The Tasman Sea, located in the southern hemisphere, is unique in many respects. This location, and varying climate, and a very diverse flora and fauna. We will analyze the main features of the reservoir, tell about the features of flora and fauna.
Location Features
Speaking about the location and answering the question which ocean the Tasman Sea belongs to, it can be clearly defined that it is the southernmost of the entire Pacific basin. The shores of Australia and New Zealand are washed by the Tasman Sea.
Its position is unique, because a pond crosses several climatic zones. The question with borders is also interesting. If you outline them from the north, it will be the Australian state of New South Wales. But the extreme southern point is rather arbitrary: it is commonly called the Macquarie Range, as well as the west coast of New Zealand. What is it, the Tasman Sea: inland or marginal? From the geographical position it is clear that it is not one of them, but refers to the inter-island - those that are separated from the seas by a chain of archipelagos.
If you look at the map, you can see that the Tasman Sea is a large rhombus connecting the two continents.
Not far from the Tasman Sea is located another - Coral. It washes Australia and reaches the shores of New Guinea. Which sea is located north: Coral or Tasmanovo? Of course, the first. After all, Tasmanovo is the southernmost of all the Pacific. The seas are divided by numerous coral reefs, islands and a significant uplift. Norfolk Island is a conditional, northernmost point of the border between the seas.
Specifications
Particularly impressive with its characteristics is the Tasman Sea. Its area is almost 3.5 million square kilometers.
The Tasman Sea is impressive with its depth. In a place called the Tasman Basin, the depth reaches, and sometimes even exceeds six thousand meters.
A large number of islands are located on the sea. Perhaps the most famous of them is Tasmania, an island located 240 kilometers south of Australia. It is located on a geologically active site (scientists believe that once Tasmania was part of the Australian continent, however, due to certain processes it separated). Now it is the largest territory of Australian reserves, because unique animals live there. The most famous is the Tasmanian devil.
It should also be said about the island of Reef Bols-Pyramids. It is a huge rock that rises almost 600 meters above sea level. Width - 200 meters.
The Tasman Sea is fraught with islands with a unique indigenous population. So, only 400 people live on Lord Howe Island. This ancient island is located at an impressive distance from New Zealand.
It should be said about the coastline. It has a smooth edging all over. Thus, it is difficult to find bays or bays on the Tasman Sea. In coastal waters, a sandy bottom prevails, and at a depth the main rocks are clay and it is mixed with sand.
Discovery story
Discovered the Tasman Sea in 1640 Abel Tasman. The Dutch explorer arrived here 100 years earlier than the famous James Cook.
There was practically no information about this part of the oceans. People did not even know what kind of mainland Australia was. Is it such or is it a scattered island. Tasman was the first to cite the integrity of Australia, also discovering Tasmania, Fiji and New Zealand.
Secured his conclusions a century later, James Cook. He outlined the eastern outlines of Australia, explored New Zealand in more detail. Thus, the Tasman Sea began to be recorded on maps.
Climate
Three zones pass through the Tasman Sea: tropical, subtropical and temperate. They change from north to south. Accordingly, the climate varies by belt.
Weather conditions are also influenced by currents. Warm, for example, East Australian, helps the water warm up to +26 degrees. In the southern part of the sea, cool currents dominate. They are so cold that they often bring parts of icebergs. Thus, the water here is not very warm - only +5 - +9 degrees in winter.
The sea is characterized by abundant tides, which sometimes reach five meters. It also differs in increased storm activity (the blame for all winds coming from the Pacific Ocean). Particularly different in this regard are 40-50-degree latitudes. But for the most part, shipping on the Tasman Sea is very favorable.
Inhabitants of the northern part
The location of the reservoir in several climatic zones, of course, affected its inhabitants. In the northern waters, where the heating is sufficiently high, tropical marine inhabitants live. Of particular note are sharks, flying fish and mammals, most of them whales.
A huge number of shark species live in the Tasman Sea, a large white one stands out. Many tourists are scared by its massive fins, towering above the water. Particularly brave visitors to the water area descend into the water in a specially equipped diving cage and enjoy these chilling inhabitants in their natural environment.
Flying fish are another unique creature that lives in the warm waters of the Tasman Sea. These fish are very impressive in size, sometimes reaching half a meter in length. Having four fins, they can jump out of the water at fairly serious distances. The flight length over the surface directly depends on the speed gained in the water column.
Of cetaceans in the northern Tasman Sea, killer whales, sperm whales and minke whales are recorded. They appeared here not by chance - this is due to the population of zooplankton in the water. Natural cetacean watching is another popular activity offered to tourists.
Flora and fauna in the south
As for the southern regions of the reservoir, the climate here is temperate, therefore, algae grow in larger quantities than in the northern ones.
Cold currents do not affect the abundance of fish in the southern part of the reservoir. Mostly flocks live, therefore the impression of a more massive accumulation of fish. Fisheries are widely developed here: they catch tuna, horse mackerel, mackerel, flounder and other species.