10/17/23, 3:53 PM Antarctic Convergence - Wikipedia

Antarctic Convergence
The Antarctic Convergence or Antarctic Polar Front is a
marine belt encircling Antarctica, varying in latitude seasonally,
where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the relatively
warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic. Antarctic waters predominantly
sink beneath the warmer subantarctic waters, while associated zones
of mixing and upwelling create a zone very high in marine
productivity, especially for Antarctic krill.

This line, like the arctic tree line, is a natural boundary rather than an
artificial one, such as the borders of nations and time zones. It not
only separates two hydrological regions, but also separates areas of
distinctive marine life and climates.

The Arctic has no similar boundary because of the large bodies of Antarctic Convergence
land contiguous with the northern polar region.

History
The Antarctic Convergence was first crossed by Anthony de la Roché in 1675,[1] and described by
Edmond Halley in 1700.[2]

Location
The Antarctic Convergence is a zone approximately 32 to 48 km (20 to 30 mi) wide, varying in
latitude seasonally and in different longitudes, extending across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian
oceans between the 48th and 61st parallels of south latitude. Although the northern boundary varies,
for the purposes of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources 1980, it
is defined as "50°S, 0°; 50°S, 30°E; 45°S, 30°E; 45°S, 80°E; 55°S, 80°E; 55°S, 150°E; 60°S, 150°E;
60°S, 50°W; 50°S, 50°W; 50°S, 0°."[3] Although this zone is a mobile one, it usually does not stray
more than half a degree of latitude from its mean position. The precise location at any given place and
time is made evident by the sudden drop in seawater temperature from north to south of, on average,
2.8 °C (5.0 °F) from 5.6 °C (42.1 °F) to below 2 °C (36 °F).

Subantarctic islands lying north of the Convergence

Amsterdam Island (France)
Crozet Islands (France)
Diego Ramírez Islands (Chile)
Falkland Islands (United Kingdom)
Isla de los Estados (Argentina)
Macquarie Island (Australia)
NZ Subantarctic Islands (New Zealand)
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Antipodes Islands
Auckland Islands
Bounty Islands
Campbell Islands
Snares Islands
Chatham Islands (New Zealand)
Prince Edward Islands (South Africa)
Saint Paul Island (France)
/ Tierra del Fuego (Argentina / Chile)
Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
Gough Island

Islands which lie to the south of the Convergence

North of 60°S latitude

Bouvet Island (Norway)
Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australia)
Kerguelen Islands (France)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (United Kingdom)

South of 60°S latitude

Balleny Islands (Antarctic Treaty System)
Peter I Island (Antarctic Treaty System)
Scott Island (Antarctic Treaty System)
South Orkney Islands (Antarctic Treaty System)
South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Treaty System)

See also
Geography portal

Antarctic
Antarctic Circle
Antarctic Circumpolar Wave
Polar front
Southern Ocean

References
1. R.K. Headland, The Island of South Georgia, Cambridge University Press, 1984.
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2. Alan Gurney, Below the Convergence: Voyages Toward Antarctica, 1699–1839, Penguin Books,
New York, 1998.
3. Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources 1980, Article 1(4).
This article incorporates public domain material (https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-a
nd-instructions/copyrights-and-credits) from "Antarctic Convergence" (https://web.archive.org/
web/2020/https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:5:::NO::P5_ANTAR_ID:488). Geographic
Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.

External links
Map of Antarctic Convergence (https://www.grida.no/resources/5505)
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