Antarctica is one of the most remote regions on Earth. Here, winds and waves are often of an intensity seldom equalled anywhere, and icebergs make these waters very treacherous places ships, which is why they are popularly known among sailors as the "roaring forties". Such severe ocean conditions have conspired to make the Antarctic Circumpolar Current one of the least studied of all. It is also unique in many ways, since it is the only current not bounded by a continent, thus allowing water to flow between oceans.