The Antarctic-encircling ring of cold-temperate to polar water, bounded roughly by the Antarctic Convergence (~50°S). High primary productivity in austral summer; krill (Euphausia superba) is the dominant secondary producer and the foundation prey for nearly all large vertebrates here.
Notable species (in the vault)
- Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) — historical austral feeding ground;
population recovering from Historical whaling.
Connections
North Pacific — cold temperate via cetacean migration corridors.