The Drake Strait is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Named after the British privateer and traveler Francis Drake. In the XVI century, he was one of the first to pass these waters on his ship "Golden Doe", making a trip around the world. It lasted three years - from 1577 to 1580. Through the strait of the frigate Drake passed in 1578
This water area is unique. There are the most severe storms. This is the only place on the planet where the waves rise above 15 meters.
Geographic features
Special attention from scientists deserves the Drake Strait. Where is this water area located? The strait is located between two continents: South America and Antarctica. It connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. From the north, the borders of the strait are outlined by the Tierra del Fuego archipelago , and from the south - by the Graham Earth (part of the Antarctic Peninsula). The famous Cape Horn is located here - this is a piece of land that every traveler who circumnavigates the world goes around. This is the only option when you can bypass it if you pave the way through the Panama Canal. Cape Horn is the extreme point of the archipelago.
Characteristic
The Drake Strait is the widest strait on Earth. In its widest part, it reaches a length of approximately 800-900 kilometers. The average depth of the strait is 4000 m, but there are some sections of the seabed extending to a depth of 5000 m or more.
An Antarctic circumpolar current passes through the strait, also called the West Winds. This is the only circulating stream of water passing through all the meridians of the Earth. This current among the oceanic is considered the most powerful. As a result, severe storms in the Drake Channel are not uncommon. Waves in bad weather with gusts of 35 m / s can rise up to 15 m, and sometimes even higher.
In connection with the proximity to Antarctica (see the Drake Strait on the map below), icebergs are often found in this area. The average annual air temperature in these places is approximately +5 ° C. The strait water temperature 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 Strait and its surrounding areas abound in life, although the local climate is not very favorable in this regard. On the shores of Antarctica and South America, washed by the strait, and on icebergs, many species of the penguin family live, including Magellans, Antarctic, Papuan and golden-haired. Adélie penguins also live here.
Of the birds in these places there are species from the petrel and skuas families. Phytoplankton, represented by diatom blue-green algae, and zooplankton, especially copepods (copepods), are widespread in the water of the strait itself .
The Drake Strait is a great place to live and other types of animals. For example, here you can meet some of the largest representatives of the ocean from the cetacean order, for example, blue whale. Some species of the family of true seals live here. These are predators, feed mainly on fish, shellfish, krill, and also crustaceans. Representatives of this subspecies, called the sea leopard, often attack penguins and even other seals.