Ross Sea

Antarctica · Antarctica

Ross Sea

The most remote Antarctic cruise: Adélie colonies and historic huts.

Photo: Francisco Ardini/PNRA · CC BY-SA 4.0
Best months
Jan, Feb
Days needed
25–30
Difficulty
Strenuous
Nearest airport
Christchurch (CHC)

When to go

  1. JanJanuary: Best
  2. FebFebruary: Best
  3. MarMarch: Poor or no data
  4. AprApril: Poor or no data
  5. MayMay: Poor or no data
  6. JunJune: Poor or no data
  7. JulJuly: Poor or no data
  8. AugAugust: Poor or no data
  9. SepSeptember: Poor or no data
  10. OctOctober: Poor or no data
  11. NovNovember: Poor or no data
  12. DecDecember: Poor or no data

BestGoodFair

Only a few voyages each year.

Why go

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 and Edward VII Peninsula in Marie Byrd Land, while the southernmost part is covered by the Ross Ice Shelf, and is about 200 miles (320 km) 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 637,000 square kilometres (246,000 sq mi).
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.

Background from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Target birds

Map

Open larger map · eBird hotspots nearby · © OpenStreetMap contributors

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Nearby destinations