> Because it is incongruous to toss around "epipelagic" to sound scientific, but then quote every unit of distance in feet/miles. The metric system is not more

> Because it is incongruous to toss around "epipelagic" to sound scientific, but then quote every unit of distance in feet/miles. The metric system is not more "scientific". It has certain convenient properties that make it easier to use under many situations, but it's not inherently better. Any "scientist" can make the trivial conversion to their system of choice. The New Yorker is clearly choosing to target a specific audience where they think that use of units is appropriate. Get over it.