Does National Geographic recognize the Southern Ocean?

Does National Geographic recognize the Southern Ocean?

National Geographic Officially Recognizes the Southern Ocean as World’s Fifth Ocean. The current extends out to 60 degrees south latitude and appeared about 34 million years ago when Antarctica separated from South America, per National Geographic.

Is the Southern Ocean the same as the Antarctic Ocean?

Southern Ocean, also called Antarctic Ocean, body of salt water covering approximately one-sixteenth of Earth’s total ocean area. The Southern Ocean is made up of the portions of the world ocean south of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans and their tributary seas surrounding Antarctica below 60° S.

What is unique about the water near Antarctica?

The water near Antarctica is unique because all the water in the bottom of all the oceans had its start within six miles of Antarctica. As the water moves away from Antarctica, it migrates towards the equator. As it reaches Antarctica, the sea water freezes, and releases its salt, completing the cycle.

Why is the Southern Ocean unique?

Both the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and National Geographic define the Southern Ocean as the body of water extending north from Antarctica to the latitude line 60 degrees South. And it is this unique current that ultimately distinguishes the Southern Ocean.

When did Antarctic Ocean become the Southern Ocean?

roughly 30 million years ago
The Southern Ocean, geologically the youngest of the oceans, was formed when Antarctica and South America moved apart, opening the Drake Passage, roughly 30 million years ago. The separation of the continents allowed the formation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

What makes the Southern Ocean an ocean?

Inside the ACC, the waters are colder and slightly less salty than ocean waters to the north. Ocean circulation defines the Southern Ocean. Extending from the surface to the ocean floor, the ACC transports more water than any other ocean current.

What is the ocean near Antarctica?

The Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean encircles Antarctica, and its area is usually defined as extending from the edge of the continent (and its ice shelves) to the position of the ‘polar front’ separating it from the surrounding Pacific, Indian and South Atlantic Oceans.

What is unique about the water near Antarctica how does it drive global ocean circulation?

When sea ice forms around the edges of Antarctica each winter, the salt in the ocean water doesn’t freeze; it stays behind. That makes the water near the coast much saltier and therefore denser than water off shore. Denser water sinks, and in doing so pushes less dense water up, driving circulation.

When did the Southern Ocean become recognized?

1999
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials said the federal agency recognized the body as the fifth ocean in 1999, when the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the name “Southern Ocean.”

Where is the Antarctic Ocean?

The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WyWTOstxOQ