The Timor Sea is washed by the northern coast of Australia and is characterized by a predominance of sub-equatorial climate. There are several large oil and gas fields in the water area. Many scientists attribute it to the list of the richest, most beautiful and interesting seas on the planet. It will be discussed further in more detail.
Location on the map
Speaking about where the Timor Sea is located , first of all, it should be noted that it is located in the Indian Ocean. On the map it can be found between the mainland Australia and the island of Timor, whose name, in fact, was named. In the eastern part, it borders on the Arafura Sea, and in the west it gradually merges with the ocean. In the south is a large bay known as Joseph Bonaparte. An interesting feature is that the Arafura and Timor Sea do not have a pronounced natural border. They have approximately the same temperature and salinity level. Anyway, these are two completely different reservoirs.
general description
The total area of the sea is 432 thousand square kilometers. Most of it is located on the continental Australian shelf, which explains the insignificant depth. Basically, its value does not reach the mark of 200 meters. The deepest place is located in the northern part of the Timor Trench, the depth of which is 3310 meters. The current of the same name passing through the water carries the Pacific Ocean into the Indian Ocean. Moreover, the water area is located in the area of the tectonic plate split. All this together created optimal conditions for the emergence of a huge number of typhoons. On the bottom covered with quartz and calcareous sands, there are many atolls, coral reefs and shallows.
The Timor Sea is characterized by a winding coastline with small bays and picturesque bays. As a rule, the coast is low. In the water area there are four fairly large islands, two of which are Australian property, and two more belong to Tiwi. Many continental rivers flow into the sea. The largest port is the city of Darwin, which is the capital of the Northern Territory of Australia.
Mastering by people
Many scholars suggest that the Australian continent was inhabited by humans precisely through the Timor Sea . They believe that this happened at a time when the water level here was significantly lower, which led to the appearance of people from the Indonesian archipelago. Local legends say that they became the ancestors of Australian aborigines. As for the first European immigrants, they are sailors from Holland, who, after developing the sea, discovered the Australian mainland.
Climate
A monsoon subequatorial climate prevails over the water area. As noted above, strong typhoons often arise here. About ten years ago, several of them even led to the temporary shutdown of oil refining platforms and the evacuation of their personnel by helicopters for safety reasons. One of the tropical typhoons in 1974 severely destroyed the city of Darwin.
In the period from December to March, the season of tropical rains reigns over the water area. Despite this, even in winter, the water temperature never drops below 25 degrees, and in the summer it warms up to 30 degrees. The currents are seasonal. In winter, they move westward, and in summer - eastward. It should be noted and the tides, which are quite high. Usually they reach a mark of 4 meters, and in small enclosed bays and bays - up to 9 meters.
Flora and fauna
If the Timor Sea cannot boast of a rich and diverse flora, this cannot be said of the animal kingdom. In particular, there are corals, mollusks of all known classes, sea worms, jellyfish, snakes, echinoderms, spiny lobsters, shrimps, crabs and many other representatives of the fauna of the oceans. One cannot fail to note the diversity of fish, of which there are more than three hundred species. Among them there are several species of sharks, so swimming in the sea is possible only in certain places and very carefully.
Human activities
Half a century ago, the Timor Sea was not considered valuable to people in terms of the use of natural resources. Yes, and fishing here was very complicated due to adverse weather conditions. The situation radically changed in the early seventies of the last century. At that time, impressive oil reserves were discovered on the shelf. The result of this was the emergence of many disputes regarding the division of territorial waters. Australia is advantageous to divide the sea along the border of the continental shelf. This is not in accordance with the Government of East Timor, which adheres to the policies of its former Portuguese metropolis, whose government believed that the water area should be divided in the middle. Be that as it may, today there are a large number of projects regarding the development of oil and gas fields. Some of them are already under implementation.
It should be noted that human activities also at times have a detrimental effect on the Timor Sea. The photo of the oil-related man-made disaster that occurred in September 2009 at the Montara field is further evidence of this. After the accident, up to 400 barrels of “black gold” were poured daily into the water. After the investigation, the owner of the wells was named the culprit of the incident, and he was held responsible for this.