Antarctica and the southern waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans (the term "Antarctic Ocean" is sometimes used, inappropriately).
Much of the area is characterized by subpolar conditions; ice shelves and sea ice extend well beyond the borders of the continent. The greatest recorded depth is 21,043 ft (6,414 m). Water cooled by the coastal ice masses of the Antarctic continent sinks and flows northward along the ocean bottom and is replaced at the surface by warmer water flowing south from the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. The meeting point of these currents is the Antarctic Convergence, an area rich in phytoplankton and krill, which are important to various species of fish as well as to penguins and seabirds.