rrent, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water
per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers

Elevation extremes: lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the
South Sandwich Trench highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources: probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields
on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits,
sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs, squid, whales, and seals -
none exploited; krill, fishes

Natural hazards: huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters;
smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter
thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large
annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by
glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and
large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most
of region is remote from sources of search and rescue

Environment - current issues: increased solar ultraviolet radiation
resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine
primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging
the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in
recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times
more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely
to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental
mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish note:
the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after
severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries

Environment - international agreements: the Southern Ocean is subject to
all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition,
it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region:
International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south
of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and
130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals
(limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine
Living Resources (regulates fishing) note: many nations (including the
US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the
fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle
of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line
between the very cold polar surfa