Map of the Bay of Biscay.
The
Bay of Biscay (
Spanish:
Golfo de Vizcaya and
Mar Cantábrico;
French:
Golfe de Gascogne;
Basque:
Bizkaiko Golkoa;
Gascon:
Golf de Gascougne) or the
Cantabrian Sea is a
gulf of the northeast
Atlantic Ocean located south of the
Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of
France from
Brest south to the
Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to
Punta de Estaca de Bares, and is named for the Spanish province of
Biscay.
The average depth is and maximum depth is .
Geography
Parts of the
continental shelf extend far into the bay, resulting in fairly shallow water in many areas and thus in the rough seas for which the region is known. The Bay of Biscay is home to some of the
Atlantic Ocean's fiercest
weather. Large storms occur in the bay, especially during the winter months. Up until recent years it was a regular occurrence for merchant vessels to founder in Biscay storms, and many lives were lost. Improved ships and weather prediction have reduced the toll of the storms.
Rivers
The main rivers that end in the Bay of Biscay are:
- Spain (named westward): Bidasoa, Oiartzun, Urumea, Oria, Urola, Deba, Artibai, Oka, Nervion, Agüera, Asón, Miera, Pas, Saja, Nansa, Deva, Nalón, Navia, Eo, Landro, Sor.
Weather
As in many West coasts, the phenomenon of
June Gloom is common. In late Spring and early Summer a large fog triangle fills the southwestern half of the bay, covering just a few kilometres inland.
As Winter begins, weather becomes severe. Depressions enter from the West very frequently and they either bounce North to the British Isles or they enter the Ebro valley, dry out, and arefinally reborn in the form of powerful thunderstorms as they reach the Mediterranean. These depressions cause severe weather at sea and bring light though very constant rain to its shores (known as
orballo in northern Spain). Sometimes powerful windstorms form if the pressure falls rapidly, traveling along the
Gulf Stream at great speed, resembling a hurricane, and finally crashing in this bay with its maximum power, such as the
Klaus storm.
The
Gulf Stream enters the bay following the continental shelf's border counterclockwise (the Rennell Current), keeping temperatures smooth all year long.
Main cities
The main cities on the shores of the Bay of Biscay are:
History
The southern end of the gulf is also called in Spanish
"Mar Cantábrico" (Cantabrian Sea), for the region of
Cantabria, but this name is not generally used in English. It was named by Romans in 1st century BC as
Sinus Cantabrorum (Bay of the
Cantabri).
On some medieval maps, the Bay of Biscay is marked as
El Mar del los Vascos, the Basque Sea. The Bay of Biscay is the birthplace of what is considered one of the world's most successful and most renowned maritime industries, the Basque and Cantabrian shipbuilders and fishermen.
The
British yachtswoman
Ellen MacArthur finished her first trip around the world here, and there is a famous song based on this.
Wildlife
The car ferries from
Portsmouth to
Bilbao and from
Plymouth,
Portsmouth and
Poole to
Santander provide one of the most convenient ways to see
cetaceans in
European waters, and there are often specialist trips on board.
Volunteers and employees from the use the bridge of the vessel on the
P&O Portsmouth to Bilbao run to observe and monitor cetacean activity. Many species of
whales and
dolphins can be seen in this area but it is one of the few places where the
beaked whales such as the
Cuvier's beaked whale have been observed relatively frequently. This is the best study area for beaked whales in the world.
The best areas to see the larger cetaceans are those over deep water off the continental shelf particularly over the
Santander Canyon and
Torrelavega Canyon in the south of the Bay.
The three-day round trip also gives sightings of good numbers of several species of
seabirds, particularly
gannets.
The alga
Colpomenia peregrina was introduced and first noticed by oyster fishermen in the Bay of Biscay in 1906.
