The ocean is the largest body of water on Earth. It covers nearly 70 percent of the surface, and it contains 97% of the world’s water. The ocean is a global system that transports both heat and matter around the planet. It is made up of five main areas: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern or Antarctic oceans.
The Ocean and Climate
A major part of the ocean’s importance is that it helps keep Earth’s climate stable. It stores the sun’s heat and transfers it to the air. It also provides much of the world’s oxygen. In addition to these important roles, oceans are also home to animals and plants that provide food and resources for people.
How Does the Ocean Look?
The vast majority of the ocean is blue, but in some places it can be green or even yellow or brown. This is because the color of water depends on several factors, including the type of light that is absorbed by the water and the way water molecules and tiny particles scatter it.
There are many types of sea life, and some of them are very rare. For example, whales and dolphins are endangered and are hunted by humans. They are also affected by pollution.
What Is the Ocean’s Deepest Area?
The deepest parts of the ocean are called trenches and contain huge mountain ranges and deep canyons. In fact, the peak of Mount Everest would not break the surface of the ocean if it were placed in the depths of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench or the Philippine Trench, both of which are at depths of over 11,000 meters (36,200 feet).
How Did the Ocean Form?
The ocean formed when hot gases inside the newly forming Earth melted and created water. This vapor eventually condensed and covered the Earth’s crust with a primitive ocean.
Scientists now know that molten rocks from the interior of the Earth still produce new water at the bottom of the ocean, a process scientists call deep ocean formation. The deepest ocean is the Mariana Trench, in the western Pacific Ocean.
How Does the Ocean Floor Measure?
Scientists have been measuring the ocean’s depth since the 1920s, using instruments called echo sounders. These instruments use sound waves to determine the depth of the water and can tell us a lot about the topography of the sea floor.
When scientists mapped the ocean’s deepest areas in the 1920s, they discovered that much of the sea floor was shaped like mountains and hills. They also discovered that the seabed was not completely flat, but had dramatic physical features such as canyons and trenches.
What Is Ocean Acidification?
The ocean’s acidity is a result of the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When ocean water absorbs this carbon dioxide, it produces acid, which is not good for the environment or for marine creatures.
The ocean has a pH of 8.2, but the amount of acidity in the ocean is now increasing at an unprecedented rate, threatening the health of marine organisms and ecosystems. This is due to the increase of human emissions of carbon dioxide. This is a problem that will have serious consequences for our planet’s climate and environment.