Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Antarctic Ocean

Antarctic Ocean

3.5
A cold ocean around Antarctica that people call the Southern Ocean
  • noun
  • /ænˈtɑrk.tɪk ˈoʊ.ʃən/
translation icon : Océano Antártico
  • Many researchers travel to the Antarctic Ocean each year to study the effects of climate change on polar ecosystems.

Examples

  • Scientists conducted a study on the biodiversity of the Antarctic Ocean, revealing many unique species.

  • So we ask, how and why did the Antarctic Ocean become so cold?

  • Whaling became increasingly concentrated in the Antarctic Ocean and was an important factor in the struggle to gain control over this area.

    Academic text (1994)

  • They left the Antarctic Ocean almost empty of these great whales, just as empty as the Great Plains were of Buffalo.

  • He's on the research vessel Aurora, presently in the Antarctic Ocean, and he won't be in radio range till next spring.

    Jaws 2 (1978)

  • Japan annually takes about four hundred minke whales in the Antarctic Ocean (0.05 percent of the total population in the Antarctic Ocean, which is approximately 761,000) (IWC 1998) for purposes of scientific research.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Japan annually takes about four hundred minke whales in the Antarctic Ocean (0.05 percent of the total population in the Antarctic Ocean, which is approximately 761,000) (IWC 1998) for purposes of scientific research.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The Antarctic Ocean is known for its extreme temperatures and icy waters, which are home to various marine life.

Synonyms

Southern Ocean
vsAntarctic Ocean
1 3.5

An ocean that surrounds Antarctica and stretches to 60 degrees south

is the common name used more generally without a fixed boundary

Surface Forms

Antarctic Ocean singular
Antarctic Oceans plural

Morphology

Antarctic + ocean

The meaning 'the ocean surrounding Antarctica' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'Antarctic' (relating to the South Pole) with 'ocean' (a large body of saltwater). This straightforward noun–noun composition follows predictable semantic composition and is cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Antarctic Ocean: The name Antarctic Ocean comes from the simple idea that the ocean sits around the continent of Antarctica. People also call it the 'Southern Ocean', so the name means the ocean that surrounds Antarctica today.