Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff,
Speaker 1: laurn Boga bomb here. It's not often we add a
Speaker 1: new geographical feature to the map of the world. For
Speaker 1: the past century, we've impressed upon our grade schoolers that
Speaker 1: there are four major bodies of saltwater on our planet,
Speaker 1: the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. These oceans are
Speaker 1: connected to one another but divided by the world's seven continents. However, Ever,
Speaker 1: since James Cook explored these southern latitudes in the seventeen seventies,
Speaker 1: people have debated the status of a fifth ocean, sometimes
Speaker 1: called the Southern Ocean. It's the body of water surrounding Antarctica.
Speaker 1: It formed thirty million years ago when the Antarctic and
Speaker 1: South American continents parted ways. At different points in history,
Speaker 1: it's been lumped in with the Indian and Atlantic Oceans,
Speaker 1: but most recently the Pacific Ocean. In seven it was
Speaker 1: recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization, only to be stripped
Speaker 1: of its status by the organization in nineteen fifty three.
Speaker 1: In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Speaker 1: recognized the fifth Ocean in and now the international scientific
Speaker 1: community has taken the Southern Ocean public once more. The
Speaker 1: recognition of the world's fifth ocean was made official on
Speaker 1: World Ocean's Day this year, June eight, in order to
Speaker 1: increase awareness of the need for conservation in a region
Speaker 1: where industrial fishing has all but destroyed populations of endemic
Speaker 1: fish species over the last few decades. This designation makes
Speaker 1: it the second smallest ocean in the world, hugging the
Speaker 1: coasts of Antarctica up to sixty degrees south latitude, which
Speaker 1: means it doesn't even touch the southernmost point of South America.
Speaker 1: Only the Arctic Ocean is smaller. Most of the other
Speaker 1: oceans are separated by continents, but the Southern Ocean is
Speaker 1: divided from the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans by currents.
Speaker 1: This specifically a fast moving current called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current,
Speaker 1: which flows west to east around Antarctica. The waters of
Speaker 1: this current are colder and less salty than those of
Speaker 1: its neighboring oceans. The Southern Ocean is home to a
Speaker 1: unique and fragile ecosystem. It's the only place in the
Speaker 1: world where you can see the Emperor penguin, what else,
Speaker 1: seal and thousands of other unique organisms that live nowhere
Speaker 1: else in the world. Not only that it's a feeding
Speaker 1: ground for animals like the humpback whale, which migrates to
Speaker 1: the Southern Ocean to eat krill each summer to fatten
Speaker 1: up before heading north again. Climate scientists have been pushing
Speaker 1: for the Southern Ocean to find its way onto our
Speaker 1: maps because it's a hot spot in the climate crisis.
Speaker 1: In one alone, two of the largest icebergs ever recorded
Speaker 1: broke off of the continent. Not only that, industrial fishing
Speaker 1: pressure in the area on krill and Patagonian toothfish, which
Speaker 1: you might order is to lay in sea bass and restaurants,
Speaker 1: has made it even more necessary to highlight and preserve
Speaker 1: this vulnerable area of the world. Today's episode is based
Speaker 1: on the article five things you Should Know about the
Speaker 1: New Southern Ocean on how stuff Works dot Com, written
Speaker 1: by Jesselyn Shields and brain Stuff is production to by
Speaker 1: Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com
Speaker 1: and it's produced by Tyler Klein. For four more podcasts
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Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.