The Earth is covered by a large body of salty water called the ocean. Did you know the ocean covers 72% of the Earth’s surface? The ocean is divided into 5 main oceans. These oceans are called the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern.
There are no people who are native to Antarctica. Only tourists, researchers, and scientists cross the Southern Ocean for a short time to visit.
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The Southern Ocean is the fourth largest ocean.
Did you know the Southern Ocean has many names? It is known as the Antarctic Ocean, Great Southern Ocean, or the South Polar Ocean. The waters of the Southern Ocean are very cold and full of icebergs! Icebergs are large pieces of ice that sometimes break off of the Antarctic continent and drift into the Southern Ocean. This makes traveling through these waters challenging and dangerous. An interesting characteristic of the Southern Ocean is the current of water known as the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This water current flows around the Antarctic continent and moves faster than |
the rest of the ocean current. The current moves clockwise and travels from the west to the east.
There are large amounts of plankton found in the Southern Ocean waters. Plankton are an important food source for mammals, birds, and fish. Lots of marine birds and animals are found in the Southern waters such as blue whales, orcas, seals, and penguins. |
Activities
Choose 2 activities to complete, print and give to your teacher.
Choose 2 activities to complete, print and give to your teacher.
for the all about the Southern Ocean Activity.
This is a guided research activity so your notes may only come from the following websites:
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Picture Credits in order of appearance:
https://www.carbonbrief.org/natural-ocean-fluctuations-help-explain-antarctic-sea-ice-changes
https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/penguins/
https://www.wallpaperflare.com/world-map-illustration-misc-earth-satellite-view-planet-earth-wallpaper-qasqr
https://www.carbonbrief.org/natural-ocean-fluctuations-help-explain-antarctic-sea-ice-changes
https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/penguins/
https://www.wallpaperflare.com/world-map-illustration-misc-earth-satellite-view-planet-earth-wallpaper-qasqr