The Bellingshausen Sea is marginal sea located along the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula between 57°18'W and 102°20'W, west of Alexander Island, east of Cape Flying Fish on Thurston Island, and south of Peter I Island (there the southern Vostokkysten). The Bellingshausen Sea borders the Eights Coast, the Bryan Coast, and the west part of the English Coast in Antarctica. To the west of Cape Flying Fish it joins the Amundsen Sea. The Bellingshausen Sea has an area of and reaches a maximum depth of . It contains the undersea plain Bellingshausen Plain.

The sea takes its name from Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a Russian navy officer and cartographer who explored in the Bellingshausen Sea in 1821.

Oceanography

Oceanographically, the Bellingshausen Sea is similar to the Amundsen Sea. Present are two major troughs, to the west is the Belgica Trough while to the east there is the Latady Trough.

The water properties of the Bellingshausen Sea effects the water properties of the Amundsen Sea by transporting heat from one sea to another. Meltwater sourced from the ice shelves are transported by currents like the Antarctic Coastal Current into the Amundsen Sea. The sea contains two distinct flows of meltwater that are sourced from the ice shelves. The first meltwater flow is through the Belgica Trough which is sourced from the Venable Ice Shelf. Located west of the Belgica Trough is the Seal Trough where the second meltwater flow goes through. This flow is sourced from the Abbot Ice Shelf. The vertical structure of this flow is different from the first with it occupying greater depths with denser isopycnals. Currents in the western regions troughs carry meltwater from the ice shelves near the coast and carry the warmed Circumpolar Deep Water to shelf breaks where it has established a shelf break frontal system. This warm water is also carried to the Amundsen Sea. This melting is also aided by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) due to its close proximity.

References

  • NASA Bellinghausen Sea satellite photo
  • Bellinghausen Sea climatological low pressure system