Argentine Sea

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Argentine Sea, off the atlantic coast of Argentina

The Argentine Sea (Spanish: Mar Argentino) refers to the sea within the continental shelf off the Argentine mainland.citation needed See: The Antarctic Master Directory for research regarding the location and biodiversity in the Argentine Sea. Link: http://gcmd.nasa.gov/KeywordSearch/Metadata.do?Portal=amd&KeywordPath=%5BKeyword%3D'fish'%5D&OrigMetadataNode=GCMD&EntryId=scarmarbin_cnp-peces&MetadataView=Full&MetadataType=0&lbnode=mdlb5

Contents

Geography

The Argentine Sea is located in the South Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern coast of Argentina, extending from the approximate latitude of Montevideo, Uruguay, southward to Tierra del Fuego, and is situated about 500 miles (800 km) north of Antarctica. The Argentine Sea has a surface of 386,102 sq. mi. (1,000,000 km²)1 and is one of the largest seas in the world. The average depth of sea is 3,952 feet (1,205 m) and maximum depth is 7,296 feet (2,224 m). It has a salinity of 35%.1

The Argentine Sea progressively widens going southward, in contrast with the narrowing of the continental mass.1 The sea platform has a series of plateaus which descend to the east as large terraces or steps. Because of its stair-shaped plateaus, the Argentine Sea is similar morphologically to the Extra-Andean Patagonia. The Falkland Islands are also located within the continental shelf of the Argentine Sea.

Limits

According to the law 23968, the territorial waters of Argentina extend 12 nautical miles from the line from the goulfs of San Matías and San Jorge to the outer limits of the Río de la Plata. The contiguous zone extends 12 nautical miles after the territorial waters, and the exclusive economic zone 200 nautical miles from it. The continental shelf extends to either the limits of the exclusive economic zone or the shelf slope. Argentina has signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Biodiversity

The Argentine sea is one of the highest temperate seas of the world. It receives the cold Falkland Current from the south, which comes from the Antarctic, and the warm Brazil Current from the north.2

The Argentine sea has 12 areas identified as places of great biodiversity. There are two international protected areas, one national, and eighteen provincial ones.2

The Argentine sea has plankton, algae, crustaceans, sardines and anchovies. Those feed the more advanced fauna such as penguins, cormorants, sharks, whales, sea lions and sea elephants.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mar Argentino" [Argentine Sea] (in Spanish). Red Argentina. Retrieved June 10, 2012. 
  2. ^ a b Ecorregión Mar Argentino (Spanish)

Coordinates: 46°S 63°W / 46°S 63°W / -46; -63