Final answer:
The Southern Ocean is surrounded by three other oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Southern Ocean surrounds the continent of Antarctica and is the fourth-largest ocean. It is unique in that its northern boundary does not border any land mass but instead meets up with three major bodies of water: the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
This means the Southern Ocean is surrounded by three other oceans. Known for its cold temperatures, the waters of the Southern Ocean move in a West Wind Drift, which is a clockwise circulation around Antarctica.
This ocean is also critical for its role in the global climate and marine ecosystem, due to the Subtropical Convergence zone where it meets warmer waters, creating a rich environment for marine life.
By way of his voyages in the 1770s, James Cook proved that waters encompassed the southern latitudes of the globe.
Since then, geographers have disagreed on the Southern Ocean's northern boundary or even existence, considering the waters as various parts of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, instead.
However, according to Commodore John Leech of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), recent oceanographic research has discovered the importance of Southern Circulation, and the term Southern Ocean has been used to define the body of water which lies south of the northern limit of that circulation.