Mawson Sea

a marginal sea of the Indian Ocean section of the Antarctic Ocean, extending along the shores of Antarctica for more than 800 km between Cape Vize (95°45’ E long.) and Cape Poinsett (113°12’E long.). The sea’s southern border is the edge of the Shackleton Ice Shelf and the continental ice cap. The northern boundary of the sea runs approximately along the outer edge of the continental shelf. The sea has an area of 333, 300 sq km. Most of the sea lies within the shelf and has an average depth of 200–500 m, descending to more than 1, 000 m in the north. The sea is covered almost year-round with floating ice and has many icebergs. In 1956–58 the Soviet scientific station Oasis was in operation on the coast of the Mawson Sea. The Australian Wilkes Station operated on the coast in 1957–58, and the Australian Casey Station was established in 1969. The 1962 Soviet antarctic expedition made a major contribution to the study of the Mawson Sea. This part of the Antarctic Ocean was designated a separate sea by Soviet scientists and named in honor of D. Mawson.