Nysdra Sea

The Nysdra Sea, sometimes called the Sea of Nysdra or the Nysdra Basin, is a body of water set between Crona Proper and Cusinaut. It is separated from the titanic Ocean of Cathay by means of a strait called the Northern Approaches and is bounded by Cao.

Etymology

The name of the sea is derived from nysdra, the Coscivian word for "tear". Its Coscivian name is Fara Nysdrá, "the Sea of Tears".

History

Formation

Main article: Nysdran Collapse

It appears likely to most geologists that the Nysdra was initially an inland sea, allowing for peoples to cross easily between modern New Veltorina into Cusinaut and vice versa. At some point, rising oceans and poor soil support and quality lead to the sea being opened up to the ocean, the land bridge eroded, and the inland sea salinized, leading to the extinction of much of the the original surrounding neolithic populations that relied on freshwater fish sources for food.

Prehistory

Many historians believe that Shenendehowa Bay and its surrounding hinterlands were likely among the first examples of civilized urban development in the Nysdra region.

Environment

Islands

The Nysdra Sea is home to many islands, most notably Cao at its entrance, the Unnuaq Chain, and Atavia. These islands are thought to have been highlands prior to the Nysdran Collapse, and archaeologists have found significant evidence of prehistoric settlement prior to the Collapse.

Topology, Geology and Tectonics

Regular surveys of the sea in recent years (1960-present) have revealed that the rate of erosion along the Northern Approaches, particularly along the channel to the Cathay, is one of the fastest rates of erosion in a seabed in the world. The Approaches' depth increased by nearly two meters on average in the last sixty-five years, leading to a popular belief that a great deal of silt, sand, and small stone buildup from slower, cooler currents in the last ice age originally cut off the Nysdra from the sea, allowing it to become fresher from glacial runoff and isolating the species within for at least several thousand years. As global temperatures rose, the currents of the Cathay warmed, reigniting a strong current that winnowed the built-up material in a snowball effect, leading to the relatively rapid reopening of the sea to the greater oceans.

The Nysdra is particularly treacherous, featuring heavy ice flows throughout the year, with summer affording the only relatively safe time for shipping not accompanied by icebreakers or monitored in case of emergency. Its depth also varies rapidly, making near-coast approaches perilous without accurate mapping and careful guidance. Its storms are fairly weak but vary the temperature wildly, as they form in an atmospheric cell largely southwards of the sea and bring warmer air that mixes with the colder local temperatures.

Climate

The Nysdra Sea region features a relatively limited amount of climate diversity, with nearly the entire northern half of the sea being subject to subarctic climates or tundra in the far north with the remaining southern portions consisting of marine mild winter climates.

Ecology

Due to the significant presence of colder climate groups, terrestrial flora diversity is extremely limited within the Nysdra Basin especially within the northern half of the region.

In the immediate wake of the Nysdran Collapse, the sea was largely barren of fish and other creatures, with oceanic marine fauna only becoming truly present during Antiquity.

Human Use

Humans have been using the Nysdra as a corridor for trade and travel since prehistoric times. The Nysdra was the primary method of travel in northern Crona from prehistory through late antiquity and the early medieval period, when the sea fell under the sway of the Quetzen people who established colonies in Venua'tino and formed a complex thalassocratic civilization during the Little Ice Age. Quetzen domination continued until the mid-17th century, when human use of the Nysdra for purposes other than fishing rapidly declined. The sea was subject to limited amounts of outside use prior to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, though the establishment of New Harren lead to renewed interest in exploitation of the sea's fish and other resources. Since the beginning of The Deluge, the Nysdra has set new records for activity every year and has become the center of a complex trade network and regional economy organized through the Nysdra Sea Treaty Association.

Tourism

Tourism is a relatively new industry in the Nysdra Sea region due to both the recent influx of Occidental capital and population but also due to historic navigation problems resulting from ice flow.