MMS3100: Physical Oceanography

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ALMIN NORIZAH BINTI JAMALUDIN

INTAN NURQHAIRUNNISA BINTI MALEK
MOHAMMAD SHAHRIZAN BIN MD.KHAIRON
NABILA BINTI ALLIMI
NUR AINA BINTI MOHD AZLAN JAMAL
NURFARAH FARHANA BINTI ZAINUN
SIOW LI YIN
WAN NUR SYARAH BINTI WAN MUHAMED SABRI

LOCATION
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic
Ocean or Austral ocean is the fourth largest body of
water that surrounds the entire continent of Antarctica
and reaches Australia and the southern end of South
America.

Southern Ocean consists of the ocean surrounding

Antarctica across all degrees of longitude and up to a
northern boundary at 60 South latitude .

* < Pacific, Atlantic, Atlantic and Indian Ocean. But >Arctic Ocean . Cover
4% of the earths surface (7,846,000 square miles).

* The Southern Ocean's lowest point is 7,235 meters (23,737 feet) below
sea level in the South Sandwich Trench.

HISTORY OF SOUTHERN OCEAN

The Southern Ocean, geologically the youngest of the oceans, was formed when Antarctica and
South America moved apart, opening the Drake Passage, roughly 30 million years ago. The
separation of the continents allowed the formation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
This ocean is considered by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).It has only
recently been defined by the scientific community, although the term Antarctic Ocean was used
in earlier times by sailors and those involved with marine research.

Southern Ocean
ecological zones

An ice-free zone to the north

An extensive seasonal pack-ice zone
between approximately 5560 and 7075S
A permanent pack-ice zone adjacent to the
continent.

BATHYMETRY
IN
SOUTHERN
OCEAN

WHAT IS BATHYMETRY ?
Beds or floors of water bodies
Ocean ,rivers, streams, and lakes.
Continental rises and Abyssal plain.

oThe Southern Ocean basin has a continent at its center and no northern land
boundary
oHas typically depths between 4000m and 5000m with only limited areas of
shallow water.
oIts greatest depth can reach 7236m that occur at the southern end of the South
Sandwich Trench.
oContinental shelf in Southern Ocean appears generally narrow and unusually
deep and its edge lying at depth up to 800 m.

oThe continental shelf in Southern Ocean is known as Antarctic continental shelf

since its surrounding the continent of Antarctica.

HOW BATHYMETRY LOOKS IN

SOUTHERN OCEAN ?

INTERESTING SOUTHERN OCEAN FACTS

The Southern Ocean was originally explored continent that balanced the northern continents,
called a Terra Australis
During winter half of the Southern Ocean is covered
in icebergs and ice.
The world's largest penguin species lives on the ice.

SOUTHERN OCEAN CURRENT

Is known as Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC)
Other alternative name is the West Wind Drift.

Ocean current that flows clockwise from west to east around Antarctica.
It is the only current that flows completely around the globe.
The ACC sometimes called as the MIGHTIEST CURRENT IN THE
OCEAN.

The Southern Ocean has no meridional boundaries and the water are free to
circulate around the world.
This ocean serves as a conveyer belt for the other ocean and exchanging waters
between them
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), encircles the Antarctic continent, flows
eastward through the southern portions of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific ocean.
The ACC transports more water than any other current as it extends from the sea
surface to depths of 2000m to 4000m and can be wide as 2000km.
This cross-sectional area allows for the currents large volume transport.
The ACC is eastward flow is driven by strong westerly winds. It is refers as West
Wind Drift because both prevailing western wind and current are moving eastward.

ILLUSTRATION OF SOUTHERN OCEAN LINKED TO GLOBAL OCEAN

DYNAMICS

ROSS GYRE AND WEDDLE GYRE

These gyre are located in the Ross
Sea and Weddle Sea.
Both of the gyres rotate clockwise
and formed by interactions between
the ACC and Antarctic Continental
Shelf.
Sea ice is fixed in the central of Ross
Gyre.
Due to the Coriolis effect acting to
the left in the Southern Hemisphere
and resulting a productive area due to
upwelling of cold, nutrient rich water

The Properties of Characteristics of Upper Ocean

Water Masses in the Southern Ocean
The ocean layered structured was influenced by the density of water

that control with the temperature, salinity and pressure

The temperature in southern ocean from the -2 to 10C or 28 to 50F

Antarctic Surface Water was fined by surface waters with subzero

temperatures and salinities fresher than 34 above 150 m

Southern Ocean Surface Layer

oDuring winter, the sea surface where the temperature can reach as low as -1.9C near the
freezing point of water, the Antarctic Surface Water (AAWS) is colder and slightly more
saline
oThe minimum subsurface temperature typically below 0C
oBelow the AASW lies the relatively warmer and more saline Upper Circumpolar Deep
Water Mass (UCDW) where the maximum temperature near 2C at 300m
oIn the Southern Ocean, UCDW displays the least temporal and spatial variability in
temperature of all upper ocean water masses

oAt the underlying Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW), the salinity increase
from 34.0 at the base of the AASW to 34.7 at 600-700 m
oDuring summer, the surface temperature and salinity ranges (4C-14C, 33.5-34.0)
are larger than in AASW due to greater evaporation at lower latitudes
oBelow the surface layer lies the Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW), characterized

by low variability in temperature and salinity from 300 to 700 m. temperature

range from 4C-5C while salinity range from 34.1 to 34.2 layer formed
oThe coldest, densest SAMW is the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) which
originate as a low-salinity

The variations of temperature and

salinity in Antarctic Surface Waters

may have important implications

for global climate change

BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
Its water are nutrient dense.
Able to support a large of the plankton populations.
In turn to base of a large ecosystem that supports animals, including krill,
fish, squid, whales, seals.

 Antarctica is home to 90% of the world's ice - the

windiest, driest and coldest continent in the world.
The average depth of Southern Ocean is 13,100 to 16, 400
feet.
Krill are tiny shrimp-like creatures that live in the
freezing water under the Antarctic's ice.

CARBON BIOLOGICAL PUMP

Phytoplankton drive a carbon

biological pump. It take up nutrient
and carbon at ocean surface.
When they die billions of tons of
carbon sink into the deep ocean.

Biological matter rots and the carbon

get turn into carbon dioxide and get
sequestered at the bottom of ocean.
Its play large role in controlling
carbon dioxide level of earth
atmosphere.

CARBON
BIOLOGICAL
PUMP

 It reduce total carbon content of the surface layer and increase it at depth.

Climate change can shift the structure of biological communities in the upper ocean.
Part of the oceanic carbon cycle responsible for the cycling of organic matter formed by
phytoplankton.
For example between cocoliths and diatom.
In ross sea, diatom dominate in highly stratified waters whereas Phaeocystis Antarctica

dominate when water more deeply mixed.

That shift alter the downward flux of organic carbon and consequently the efficiency of
the biological pump.

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IMPACTS ON

SOUTHERN OCEAN CHEMISTRY
oIn the recent past, the atmospheric concentration was increase at
faster rate cause the organisms limited time to adapt.
oScientists was predicted even the atmosphere reached at 450 ppm, the
deep ocean still become under saturated with respect to carbonated.
oThe ocean become more acidic that would dissolved calcium carbonate
sediments on deep sea floor and many specifies of benthic foraminifera was
killed.
oSince calcifiers act as the flux of calcium carbonate to the deep ocean
which is the carbon can stored for geological times scale , less numbers of
calcifiers may give impacts on oceans ability to act as carbon sink .

oCalcium carbonate are forms by calcifying organisms called calcite and

aragonite.

oThe saturation horizon for aragonite is the area where the least soluble

and thus available to calcifiers which is closer to the ocean surface that
than of calcite and it will shrink further and faster.
oThe calcite saturation horizon in the ocean is further away from the ocean
surface, as the ocean increase in acidity, it will stay narrow.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF SOUTHERN OCEANS

Basket Star

Antarctic ice
fish

Sea Pig

Hoff Crab

Emperor
Penguin

Albatrosses

CLIMATE
The Antarctic Ocean frequently experiences cyclone-like
storms that result from the stark contrast between the ice
packs and the ocean waves.

During winter half of the Southern Ocean is covered in icebergs

and ice. Some of the ice and icebergs break off of the Antarctic
ice sheet and float in the waters of the Southern Ocean.
Home to 90% of the world's ice. This continent contained within
the Southern Ocean's boundaries is the windiest, driest and
coldest continent in the world
Considered to be a desert due to the fact that very little moisture
falls on its surface. The Sahara desert gets more rain than
Antarctica. Most of its moisture falls in the form of snow.

GLOBAL CONCERN
It is believed that if the ice sheets
in the Southern Ocean were to
melt the oceans around the world
would rise by as much as 65
meters

Military activity in the Southern

Ocean is restricted, by treaty, to
scientific research

REFFERENCES
A Strategic vision for NSFF Investments in Arctic and Southern Ocean Research. (2015), . Retrieved 5 November
2016, from https://www.nap.edu/read/21741/chapter/1#ix
Facts About Ocean Currents. (2016). Actforlibraries.org. Retrieved 6 November 2016, from
http://www.actforlibraries.org/facts-about-the-southern-ocean/
History of Southern Ocean. (2016). Ccamlr.org. Retrieved 4 November 2016, from
https://www.ccamlr.org/en/organisation/history
Southern Ocean, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory The Southern Ocean Biogeochemical Divide,
www.gfdl.noaa.gov/southern-ocean-biogeochemical-divide
NOAA News Online (Story 2653), NOAA Scientists Demonstrate Southern Ocean Divide,
www.noaanews.noaa.gov/sotries2006/s2653.htm
Southern Ocean. (2016). Retrieved 4 November 2016, from
http://www.softschools.com/facts/geography/southern_ocean_facts/1291/

Surface Currents in The Southern Ocean. (2013). Retrieved 4 November 2016, from
http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/southern/southern.html
United States Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, Southern Ocean,
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/oo.html
The 7 Continents of the World; Southern Ocean. (2016). Retrieved 4 November 2015, from
http://www.whatarethe7continents.com/southern-ocean/
Intergovernmental Panel (2007) Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation, And Vulnerability Coastal Zones And
Marine Ecosystem. Retrieved 3 November 2016, from http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg2/index.php?idp=288
Owen, Russell. 2007. The Antarctic Ocean. Owen Press. ISBN 1406752096