The ocean is the largest of all existing reservoirs on Earth or the continuous water envelope of the planet; it makes up most of the entire hydrosphere of the Earth. These reservoirs have some features, for example, they are the habitat for many living creatures, and also have a whole system of regulation of currents. All planetary shells constantly interact with the largest reservoirs of the Earth.
Until recently, the World had four oceans, but in 2000 a fifth ocean was identified, which geologists called the Southern Ocean. This article is intended to tell about all 5 oceans, their features, animals and plants for which these water areas are their habitat.
Pacific Ocean
This ocean is the largest on the planet, with an area of more than 165 million square kilometers. This water area exceeds the area of all land. It merges with the Southern Ocean in the south, and in the north - with the Arctic Ocean. Australia, the Americas, and Africa are washed by this ocean. In addition, there are islands of the Pacific archipelago.
The Pacific coast is framed by a whole “ring” of volcanoes. This ring is called “fiery”. This is due to the fact that volcanic eruptions, as well as violent earthquakes, most often occur in the fire zone.
The bottom of the Pacific Ocean is constantly changing, as tectonic plates collide with each other, and sometimes “crawl” under each other, thereby creating storms and hurricanes. Therefore, the name "Quiet" is completely unjustified, it is the most turbulent ocean. Sometimes magma emerges from under the earth's crust, resulting in the formation of underwater volcanoes. Such a process can lead to the appearance of seamounts and islands.
The Pacific Ocean has an unusual relief. There are both gutters formed at the junction of tectonic plates, and underwater ridges. The Challenger Abyss is located in the Mariana Trench and is the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean. In depth, it reaches about 11 thousand meters. The oceanic topography is completely unlike the mainland topography, since they are formed in completely different ways.
The formation of the ocean began over 180 million years, so much is its oldest region. The climate in the ocean depends on the proximity of land and the type of air mass. In its various regions, the climate is different, since the ocean is huge in area. Water temperature is also important. She is responsible for humidity in various regions. At the equator, the climate is always tropical, and temperatures are high for almost the entire year. The northern and southern extremities of the ocean are characterized by moderate temperatures. There is a distinct change in the seasons of the year. Typhoons are not a rare occurrence for the Pacific Ocean, which once again emphasizes the nature of the ocean.
The fauna of the ocean is practically no different from the fauna of other large oceans. Plankton, fish, and large mammals live there. At the bottom, crustaceans and invertebrates live. Near the coast are coral reefs. The largest variety of living organisms falls precisely on this ocean.
The western coast of the ocean is noteworthy, there are many bays, they form a whole chain. Almost half of the world's seafood stock is harvested in this area. It also produces fish specialties like oysters, crab and shrimp.
Atlantic Ocean
It is the second largest ocean in the entire globe. Its area is just over 106 million square kilometers, which is 22% of the planetary surface. The ocean has a shape resembling the letter S. North and South America, Africa and Europe have an Atlantic coast. It adjoins many seas, which are included in its area.The ocean merges with all other oceans: with the Arctic Ocean in the north, in the southeast with the Indian, in the southwest with the Pacific, and in the south with the young South.
The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is more than 3.9 kilometers. The hollow (blue hole), located near Puerto Rico, is the deepest point of the ocean, a depth of 8605 meters. The waters of the Atlantic are the most saline in the entire oceans.
The formation of the ocean began during the collapse of the Pangea supercontinent, which happened 130 million years ago. That is, the Atlantic is almost the youngest among the largest bodies of water in the world, second only to the Southern Ocean. The history of the ocean is rich, it was thanks to the Atlantic that the Old World learned about the existence of America. Once this water area was called the sea, but several centuries ago it was given the status of the ocean.
The water in the ocean is warm or cool most of the year, which determines the weather conditions. Climate is influenced by winds, air masses, as well as depth. The ocean and hurricanes are frequent, which most often originate off the African coast, and then head towards the Caribbean Sea.
In the ocean there is an underwater ridge, called the Mid-Atlantic. The ridge originates from the coast of Iceland, reaches a height of more than a kilometer, and a width of more than 1600 meters. Some peaks are so high that they rise above the surface of the water and form small islands.
Most of the flora is located closer to the surface of the water, which distinguishes the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean. This is due to higher water temperatures and different salinity. Along the shores are the habitats of coral reefs and sea grasses.
In the Atlantic, there is the Panama Canal, which plays a huge role in modern shipping and economic development in various countries. States located on different continents have the opportunity to trade with each other. Moreover, at the bottom of the water area are oil and natural gas deposits. Also, precious stones are mined there.
The largest islands are the British Isles, the number of which totals more than 5000 units. There are still large islands like Iceland, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Indian Ocean
The third largest ocean in the world is the Indian Ocean. Its area is more than half the size of the Pacific Ocean. The dimensions reach 70 million square kilometers, which equals the area of three continents. Continents such as Asia, Africa and Australia are washed by this ocean. The average depth of the Indian Ocean reaches more than 3.9 kilometers. However, the deepest point located in the Sunda Trench reaches a depth of 7258 meters. About 20% of the world's oceans are occupied by the Indian Ocean.. Initially, the Indian Ocean was called the "Eastern".
The Indian Ocean was formed about 180 million years ago after the collapse of Gondwana, which was an ancient supercontinent. Over the years, the ocean has formed to take on a modern form. The final formation occurred about 35 million years ago. The largest regions of the ocean are less than 80,000,000 years old.
This ocean has no outlet in the north, it is limited by continents. It has a small number of islands when compared with larger oceans. The ocean is unique in that oxygen saturates the water at almost the very depths.
The climate in the territory is unstable. In the summer-autumn period warm winds blow, the rest of the time monsoons and northerly winds prevail. However, weather conditions in the water area are the warmest.
Seven states mined various minerals in the Indian Ocean. More than 45% of the world's oil reserves are located there.
The largest archipelago is Seychelles. Most of them are coral or granite islands, where only endemic species live. The greatest diversity of flora is observed near coral reefs.In total, there are 115 islands on which exotic animals live, for example, seabirds and turtles. According to geologists, most of the species that live in this ocean are endemic.
The number of animals living in the Indian Ocean has been declining sharply in recent years. This is due to a general increase in water temperature in the water area. The most affected phytoplankton, which begins the food chain.
The largest Asian rivers, such as the Ganges, Saluin and the Brahmaputra, feed the Indian Ocean. And the largest islands are Sri Lanka and the famous Madagascar.
South ocean
This is the youngest ocean in the world, officially recognized only in 2000. The reason for this decision of geologists was the fact that the currents isolated the ecosystem of the reservoir from other oceans. The South Ocean is washed by only one mainland - Antarctica, and merges with the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. The Southern Ocean is the fourth largest; it is slightly larger than the Arctic Ocean. The area is 20,000,000 square kilometers.
The South Sandwich Trench is the location of the deepest point in the water area, which is located at a depth of 7230 meters.
The water temperature is extremely low and is only +5 degrees, which, of course, allows you to not freeze the water.
The most powerful cold, surface current is located in this ocean. It exceeds the flow of the world's largest rivers.
Geologists are actively studying the waters of this ocean, since it is the least explored because of the relatively recent appearance. Scientists are still debating about the number of oceans, someone refuses to call this reservoir an ocean, although such a status was assigned to him officially.
Arctic Ocean
Many geologists refuse to call this pond the ocean, as it has too small an area of only 14 million square kilometers. It is notable for the fact that the North Pole stretches across the ocean. The water area can be called shallow, the average depth is 1200 meters. The deepest point reaches a depth of 4665 meters, it is located in the Nansen Basin. North America, Asia and Europe are washed by this ocean.
Almost the entire year of the ocean’s water is drifting ice reaching a width of more than three meters. These ice melt in the summer, but only partially.
Since the ocean is not large, it is considered part of the Atlantic or the sea. But all these theories have a small number of adherents, so the official status of the reservoir remains the same.
The lowest salinity of the water is precisely the Arctic Ocean. This situation can be explained by the large number of fresh rivers that feed the reservoir. In addition, it has a low evaporation rate due to the polar climate.
The weather is stable throughout the year, minus temperatures dominate. Polar days and polar nights are characteristic of such a climate.
A quarter of the world's natural gas and oil reserves are located in this area. There are also deposits of gold and other minerals, the resources of which have not yet been exhausted. The Arctic Ocean is useful for fishing, there are several species of large marine mammals and whales.
In the water area there are several habitats of marine animals that are on the verge of extinction. A large amount of ice makes animals more vulnerable, since there is practically no phytoplankton, which is at the very beginning of the food chain. From this point of view, the most favorable season is summer.
The Arctic Ocean is used for industrial and commercial shipping by the following countries: Russia, Canada and the USA. Geologists are actively exploring this ocean. Their goal is to identify new species of living marine organisms. This will help innovative technologies.
