National Geographic Officially Recognizes A New Ocean For The World Map
Image via Mykolastock / Shutterstock.com
Most would be familiar with the world’s oceans: the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. After all, it’s one of the first lessons taught in geography class.
Now, National Geographic’s mapmakers have officially recognized a brand-new ocean: the Southern Ocean.
Why now? It seems the specialist team has found that the water in that area is distinct enough to warrant its own ecological classification, as per CNET.
The Southern Ocean is surrounded by a fast-moving current – known as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current – which separates its waters from its northern counterparts. The waters of the Southern Ocean are less salty and colder, too.
“Anyone who has been there will struggle to explain what’s so mesmerizing about it, but they’ll all agree that the glaciers are bluer, the air colder, the mountains more intimidating, and the landscapes more captivating than anywhere else you go,” Seth Sykora-Bodie, a marine scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explained to National Geographic.
Get this fact handy for your next party small talk, and remember there are now five, not four, oceans on Earth.
Four oceans or five? It's #WorldOceansDay🌊 and National Geographic is making a change to recognize the Southern Ocean as a fifth official ocean in our atlases and maps! https://t.co/HSHRUAyWuE
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) June 8, 2021
[via CNET, cover image via Mykolastock / Shutterstock.com]
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