Earth debuts new ocean

[FfFfFfFF 58,113]

Those familiar with the Southern Ocean, the body of water encircling Antarctica, know it’s unlike any other.

“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 can go,” says Seth Sykora-Bodie, a marine scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a National Geographic Explorer. 

Since National Geographic began making maps in 1915, it has recognized four oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. Starting on June 8, World Oceans Day, it will recognize the Southern Ocean as the world’s fifth ocean. 

“The Southern Ocean has long been recognized by scientists, but because there was never agreement internationally, we never officially recognized it,” says National Geographic Society Geographer Alex Tait. 

Geographers debated whether the waters around Antarctica had enough unique characteristics to deserve their own name, or whether they were simply cold, southern extensions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. 

“It’s sort of geographic nerdiness in some ways,” Tait says. He and the National Geographic Society’s map policy committee had been considering the change for years, watching as scientists and the press increasingly used the term Southern Ocean. 

The change, he adds, aligns with the Society’s initiative to conserve the world’s oceans, focusing public awareness onto a region in particular need of a conservation spotlight.

“We’ve always labeled it, but we labeled it slightly differently [than other oceans],” Tait says. “This change was taking the last step and saying we want to recognize it because of its ecological separation.”

 

[COOOK 76,406]

This comment from reddit sums it all up tbh:

An American media company "recognizes" a geographic name that has been widely used internationally for decades upon decades.

"Meet the new ocean"

[Bleachella 2,932]

im confused has the southern not been an official ocean this entire time.... 

[Chromatica 7,042]

New ocean dropped 

[Mindblown 6,744]

Just now, COOOK said:

This comment from reddit sums it all up tbh:

An American media company "recognizes" a geographic name that has been widely used internationally for decades upon decades.

"Meet the new ocean"

Ikr, I'm American and was taught about the southern ocean in elementary school. Like?? Why is this just now making headlines?????

[River 127,374]

 

[Sneaky Oliver 22,973]

That’s so cool! We’re witnessing a change in the world map! I wish it was called Antarctic Ocean though  

[Hey Boy 1,086]

6 minutes ago, Chromatica said:

New ocean dropped 

We better not let this one flop

[VanishIntoMe 3,973]

Duh it leaked years ago

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

Southern but it looks northern...they flipped the earth like a vers in bed 

[Bling 31,680]

Southern Ocean new main pop girl confirmT

[Luke78619 23,559]

It was delayed because of the pandemic 

[Decodekid 30,663]

why was it debuted on a Wednesday, the streams 

[PEZ 6,592]

33 minutes ago, Bleachella said:

im confused has the southern not been an official ocean this entire time.... 

For many people and organizations it has been yes. It's Nat Geo specifically that this is about, they're changing their internal policies to also finally recognize it in the same way as the other oceans. Basically they're announcing an update to their own media/map labels that they publish.

[FreeBetch 29]

13 minutes ago, MonSwiftAnton said:

Duh it leaked years ago

Leaking more today due to global warming