Kosmonavtov Sea

a fringing sea of the Southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of Antarctica, between Enderby Land and Riiser Larsen Sea, from which it is separated by the submarine Gunnerus Bank. Area, 698,600 sq km. The sea has depths of more than 2,000 m, with a maximum depth of over 5,000 m. It is covered by drift ice almost throughout the year, and there are many icebergs. The Soviet meteorological center of Molodezhnaia and the Japanese scientific station of Showa are located on its shore. The sea was named in 1962 by members of a Soviet antarctic expedition in honor of the first cosmonauts.