Central Ocean
Geography
The Central Ocean, so named by Union surveyors upon arrival, is a large body of water occupying a surface area of 10,929,520 sq km, bounded roughly by the Kaaqaakipareii land bridge to the east, and the 80th meridian west, where a sunken land bridge in the north blocks most of the cool, heavy salt from flowing further west. It is largely brackish, being fed by undersea vents, as well as runoff from both the Qaaqaaporag and the unnamed Paisloakeapau ranges, and receives high-pressure systems as the Distal Jetstream moves west and southward. The Central Ocean is largely a warm-water ocean, and is prone to storms as systems build up momentum over the western and more equatorial Distal Ocean. The area approximately 2,000 km south-west off the coast of southwest Rakeapauvisuana is legendary--literally--for having enormous hurricanes that rage in the open ocean, sometimes spinning into the coast east of former Rikevoj. The Qaaqaaporag provide a damper to these storms when they do make landfall, splitting them east-west, and they do not make much progress along the western coast. They do, eventually, usually end up as storms in the Teytlaak area, where they disperse. However, given the significantly deeper water in the Central Ocean, the ocean itself is fairly calm in terms of waves--a dangerous combination that often gives rookie captains a false sense of security.
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