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Introducing the World’s Newest Ocean
As of June 2021, the Southern Ocean—the body of water surrounding Antarctica—is recognized as the world’s fifth.
Pop quiz:
How many oceans are there on the planet?
- Jennifer Flowers
Answer:
It depends on whom you ask—but as of June 2021, most official organizations would say there are five oceans.
The Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans are all long-established fixtures in cartography, but there’s been some international debate over what some refer to as the Southern Ocean, the body of water that surrounds…
If you’ve heard of the Southern Ocean, it’s because scientific bodies like the U.S. federal National Oceanic and…