King Haakon VII Sea
Encyclopedia
King Haakon VII Sea is an arm of the Southern Ocean
on the coast of East Antarctica
.
and Lazarev Sea
, and thus stretches only along Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst
from Cape Norvegia
at 12°18'W, the easternmost point of the Weddell Sea, to Fimbul Ice Shelf
close to the Prime Meridian
at 0°0', which is recognized as the western border of Lazarev Sea.
From the Norwegian point of view, which does not recognize Lazarev Sea
, King Haakon VII Sea is situated along the entire coast of Dronning Maud Land
between 20°W and 45°E and stretches for about 10 090 km (6 270 miles) from the Stancomb-Wills Glacier
at 19°W on Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst
in the west to Shinnan Glacier
at 44°38'E on the eastern border of Kronprins Olav Kyst
in the east.
The sea covered by ice most of the year. During autum Pack ice forms which does not break up until spring. The rough coordinates of the sea area are 67°00′S 20°00′E.
The area is an important habitat
for the Ross Seal
(Ommatophoca rossii).
made the first confirmed sighting of Terra Australis
(Antarctica
) as he was cruising the King Haakon VII Sea near the Fimbul Ice Shelf
at Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst.
The area is named in honour of Haakon VII
, the first king of Norway
(after the dissolution from Sweden) from 1905 to 1957.
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
on the coast of East Antarctica
East Antarctica
East Antarctica, also called Greater Antarctica, constitutes the majority of the Antarctic continent, lying on the Indian Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains...
.
Geography
From the international point of view, King Haakon VII Sea lies between Weddell SeaWeddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is...
and Lazarev Sea
Lazarev Sea
The Lazarev sea is a marginal sea of the Southern Ocean. It is located between the King Haakon VII Sea to the west and the Riiser-Larsen Sea to the east, or between the Prime Meridian of 0°0' and 14°E. The prevailing depth is 3000 meters, and the maximum depth exceeds 4500 meters. It stretches over...
, and thus stretches only along Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst
Princess Martha Coast
Princess Martha Coast is that portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land lying between 05° E and the terminus of Stancomb-Wills Glacier, at 20° W. The entire coastline is bounded by ice shelves with ice cliffs 20 to 35 m high....
from Cape Norvegia
Cape Norvegia
Cape Norvegia is a prominent cape on Princess Martha Coast of Queen Maud Land. It marks the northeast extremity of Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf in East Antarctica, and the border point of Weddell Sea and King Haakon VII Sea.. It was discovered by Commander Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen in February 1930 while on...
at 12°18'W, the easternmost point of the Weddell Sea, to Fimbul Ice Shelf
Fimbul Ice Shelf
Fimbul Ice Shelf is an ice shelf about 120 miles long and 60 miles wide, nourished by Jutulstraumen Glacier, bordering the coast of Queen Maud Land from 3° W to 3° E...
close to the Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
at 0°0', which is recognized as the western border of Lazarev Sea.
From the Norwegian point of view, which does not recognize Lazarev Sea
Lazarev Sea
The Lazarev sea is a marginal sea of the Southern Ocean. It is located between the King Haakon VII Sea to the west and the Riiser-Larsen Sea to the east, or between the Prime Meridian of 0°0' and 14°E. The prevailing depth is 3000 meters, and the maximum depth exceeds 4500 meters. It stretches over...
, King Haakon VII Sea is situated along the entire coast of Dronning Maud Land
Queen Maud Land
Queen Maud Land is a c. 2.7 million-square-kilometre region of Antarctica claimed as a dependent territory by Norway. The territory lies between 20° west and 45° east, between the British Antarctic Territory to the west and the Australian Antarctic Territory to the east. The latitudinal...
between 20°W and 45°E and stretches for about 10 090 km (6 270 miles) from the Stancomb-Wills Glacier
Stancomb-Wills Glacier
Stancomb-Wills Glacier is a large glacier that debouches into eastern Weddell Sea southward of Lyddan Island. The glacier was discovered in the course of the U.S. Navy LC-130 plane flight over the coast on November 5, 1967, and was plotted by United States Geological Survey from photographs...
at 19°W on Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst
Princess Martha Coast
Princess Martha Coast is that portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land lying between 05° E and the terminus of Stancomb-Wills Glacier, at 20° W. The entire coastline is bounded by ice shelves with ice cliffs 20 to 35 m high....
in the west to Shinnan Glacier
Shinnan Glacier
Shinnan Glacier is a glacier which flows northwest to the coast just east of Shinnan Rocks and marks the division between Queen Maud Land and Enderby Land. Mapped from surveys and air photos by Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition , 1957–62, and named Shinnan Hyōga ....
at 44°38'E on the eastern border of Kronprins Olav Kyst
Prince Olav Coast
Prince Olav Coast is that portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land between the east entrance point of Lutzow-Holm Bay, marked by the coastal angle at 40° E, and Shinnan Glacier at 44° 38' E. It was discovered by Capt. Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen in January 1930 on a flight from the Norvegia, and named...
in the east.
The sea covered by ice most of the year. During autum Pack ice forms which does not break up until spring. The rough coordinates of the sea area are 67°00′S 20°00′E.
The area is an important habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
for the Ross Seal
Ross Seal
The Ross seal is a true seal with a range confined entirely to the pack ice of Antarctica. It is the only species of the genus Ommatophoca. First described during James Clark Ross' British Antarctic Expedition in 1841, it is the smallest, least abundant and least well known of the Antarctic...
(Ommatophoca rossii).
History
On 27 January 1820 Russian Fabian Gottlieb von BellingshausenFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen was an officer in the Imperial Russian Navy, cartographer and explorer, who ultimately rose to the rank of Admiral...
made the first confirmed sighting of Terra Australis
Terra Australis
Terra Australis, Terra Australis Ignota or Terra Australis Incognita was a hypothesized continent appearing on European maps from the 15th to the 18th century...
(Antarctica
History of Antarctica
The history of Antarctica emerges from early Western theories of a vast continent, known as Terra Australis, believed to exist in the far south of the globe...
) as he was cruising the King Haakon VII Sea near the Fimbul Ice Shelf
Fimbul Ice Shelf
Fimbul Ice Shelf is an ice shelf about 120 miles long and 60 miles wide, nourished by Jutulstraumen Glacier, bordering the coast of Queen Maud Land from 3° W to 3° E...
at Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst.
The area is named in honour of Haakon VII
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
, the first king of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
(after the dissolution from Sweden) from 1905 to 1957.
