Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia is surrounded by several oceans and seas, including the Pacific, Southern, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Timor, Tasman, and Coral Seas. The East Coast of Australia is bordered by the Tasman Sea, a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean. The Tasman Sea is situated between Australia and New Zealand and was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who was the first person to cross it in 1642. The Māori people of New Zealand call this sea Te Moana-a-Rehua, meaning the sea of Rehua.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the ocean | Tasman Sea |
| Other names | Te Moana-a-Rehua, the Ditch |
| Location | Between Australia and New Zealand |
| Size | 2,000 km (1,200 mi) across and 2,800 km (1,700 mi) from north to south |
| Depth | 12,274 feet (3,741 meters) |
| Connected bodies of water | Coral Sea, Arafura Sea, Solomon Sea, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean |
| Notable currents | East Australian Current, Leeuwin Current, Antarctic Circumpolar Current, Indonesian Throughflow |
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What You'll Learn
The Tasman Sea
The Māori people of New Zealand call the Tasman Sea Te Moana-a-Rehua, meaning 'the sea of Rehua'. This clashes with the Pacific waters named Te Tai-o-Whitirea ('the sea of Whitirea'), after Whitirea, Rehua's lover, at Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip of New Zealand's North Island. In both Australian and New Zealand English, the Tasman Sea is nicknamed 'the Ditch', comparable to the North Atlantic Ocean, which is nicknamed 'the Pond'. For example, “crossing the Ditch" means travelling to Australia from New Zealand or vice versa.
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The East Australian Current
The EAC is formed from the South Equatorial Current (SEC) crossing the Coral Sea and reaching the eastern coast of Australia. At around 15° S, the SEC divides, forming the southward flow of the EAC. The current reaches a maximum velocity at 30° S, where its flow can reach 90 cm/s. As it continues southward, it splits from the coast at around 31° to 32° S. By the time it reaches 33° S, the EAC begins to meander southward, while another portion turns northward in a tight recirculation. At this point, the current reaches its maximum transport of nearly 35 Sv (35 billion litres per second). The majority of the EAC flow that does not recirculate will move eastward into the Tasman Front, crossing the Tasman Sea just north of New Zealand.
The EAC is an important means of heat transport from the tropics to the middle latitudes between Australia and New Zealand. It transfers heat from the tropics to the mid-latitude water and atmosphere, producing warm core eddies that allow the Tasman Sea to have a large biodiversity. The current also carries a large amount of warm tropical water southward, contributing to the conditions that allow the Great Barrier Reef to thrive. The EAC is estimated to be around 30 km wide and 200 m deep, with a flow of up to 4 knots (2 m s−1).
The EAC has important connections with the large-scale climate, from seasonal variations to multi-decadal time scales. It has been observed to strengthen over time, with the south Tasman Sea becoming warmer and saltier from 1944 to 2002, causing the flow to strengthen and extend southward. This shift is believed to be caused by changes in wind patterns due to ozone depletion over Australia. Climate models predict that this trend will continue to intensify over the next 100 years, with the current expected to increase by more than 20%.
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The Leeuwin Current
Australia's oceans and seas include the Pacific, Southern, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Timor, Tasman, and Coral Seas. The Tasman Sea, a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, is situated between Australia and New Zealand. The East Australian Current is the most energetic circulation feature in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It flows southwards in the tropics of the Coral Sea, near the eastern coast of Australia.
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The Coral Sea
The reefs and islands of the Coral Sea are rich in birds and aquatic life, making them a popular tourist destination. The sea is also an important source of coral for the Great Barrier Reef and provides economic resources such as fisheries and petroleum deposits in the Gulf of Papua. The Coral Sea has been the site of significant historical events, including the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II, where Allied naval forces confronted Japanese carrier raids in the Southwest Pacific.
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The Timor Sea
The sea is about 480 km (300 mi) wide, covering an area of about 610,000 km2 (240,000 sq mi). Its deepest point is the Timor Trough, located in the northern part of the sea, which reaches a depth of 3,300 m (10,800 ft). The Timor Trough is considered by some geologists to be the southeastern extension of the Java Trench, while others view it as a foreland trough to the Timor Island "mountain range". The Sunda Trench marks the deepest point of the Timor Sea, with a depth of more than 3,300 metres, separating the continents of Oceania in the southeast and Asia to the northwest and north.
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Frequently asked questions
The Pacific Ocean is found along the east coast of Australia.
The average depth of the Pacific Ocean is 13,000 feet (4,000 meters).
The Tasman Sea and the Coral Sea are found in the Pacific Ocean along the east coast of Australia.
The East Australian Current (EAC) is a notable current in the Pacific Ocean along the east coast of Australia.
The Māori name for the Tasman Sea is Te Moana-a-Rehua, meaning "the sea of Rehua".
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