Ross Sea

Ross Sea, part of the Southern Ocean, indenting the coast of Antarctica, between Victoria Land on the west and Marie Byrd Land on the east. It has an area of 958,000 sq km (370,000 sq mi). It is a relatively shallow sea extending across Antarctica's continental shelf. The vast Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica is actually the sea's frozen southern arm. Because the Ross Sea is generally free of pack ice in summer, its bays, notably McMurdo Sound and the Bay of Whales, have traditionally served as departure sites for Antarctic exploration. The sea is named for the English explorer James Clark Ross, who was the first to sail (1841) its waters.