National Geographic adds 5th ocean to world map
National
Geographic announced it recognizes the body of water encircling
the Antarctic as the Earth's fifth ocean: the Southern Ocean.
National Geographic announced on Tuesday that it has officially adopted the waters around the Antarctic as the world's fifth ocean: the Southern Ocean.
This change marks the first time in more than a century that the organization has reorganized the world's maritime maps, historically only four: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic Oceans.
"The Southern Ocean has long been known to scientists, but because there has never been an international agreement, we have never officially identified it," National Geographic Society geologist Alex Tait told the magazine.
“It’s kind of a local brand in some ways,” Tait said. “We used to label it, but we wrote it differently [than other seas]. This change was a last resort and we want to see it because of its isolation from nature. ”
The Southern Ocean stretches from the Antarctic coast to 60 degrees south, excluding the Drake Passage and the Scottish Sea, according to National Geographic. The new body of water forms the second smallest, after the Arctic.
The waters surrounding the southern continent have different natural features, including their distinct patterns now better known as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, or ACC, according to the magazine.
The ACC makes the waters around Antarctica cooler and slightly saltier than those in the north, helping to transfer global warming and store carbon in the deep ocean - all of which have a significant impact on the world, reports National Geographic.
The change stemmed from a guideline defined by the International Hydrographic Organization, which sets out sea level standards and official names.
The organization has yet to agree to a proposal made in 2000 to add the South Ocean to the world map, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, many countries, including the U.S., see water bodies differently.
Tait told National Geographic that he hoped the organisation's new policy would have a significant impact on education.
"Students learn information about the oceans by what seas you study," he said. "If you don't include the Southern Ocean then you don't read its details and how important it is."
This change marks the first time in more than a century that the organization has reorganized the world's maritime maps, historically only four: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic Oceans.
"The Southern Ocean has long been known to scientists, but because there has never been an international agreement, we have never officially identified it," National Geographic Society geologist Alex Tait told the magazine.
“It’s kind of a local brand in some ways,” Tait said. “We used to label it, but we wrote it differently [than other seas]. This change was a last resort and we want to see it because of its isolation from nature. ”
The Southern Ocean stretches from the Antarctic coast to 60 degrees south, excluding the Drake Passage and the Scottish Sea, according to National Geographic. The new body of water forms the second smallest, after the Arctic.
The waters surrounding the southern continent have different natural features, including their distinct patterns now better known as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, or ACC, according to the magazine.
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
The ACC makes the waters around Antarctica cooler and slightly saltier than those in the north, helping to transfer global warming and store carbon in the deep ocean - all of which have a significant impact on the world, reports National Geographic.
The change stemmed from a guideline defined by the International Hydrographic Organization, which sets out sea level standards and official names.
The organization has yet to agree to a proposal made in 2000 to add the South Ocean to the world map, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, many countries, including the U.S., see water bodies differently.
Tait told National Geographic that he hoped the organisation's new policy would have a significant impact on education.
"Students learn information about the oceans by what seas you study," he said. "If you don't include the Southern Ocean then you don't read its details and how important it is."
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