The National Geography cartographers have now identified the Southern Ocean as the fifth ocean on the planet. The new ocean has been identified by the National Geography Society which has been making maps since 1915 and had so far recognised the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic oceans.
Notably, while other oceans are identified by the region they surround, the Southern Ocean is defined by its current, the National Geography said in a report. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Southern Ocean covers 30% of the Earth’s ocean surface. It is made up of the waters encircling Antarctica.
“The Southern Ocean has long been recognised by scientists, but because there was never agreement internationally, we never officially recognised it,” said National Geographic Society Geographer Alex Tait in a report published on National Geographic’s official website.
“Anyone who has been there will struggle to explain what’s so mesmerising 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 can go,” National Geography quoted Seth Sykora-Bodie, a marine scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as saying.
The development came when the need to put more focus on the region’s peril and the need for conservation has became imminent.
Antarctica has been facing the brunt of climate change and rapid warming of the planet and scientists are studying the impact on the Southern Ocean, which is home to a delicate marine ecosystem that includes whales, penguins and seals.
In 2000, the boundaries of the ocean were proposed but all countries did not agree to it thus making it difficult to be recognised by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).
