Nansen Basin Nansen Basin The Nansen Basin (also Central Basin, formerly Fram Basin) is an abyssal plain with water-depths of around 3 km in the Arctic Ocean and (together with the deeper Amundsen Basin) part of the Eurasian Basin. It is named after Fridtjof Nansen. The Nansen Basin is bounded by the Gakkel Ridge on the one side and by the Barents Sea continental shelf on the other. The lowest point of the Arctic Ocean lies within the Nansen Basin and has a depth of 4,665 m. The Barents Abyssal Plain is located at the center of the Fram Basin. The Russian-American
Fridtjof Nansen and after two false starts, Nansen and Johansen began their journey on 14 March 1895. Nansen allowed 50 days to cover the to the pole, an average daily journey of . After a week of travel, a sextant observation indicated they averaged per day, which put them ahead of schedule. However, uneven surfaces made skiing more difficult, and their speeds slowed. They also realised they were marching against a southerly drift, and that distances travelled did not necessarily equate to distance progressed. On 3 April, Nansen began to doubt whether the pole was attainable. Unless their speed improved, their food