2843: Defining Bodies of Water Oct 2, 2024

There are numerous names for different marine physical features that are not meaningfully different in any consistent way. Looking at the definition of a ‘cove’ and a ‘bay’, both are recesses of water usually sheltered by mountains, though in a few examples, like the Bay of Bengal, Hudson Bay, and Bay of Biscay, these are on the scale of seas or gulfs and are only called bays by convention. 

Seas and gulfs meanwhile also don’t have any meaningful distinctions. While many definitions will say something to the effect of “a large body of water enclosed on 3 sides” and with a gulf usually distinguished as having a narrower opening, this does not hold up to examples. Some seas are enclosed entirely, like the Caspian and Aral Seas, some are enclosed on fewer than 3 like the Irish or North Seas, and some gulfs have no narrow point like the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, comparing the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, their respective widest points are only 1 mile different (221 vs 200 mi) and their narrowest points are each ~30 miles. Given that some coves are bays except when bays are gulfs, gulfs are not meaningfully distinguished from seas, and many seas are not clearly distinguished from being part of the ocean with a chokepoint (e.g. Beaufort, Caribbean, and Arabian Seas) or otherwise distinguished from straits, the nomenclature boils down only to convention.