Scotia Sea

part of the Atlantic section of the Antarctic Ocean between South Georgia and the South Sandwich and South Orkney islands; in the west, it is linked to the Pacific Ocean by Drake Passage. The Scotia Sea has an area of more than 1.3 million sq km and depths of 5,870 m. The average surface temperature of the water varies from 6 °C to - 1 °C; the salinity is approximately 34 parts per thousand. For a considerable part of the year, the southern part of the sea is covered with drift ice. The area is commercially important for whaling. The Scotia Sea was named in 1932 in honor of the ship used by W. Bruce on his Scottish expedition to Antarctica.