Did you know there are five oceans? The fifth is on the Antarctic coast

Until a few years ago, science books recognized that there were only four oceans on planet Earth: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans. However, in mid-2021 The National Geographic Society (NGS) has recognized that there is one more Southern Ocean. Despite everything there’s a big difference, it’s not defined by continent like the others.

On June 8, 2021, National Geographic cartographers announced that the world’s fifth ocean is Antarctica and is defined by water currents. Experts say the current situation It can be explained as an ‘invisible ring’ around Antarctica, a region consisting of colder and less salty waters than the north of the planet.

Four oceans or five? Her #WorldOceansDay?? and National Geographic is making a change to our atlases and maps that will recognize the Southern Ocean as the fifth official ocean! https://t.co/HSHRUAyWuE

— National Geographic (@NatGeo) June 8, 2021

Although it was recognized by the NGS only a few years ago, geographers have long been exploring the possibility of Antarctica being the fifth ocean. According to National Geographic, the decision was made to verify the information After much research on the subject and the media called the region the Southern Ocean.

“We think it’s really important to highlight the Southern Ocean as the fifth ocean, both from an educational standpoint and from a map labeling perspective. So when students learn about parts of the ocean world, they learn that it’s an interconnected ocean and it’s there,” National Geographic Society geographer Alex Tait told the paper. , said that these regions, called oceans, are really important and a distinctive feature is found in the icy waters around Antarctica. washington post.

Southern Ocean, fifth

Natural gas geographers explain that the Southern Ocean is considered unique due to its characteristics, as it is separated by the Antarctic Circular Polar Current (ACC), a region of cold waters that helps regulate the global climate. The Antarctic current pulls the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, carries heat around the world and absorbs carbon deep into the water. The region is also responsible for marine life, which includes various animal species.

In any case, it is important to emphasize that many scientists already consider Antarctica to be the fifth ocean. In 1999, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had already recognized the Southern Ocean.

“The Southern Ocean has been recognized by scientists for a long time, but since there is no international agreement, we have never officially recognized it. However, we thought it was important to have it officially recognized at this point. People look to us to learn geographical facts: How many continents, how many countries, how many oceans? We’ve talked about four oceans so far,” Tait explained to National Geographic.

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