The Timor Sea washes the northern coast of Australia and is characterized by the predominance of a subequatorial climate. There are several large oil and gas fields in the water area. Many scientists refer it to the list of the richest, most beautiful and interesting seas on the planet. It will be discussed further in more detail.
Location on the map
Speaking about where the Timor Sea is, first of all, it should be noted that it is located in the Indian Ocean. On the map, it can be found between mainland Australia and the island of Timor, whose name, in fact, was named. In the eastern part, it borders on the Arafura Sea, and in the west it gradually merges with the ocean. To the south is a large bay known as Joseph Bonaparte. An interesting feature is that the Arafura and Timor Seas do not have a pronounced natural boundary. They have about the same temperature and salinity levels. Whatever it was, these are two completely different bodies of water.
General Description
The total area of the sea is 432 thousand square kilometers. Most of it is located on the Australian continental shelf, which explains the insignificant depth. Basically, its value does not reach the mark of 200 meters. Its deepest point is the Timor Trench located in the northern part, the depth of which is 3310 meters. The current of the same name passing through the water area carries the waters of the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. Moreover, the water area is located in the area of the split of tectonic plates. All this in combination created optimal conditions for the emergence of a huge number of typhoons. Atolls, coral reefs and shoals abound on the bottom covered with quartz and calcareous sands.
The Timor Sea is characterized by a winding coastline with small bays and picturesque coves. As a rule, the coast is low. There are four rather large islands in the water area, two of which are in Australian ownership, and two more belong to the Tiwi. Many mainland rivers flow into the sea. The largest port is the city of Darwin, which is the capital of the Northern Territory of Australia.
Human development
Many scientists suggest that the Australian continent was inhabited by humans through the Timor Sea. They believe that this happened at a time when the water level here was significantly lower, which led to the appearance of people from the Indonesian archipelago. local legendsthey are said to have become the ancestors of the Australian Aborigines. As for the first European settlers, they are sailors from Holland, who, after mastering the sea, discovered the Australian mainland.
Climate
Monsoon subequatorial climate prevails over the water area. As noted above, strong typhoons often occur here. About ten years ago, several of them even led to the temporary shutdown of oil processing platforms and the evacuation of their personnel by helicopters for safety reasons. One of the tropical typhoons in 1974 heavily damaged the city of Darwin.
From December to March, the season of tropical showers reigns over the water area. Despite this, even in winter the water temperature never drops below 25 degrees, and in summer it warms up to 30 degrees. Currents are seasonal. In winter they move westward, and in summer they move eastward. It should also be noted that the tides are quite high. Usually they reach the mark of 4 meters, and in small closed bays and bays - up to 9 meters.
Flora and fauna
If the Timor Sea cannot boast of a rich and diverse flora, the same cannot be said about the animal world. In particular, corals, mollusks of all known classes, sea worms, jellyfish, snakes, echinoderms, lobsters, shrimps, crabs and many other representatives of the fauna of the oceans are found here. It is impossible not to note the diversity of fish, of which there are more than three hundred species. Among them there are several types of sharks, soYou can swim in the sea only in certain places and very carefully.
Human activity
Still half a century ago, the Timor Sea was not considered valuable to people in terms of the use of natural resources. And fishing here was very complicated due to unfavorable meteorological conditions. The situation changed dramatically in the early 1970s. Then impressive oil reserves were discovered on the shelf. The result of this was the emergence of many disputes regarding the procedure for the division of territorial waters. It is advantageous for Australia to divide the sea along the border of the continental shelf. The government of East Timor does not agree with this, which adheres to the policy of its former metropolis of Portugal, whose government believed that the water area should be divided in the middle. Be that as it may, today there are a large number of projects regarding the development of oil and gas fields. Some of them are already under implementation.
It should be noted that human activities also have a detrimental effect on the Timor Sea at times. The photo of the oil-related man-made disaster that occurred in September 2009 at the Montara field is another confirmation of this. After the accident, up to 400 barrels of "black gold" were poured into the water every day. After an investigation, the owner of the wells was named the culprit of the incident, who was responsible for this.
