NZ14900 Ross Sea

NZ14900 is the official designation for a large-scale nautical chart of the Ross Sea in Antarctica.

Chart Details

• Produced by: The Hydrographic Office of the New Zealand Navy (and maintained by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand).
• International Chart Series: Part of the series as INT 900.

Key Specifications:

• Scale: 1:2,000,000.
• Projection: Mercator.
• Coverage: Provides a comprehensive overview of the Ross Sea, the southernmost sea on Earth, which is a critical area for navigation near New Zealand's Ross Dependency.
• Availability: Available in both paper format and as a raster chart image for digital use.

Context of the Ross Sea

The area covered by this chart is of significant global importance:

• The "Last Ocean": Widely considered the most pristine marine ecosystem on Earth.
• Marine Protected Area (MPA): Much of the Ross Sea is protected under the world's largest "no-take" marine park, covering approximately 1.5 million km².
• Key Landmarks: Includes the Ross Ice Shelf, the world's largest body of floating ice, and the historic exploration bases of Scott and Shackleton.