Drake Passage
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What is the Drake Passage?
The Drake Passage is a 600-mile-wide waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans between South America's Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula. It marks a climatic transition from the cool, humid subpolar conditions of Tierra del Fuego to Antarctica's frigid, polar climate.
Willem Schouten's expedition first traversed the Drake Passage in 1616, opening a new route between the Atlantic and Pacific. Before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, the Drake Passage was vital for trade, testing ships and crews due to its stormy seas and icy conditions. The passage is part of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the world's largest current, moving vast amounts of water from west to east.
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Where is the Drake Passage located?
The Drake Passage is a waterway 600 miles (1,000 km) wide that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America, and the South Shetland Islands, which are about 100 miles (160 km) north of the Antarctic Peninsula. This passage marks a climatic transition zone separating the cool, humid, subpolar conditions of Tierra del Fuego and the frigid, polar regions of Antarctica.
The Flemish expedition, led by Willem Schouten, first traversed the Drake Passage in 1616.
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Which two continents does the Drake Passage connect?
The Drake Passage, a waterway 600 miles (1,000 km) wide, connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Cape Horn (the southernmost point of South America) and the South Shetland Islands, which are situated about 100 miles (160 km) north of the Antarctic Peninsula. The passage separates the cool, humid, subpolar conditions of Tierra del Fuego and the frigid, polar regions of Antarctica.
The sediments on the seafloor reflect a provenance from both South America and Antarctica, with an additional component represented by planktonic materials sedimented from out of the water column.
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Why is the Drake Passage known for its rough seas?
The Drake Passage, a 600-mile-wide waterway between South America's Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, is known for its rough seas due to several factors. The winds over the Drake Passage are predominantly from the west and are most intense to the north around Cape Horn. Cyclones formed in the Pacific sweep west to east across the passage's southern edge. The passage also accelerates the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the world's most voluminous current, further contributing to the turbulent conditions.
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How do ships and explorers use the Drake Passage?
The Drake Passage, a 600-mile-wide waterway between South America's Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, serves as a vital route for ships and explorers connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, it played a key role in 19th and early 20th-century trade. Though longer, the Drake Passage was simpler than the Strait of Magellan. However, its stormy seas and icy conditions presented a challenge, especially for sailing vessels.
Willem Schouten first traversed the passage in 1616, opening a new route for explorers and traders. Today, the Drake Passage remains a significant route for both commercial and research vessels traveling to and from Antarctica.
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What is the importance of the Drake Passage for ocean currents and wildlife?
The Drake Passage, a 600-mile-wide waterway between South America's Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, is vital for ocean currents. It accelerates the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the world's largest current, channeling water from west to east at a rate of 3,400 to 5,300 million cubic feet per second. This current diminishes differences between oceans and helps transfer heat.
The Drake Passage is also important for wildlife. Its plankton-rich waters, especially with krill, serve as a key food source for various species, such as blue and fin whales, squid, emperor penguins, and crabeater seals. Antarctic cod are the most common fish in the passage.
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Drake Passage, deep waterway, 600 miles (1,000 km) wide, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Cape Horn (the southernmost point of South America) and the South Shetland Islands, situated about 100 miles (160 km) north of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Drake Passage defines the zone of climatic transition separating the cool, humid, subpolar conditions of Tierra del Fuego and the frigid, polar regions of Antarctica. Though bearing the name of the famous English seaman and global circumnavigator Sir Francis Drake, the passage was first traversed in 1616 by a Flemish expedition led by Willem Schouten.
The Drake Passage played an important part in the trade of the 19th and early 20th centuries before the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. The stormy seas and icy conditions made the rounding of Cape Horn through the Drake Passage a rigorous test for ships and crews alike, especially for the sailing vessels of the day.
The passage has an average depth of about 11,000 feet (3,400 metres) with deeper regions of up to 15,600 feet (4,800 metres) near the northern and southern boundaries. The sediments on the seafloor vary from sandy to clayey silts immediately south of Tierra del Fuego, with an increasing predominance of ice-rafted materials (dropped by icebergs) near Antarctica. The origin of the sediments on the floor of the passage therefore reflect a provenance from both South America and Antarctica, with an additional component represented by planktonic materials sedimented from out of the water column.
The winds over the Drake Passage are predominantly from the west and are most intense to the north around Cape Horn. Cyclones (atmospheric low pressure systems) formed in the Pacific sweep west to east across the southern edge of the passage. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 41 °F (5 °C) in the north to 27 °F (−3 °C) in the south. Surface water temperatures vary from 43 °F (6 °C) in the north to 30 °F (−1 °C) in the south, with the temperatures altering sharply around latitude 60° S—the zone of the Antarctic Convergence.
The sea ice cover extending northward from Antarctica varies seasonally. In the late summer (February) the passage is ice-free. In September the maximum ice cover occurs; 25 percent to full cover extends to 60° S, with occasional ice floes reaching Cape Horn.
Water within the Drake Passage flows predominantly from west to east and forms part of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the most voluminous current in the world, with an estimated rate of flow between 3,400 and 5,300 million cubic feet (95 and 150 million cubic metres) per second. Accelerated by the physical constriction of the passage, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current increases rapidly in velocity, especially at 60° S. Exiting the passage, most water continues to flow east or northeast, but a branch known as the Falklands Current turns north into the South Atlantic.
The waters of the Drake Passage are rich in plankton, particularly the shrimplike crustaceans called krill. Such organisms define the essential food source for blue and fin whales, squid, emperor penguins, and crabeater seals. Antarctic cods are the most common fish. Some of these fish and all of the cold-water Chaenichthyidae (icefish) are “bloodless”—they have no detectable hemoglobin in their blood.
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