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Like many people, while in school I learned there were four Oceans on Earth - Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic. In general I think it was described that the currents and the surrounding continents are what divided them into different oceans.

Now there is a Southern (Antarctic Ocean). I thought (when I was taught) that that area was just Southern Pacific and Southern Atlantic, but I'm sort of fuzzy.

How (or why) was it determined the Southern Ocean is an Ocean?

Raystafarian
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    See definitions section here http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ocean – f.thorpe May 22 '18 at 00:58
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    I once heard a lovely description of the world's seas (by a polar scientist) as "One ocean with three big estuaries" :-) – Semidiurnal Simon May 22 '18 at 14:17
  • It's perhaps more of a question for the English Language & Usage site, or perhaps Geography (if there is one). It's really just a naming convention, no different from the people who refuse to accept that Pluto is a planet. – jamesqf May 22 '18 at 18:49
  • @jamesqf Maybe, but I understand Pluto being in the Kuiper Belt because it's something with which I'm familiar. The Ocean thing has seemed out of my grasp. – Raystafarian May 22 '18 at 21:17
  • @Raystafarian: Whereas I don't understand why being in the Kuiper Belt should make an object (which is gravitationally spherical, has several satellites, and interesting "geological" processes) not be a planet. It seems that some people just like to categoize things... It seems that you could just as validly say there are 7 oceans, the Sorth & South Atlantic & Pacific being distinct. – jamesqf May 23 '18 at 05:19
  • @jamesqf that could be a question for astronomy SE. If the answer is I don't understand what an ocean is, please answer it that way. – Raystafarian May 23 '18 at 05:20
  • @Raystafarian: It's not a question. I understand their (for want of a better word) reasoning, I just think that it's a load of crap :-) – jamesqf May 23 '18 at 05:21
  • @Raystafarian: It is nto so simple. Geographycaly NOAA says: "In terms of geography, a sea is part of the ocean partially enclosed by land" so then Mediterranean and Caribean won't be. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanorsea.html How much Oceans say NOAA there are? Just one! https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/howmanyoceans.html It depends, but I just make my answer to appoint something about what characterizes an ocean/system and in what way oeanographist study them. –  May 23 '18 at 07:28
  • @jamesqf well what I meant is - if it's that I don't understand what an "ocean" is, that would be a valid answer. – Raystafarian May 23 '18 at 23:45
  • @Raystafarian: I believe the answer is what noaa says. There is one ocean there are 4 or 5 ocean basins. Southern is recognized by most of countries. Oceanographycaly and biologicaly it has huge particularities. Be pacient as the group is growing and you may have a most specific answer than mine. –  May 24 '18 at 11:49
  • If you ask it to a whale would say yes there is a restaurant we go there frequently. There is a biological aproach too. There is upweeling nutrients comming from the bottom thus krill thus restaurant and a particular biological system. also if you ask it to a linux user, he will probably agree penguins doesn't swim in three estuaries, they swim in his own ocean basin, no matter what happens with krill or currents :) -see 2nd comment :)- –  May 24 '18 at 17:06
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    @Raystafarian: What I'm trying to say is that there really isn't an unambiguous definition of "ocean", it's just a matter of convention. And (as with Pluto) there are always people who want to change the conventions... Or perhaps a better example is that big land mass in the eastern hemisphere: some people say it's two continents, Europe and Asia, others that is one continent, Eurasia. – jamesqf May 24 '18 at 17:21
  • @jamesqf I guess I was just unaware of the debate swirling around the issue, maybe it's a bad question? – Raystafarian May 25 '18 at 00:59
  • it is not at all a bad question at an es forum. just there is not 100% agreement and there are different aproach –  May 25 '18 at 05:11

1 Answers1

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The Southern Ocean does have its own current, the Antarctic Circunmpolar Current.

It helps generate the Circumpolar Deep Water due to density gradients. Ice melts and thus salinity decreases. Differences in salinity are the reason for bulk water movements in the ocean.

Thus the Southern Ocean contributes to cool the Earth.

Geographical criteria may be open for discussion, but oceanographically speaking it is a separate system from its neighbors, the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian.

JeopardyTempest
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    I know not... are there exactly five such large separate regions of this distinctiveness? Or do areas like the Arctic or subareas of other oceans have similar uniqueness? – JeopardyTempest May 22 '18 at 08:16
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    eg philipiness ocean is considered also a separated system, it is a low deep ocean geooogycaly similar to Tethys (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethys_Ocean) aswell as Mediterranean –  May 22 '18 at 08:23
  • wait philipiness sea has particularities but it is not tethys/mediterranean type. In fact mariana trench in his plate. I think what I remember of my lessons is Indonessian zone was something Tethys type. In oceanography we talk about Mediterranian type seas. Non deep. There you can include Indonessian Sea, Mediterranian and also Artic Sea. –  May 22 '18 at 09:52
  • That zone is realy complicated to study for oceanographists (also then realy interesting) because they are not well known processes being the a connection between Indian and Pacific major systems. It is interesting to take a look at Google Earth. Caribean Sea can be at that list too. –  May 22 '18 at 10:04