Drake Passage: description, photo

The Drake Passage is in the Southern Hemisphere. Named after the British privateer and traveler Francis Drake. He was one of the first to pass these waters in his ship "Golden Lan" in the 16th century, making a round-the-world trip. It lasted three years - from 1577 to 1580 years. Through the strait of the frigate Drake passed in 1578.

This water area is unique. Here there are the strongest storms. This is the only place on the planet where waves rise above 15 meters.

Geographical features

The Drake Passage deserves special attention on the part of scientists. Where is this water area? The strait is located between two continents: South America and Antarctica. It connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. From the north, the straits are delineated by the Tierra del Fuego archipelago , and from the south by the Graham Land (part of the Antarctic Peninsula). Here is the famous Cape Horn - this is a land area, which is skirted by any traveler who circumnavigates the globe. This is the only option, when it can be bypassed, if you pave the way through the Panama Canal. Cape Horn is the extreme point of the archipelago.

Characteristic

The Drake Passage is the widest strait on Earth. At its widest part, it reaches a length of about 800-900 kilometers. The average depth of the strait is 4000 m, but there are some sections of the seabed that extend to a depth of 5000 m or more.

Through the strait there passes the Antarctic circumpolar current, also called the current of the Western Winds. This is the only circulating flow of water passing through all the meridians of the Earth. This current among the oceanic is considered the most powerful. Because of this, strong storms in the Drake Strait are not uncommon. Waves in bad weather with gusts of 35 m / s can rise to 15 m, and sometimes even higher.

In connection with the neighborhood with Antarctica (Drake Passage on the map, see below), icebergs often occur in this area. The average annual air temperature in these places is approximately +5 ° C. The water temperature of the strait ranges from about -2 to +10 ° C. Although the climate in these places is quite severe, the strait almost never completely freezes and remains navigable year-round.

Flora and fauna

The Drake Passage and the surrounding areas abound in life, although the local climate is not very favorable in this respect. On the shores of Antarctica and South America, washed by the strait, and on icebergs, there are many species of the penguin family, including Magellanic, Antarctic, Papuan and gold-haired. Also here live Adélie penguins.

Of the birds in the local places there are species from the families of petrels and skuas. In the water of the strait, phytoplankton, represented by diatom blue-green algae, and zooplankton, especially copepods (copepods) are widely distributed.

The Drake Passage is an excellent place for dwelling and other species of animals. For example, here you can meet some of the largest representatives of ocean expanses from the order of cetaceans, for example, the blue whale. Here some species of the family live true seals. They are predators, they feed mainly on fish, mollusks, krill, and crustaceans. Representatives of this subspecies, called the sea leopard, often attack penguins and even other seals.