Southern Ocean

Brrr. Can you feel that? The wind whistles over my waves, and huge mountains of ice float gently on my surface. Sometimes you can hear a loud CRACK as a piece of ice breaks away, or the deep, humming song of a giant whale swimming below. I am the coldest, windiest ocean in the world, swirling all around the icy land of Antarctica at the very bottom of the planet. I have been here for a very long time, but people only recently gave me my official name. Hello. I am the Southern Ocean, the newest ocean to be put on the map.

For a long, long time, it was just me and my animal friends. But then, brave people in big wooden ships decided to see what was at the bottom of the world. They were explorers. One of them was a captain named James Cook. On January 17th, 1773, he sailed his ship right into my special chilly zone, the Antarctic Circle. He and his sailors had to be so courageous. My waves can get very big, and my floating icebergs are like giant, frozen mountains that can be very dangerous. They had to wrap up in their warmest clothes to stay safe from my icy breath. They looked around and said, “Wow, it is so wild and beautiful here.” They were right. Even though I am cold, I am full of life and fun. I am a chilly but wonderful playground. Waddling penguins line up on the ice and dive into my water to catch fish. Playful seals bark and slide on their bellies. And underneath my waves, the biggest animal in the world, the blue whale, sings its songs while it looks for tiny pink snacks called krill. My waters are a busy, happy home for so many amazing creatures.

I also have a very important job that helps the whole world. I have a giant current that flows all the way around Antarctica without ever stopping. You can think of it like a giant merry-go-round for water. This current is called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and it helps move water between the other big oceans, like the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. By mixing all that water, I help keep our planet’s temperature just right, not too hot and not too cold. Today, scientists come on special ice-breaking ships to study me and my animal friends. They want to learn how to keep me healthy, because a healthy me means a healthy Earth for everyone. I am proud to be the wild ocean at the bottom of the world, a place that reminds everyone of the power and wonder of nature.