National Science Foundation's Antarctic Sun, one could dive to the ocean floor anywhere in the world and encounter water from the coast of Antarctica. "Seventy five percent of all the bottom water, wherever you are, comes from Antarctica." Temperatures Average mean sea-level temp: Monthly mean range: in January to in August Stormiest months: February and October Source: U.S. National Science Foundation Wildlife A rich sea life thrives under the barren expanse of McMurdo Sound's ice pack. Frigid waters that would kill many other fish in the world sustain the Antarctic notothenioids, a bony "ice fish" related to walleyes and perch. Bright yellow cactus sponges, green globe sponges, starfish, sea urchins, and sea anemones are also present. Large sea spiders inhabit the deeps of the sound and feed on sea anemone. Antarctic krill flourish in the upper depths the waters Antarctic penguins, emperor penguins, and Adélie penguins live in and around the sound The Weddell seal, leopard seal, and crabeater seal have been spotted, as well as Orcas. Strategic Importance McMurdo Sound's role as a strategic waterway dates back to early 20th century Antarctic exploration. British explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott built bases on the sound's shoreline as jumping-off points for their overland expeditions to the South Pole. McMurdo Sound's logistic importance continues today. Aircraft transporting cargo and passengers land upon frozen runways at Williams Field on the McMurdo Ice Shelf. Moreover, the annual sealift of a cargo ship and fuel tanker rely upon the sound as a supply route to the continent's largest base, the United States' McMurdo Station. Both the U.S. base and New Zealand's nearby Scott Base are on the southern tip of Ross Island. Iceberg B-15A A common event of previously unseen dimensions occurred on the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000 that wreaked havoc at McMurdo Sound more than five years later. The long Iceberg B-15, the largest ever seen at the time, broke off from the Ross Ice Shelf in March 2000 (Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems: Cooperative Research Center). Then, on 27 October 2005, B-15 suddenly broke up. Research based upon measurements retrieved from a seismometer previously placed on B-15 indicated that ocean swells caused by an earthquake away in the Gulf of Alaska caused the breakup, according to a report by the U.S. National Public Radio. Wind and sea currents shifted a smaller, but still massive Iceberg B-15A towards McMurdo Sound. B-15A's enormous girth