Southern Ocean at a glance
- 3,756 maverage depth
- 4,118 mmedian depth
- 7,285 mmaximum depth
- 16.4 million km²water area
Southern Ocean is one of the world's five oceans. Inside its outline the GEBCO grid has about 16.4 million km² of water, with an average depth of about 3,756 m (the middle value is 4,118 m) and a maximum of 7,285 m, found at 60.61° S, 26.09° W.
Open the map at the deepest cell and tap to read the depth.
How deep is each part of the Southern Ocean?
The bar splits the Southern Ocean's water by depth. Each colour is a depth band, and the shares add up to 100%.
- 0 to 200 m: 0.5%
- 200 to 1,000 m: 7.1%
- 1,000 to 4,000 m: 38.2%
- 4,000 to 6,000 m: 54.2%
- below 6,000 m: 0%
Named features near the deepest point: Vinogradov Fracture Zone (173 km), Barsukov Seamount (176 km), Kosminskaya Fracture Zone (250 km), South Sandwich Fracture Zone (415 km).
Philippine Sea lists 10,931 m; Arabian Sea lists 9,536 m; Coral Sea lists 9,142 m; Sargasso Sea lists 7,761 m; Caribbean Sea lists 8,293 m; Solomon Sea lists 8,949 m; Banda Sea lists 7,602 m, more than the 7,285 m here, because the sea and ocean outlines overlap and are drawn separately.
The Southern Ocean if sea level dropped
The slider on the map lowers the sea in steps. This table shows how much of the Southern Ocean's water would be land at each step.
| Sea level lowered by | Becomes land | Share of its water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 5,191 km² | under 0.1% |
| 20 m | 7,293 km² | under 0.1% |
| 50 m | 12,842 km² | under 0.1% |
| 80 m | 19,148 km² | 0.1% |
| 120 m | 30,960 km² | 0.2% |
| 200 m | 80,122 km² | 0.5% |
| 500 m | 756,277 km² | 4.6% |
| 1,000 m | 1.2 million km² | 7.6% |
| 2,000 m | 1.7 million km² | 10.2% |
| 3,000 m | 3.5 million km² | 21.4% |
| 4,000 m | 7.5 million km² | 45.8% |
| 6,000 m | 16.4 million km² | 100% |
A simple bathtub model: it lowers the sea everywhere by the same amount and does not simulate how water would really drain.
The biggest seas
- Philippine Sea 5.6 million km², up to 10,931 m
- Arabian Sea 4.1 million km², up to 9,536 m
- Coral Sea 4 million km², up to 9,142 m
- Tasman Sea 3.3 million km², up to 6,281 m
- South China Sea 3.1 million km², up to 5,232 m
- Sargasso Sea 3 million km², up to 7,761 m
- Caribbean Sea 2.8 million km², up to 8,293 m
- Bering Sea 2.2 million km², up to 7,043 m
- Mediterranean Sea 1.6 million km², up to 5,030 m
- Norwegian Sea 1.5 million km², up to 4,057 m
Seas lie inside or beside the oceans, so their areas overlap with the ocean figures. All oceans and seas
Frequently asked questions
How deep is the Southern Ocean?
On average about 3,756 m in the GEBCO grid (the middle value is 4,118 m). The deepest cell inside its outline is 7,285 m, at 60.61° S, 26.09° W.
How big is the Southern Ocean?
About 16.4 million km² of water inside its Natural Earth outline, counted from the grid cells that are below sea level. Marginal seas lie inside the ocean outlines, so the areas of the oceans and seas overlap and should not be added together.
How much of the Southern Ocean would be land if sea level dropped?
With the sea 500 m lower, about 756,277 km² (4.6%) of its water would be land. At 6,000 m lower, 100% would be. This is a simple bathtub model that lowers the sea evenly everywhere.
Data: depths from the GEBCO_2026 grid, statistics worked out inside the Natural Earth outline of the ocean. See data sources and licences. The GEBCO Grid should NOT be used for navigation or for any other purpose involving safety at sea.