Earth Now Officially Has Five Oceans!

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The frigid waters around Antarctica are home to a large number of marine animals (Credit: Michelle Raponi/CC0/ Pixabay)

The icy waters surrounding Antarctica have long been called the Southern Ocean by scientists, the media, and even the US Board on Geographical Names. However, it never received the official recognition it deserved - until now. On June 8, 2021, the National Geographic Society, which has been making maps since 1915, announced that from now on, there would be five oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Ocean. Fittingly, the decision was revealed on World Oceans Day!

National Geographic's map policy committee maintains they had been considering making the change for many years. However, it is only recently that the geographers decided that the Southern Ocean was not just an extension of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. It had the unique characteristics required to deserve its own name.

"Our maps are updated. The Southern Ocean is treated the same as the traditional four, and the next quiz question about the number of oceans has an updated official answer from National Geographic—five!" the Society officials declared on Twitter.

The boundaries of the Southern Ocean are defined by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (Credit: Matthew W. Chwastyk and Soren Walljasper,
NGM Staff. Eric Knight/Sources: NASA/JPL; Green Marble)

Alex Tait, a National Geographic Society geographer, says that the change reflects the Society's desire to draw public attention to protecting the Southern Ocean's unique and fragile marine ecosystem. “We’ve always labeled it, but we labeled it slightly differently [than other oceans],” Tait explains. “This change was taking the last step and saying we want to recognize it because of its ecological separation.”

The new ocean will include most of the waters around Antarctica out to 60 degrees south latitude, excluding the Drake Passage and the Scotia Sea. Unlike the other oceans, whose boundaries are defined by the surrounding continents, the extent of the Southern Ocean is determined by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) — the Earth's longest and strongest oceanic current.

The ACC was established 34 million years ago when Antarctica broke off from South America, enabling the water to freely flow around Earth's southernmost tip. Its water is colder and less salty than the ocean waters to the north and provides a unique habitat for thousands of species, including whales, penguins, and seals. Extending from the surface to the ocean floor, the ACC also significantly impacts Earth's climate. The powerful current, which draws in water from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, acts like a conveyor belt distributing heat around the planet.

Tait believes the official recognition of the Southern Ocean will influence how children see the world. “I think one of the biggest impacts is through education,” he says. “Students learn information about the ocean world through what oceans you’re studying. If you don’t include the Southern Ocean, then you don’t learn the specifics of it and how important it is.”

Resources: www.nationalgeographic.com, ecowatch.com,Yahoo,com

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118 Comments
  • majestic_tiger1
    • mastermorlakid
      mastermorlakidabout 1 year
      man can be cruel sometimes the second video made me a bit sad
      • mastermorlakid
        mastermorlakidabout 1 year
        I never really thought that the Antarctic Ocean was an ocean either! iT's awesome that that ocean studiers now know that is officially an ocean
        • annak1500
          annak1500about 1 year
          I never really thought that The Antarctic ocean wasn't an ocean. But it still is great that it is officially now!!
          • adroit_avimimus
            adroit_avimimusover 1 year
            Very interesting! But I'm disappointed in how mankind is taking care of their only planet. .
            • explorer1221
              explorer1221over 1 year
              cool
              • ebags
                ebagsover 1 year
                They want to know that they made 5 oceans by the articals and the pictures and videos but there might now be enough information?.
                • ollywilly11
                  ollywilly11almost 2 years
                  it was a good read, the second video kinda made me sad.
                  • 784j
                    784jalmost 2 years
                    I love how humans are now trying to help marine animals.
                    • rand
                      randalmost 2 years
                      i dont like the evolution