallery
Life in the Ross Sea
Creatures, seabirds and marine plants — including some of the rarest and strangest — that live in these waters.
Creatures of the deep
Orca (killer whale)
The ocean’s top predator: a brilliant, family-living dolphin found in every sea.
Blue whale
The largest animal ever to live — longer than three buses and heavier than 25 elephants.
Sea angel
A tiny, glass-clear swimming sea slug that flaps wing-like feet through the cold open sea.
Seabirds
Emperor penguin
The tallest penguin, breeding through the Antarctic winter on the open sea ice.
King penguin
A regal sub-Antarctic penguin with glowing golden-orange ear patches.
Wandering albatross
The longest wingspan of any bird — 3.5 m — gliding the Southern Ocean for years without landing.
Surface & deep in the Ross Sea
The sea is warm where the Sun reaches it and cold far below. Flip between the sunlit surface and the deep water to feel the difference — these are typical figures for a sea.
Sunlit surface
22°C
typical surface temperature
Seas warm strongly at the surface in summer, but their deeper water stays cold and still — the sunlight simply never reaches it.
Recorded range for the Ross Sea: Near freezing, around −2°C