Southern Ocean

[suhth-ern oh-shuhn]

noun

1. the waters surrounding Antarctica, comprising the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, with its deepest section in the South Sandwich Trench. 8,478,800 square miles (21,960,000 square kilometers).

Southern Ocean

noun

1. another name for the Antarctic Ocean

Word History and Origins

Origin of Southern Ocean¹

First recorded in 1660–70, referring to any southern sea; current sense dates from 1700–10

Example Sentences

The researchers also found that warming in the Southern Ocean could continue to intensify heatwaves for centuries even after net zero is reached.

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She said: "When the winds shifted north 15,000 years ago, they changed the stirring action in the Southern Ocean which acts as the largest natural carbon sink on Earth."

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These simulations showed that meltwater from other Antarctic regions, including the Ross Ice Shelf, spread throughout the Southern Ocean.

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The Southern Ocean is a major regulator of the global carbon cycle, absorbing a large share of the carbon released by human activity.

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For months each year, the Southern Ocean lies in complete darkness and is lashed by extreme weather, making direct measurement nearly impossible.

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