在世界海洋日当天，美国国家地理学会宣布，南极洲周围海域将被称为南大洋，并正式承认南大洋为地球第五大洋。经有关国际机构认可后，南大洋有望与世界公认的四大洋——大西洋、太平洋、印度洋和北冰洋——并称为“世界五大洋”。

 

Anyone who thought the world had four oceans will now have to think again, after the National Geographic¹ Society announced it would recognize a new Southern Ocean in Antarctica, bringing the global total to five.

认为世界上有四大洋的人要再想想了。美国国家地理学会宣布，南极洲周围海域将被称为南大洋，这样一来，四大洋就变成五大洋了。

 

The National Geographic, a non-profit scientific and educational organization whose mapping standards are referenced by many atlases² and cartographers, said the Southern Ocean consists of the waters surrounding Antarctica, out to 60-degrees south latitude³.

美国国家地理学会称，南大洋环绕南极洲，从大陆的海岸线延伸至南纬60度。美国国家地理学会是一个非营利科学与教育组织，许多地图集和制图师都参考该组织的制图标准。

 

National Geographic Society geographer⁴ Alex Tait said scientists have long known that the waters surrounding Antarctica form a "distinct ecological⁵ region defined, by ocean currents and temperatures".

国家地理学会的地理学家亚历克斯·泰特称，科学家很早以前就知道南极洲四周水域组成了一个“由洋流和温度界定的独特生态区域”。

 

Tait told the Washington Post that the span of water is yet to be officially recognized as an ocean by the relevant international body: "But we thought it was important at this point to officially recognize it."

泰特告诉《华盛顿邮报》称，相关国际机构还未正式承认这部分水域为第五大洋，“但是我们认为这时候有必要正式承认第五大洋的地位。”

 

The US Board of Geographic Names, a federal body created in 1890 to establish and maintain "uniform geographic name usage" through the federal government, already recognizes the Southern ocean as occupying the same territory, but this is the first time the National Geographic has done so.

先前美国地名委员会已经认定南大洋是世界第五大洋，但这是美国国家地理学会第一次承认南大洋的地位。美国地名委员会是一家创立于1890年的联邦机构，通过联邦政府来“统一地名”。

 

"We think it's really important from an educational standpoint, as well as from a map-labeling standpoint, to bring attention to the Southern Ocean as a fifth ocean," Tait told the Post.

泰特告诉《华盛顿邮报》称：“我们认为，站在教育和地图注记的立场上，将南大洋认定为第五大洋真的很重要。”

 

"So when students learn about parts of the ocean world, they learn it's an interconnected ocean, and they learn there's these regions called oceans that are really important, and there's a distinct one in the icy waters around Antarctica."

“这样，当学生学习海洋世界的各个部分时，他们会了解到这是一个互联互通的海洋，并了解到各个非常重要的大洋，包括环绕南极洲的这片独特的冰冷水域。”

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