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Oceans washing the earth. From the largest ocean on earth to the smallest

However, just recently...

... in 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization combined the southern parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, creating the fifth addition to the list - Southern Ocean. And this is not a volitional decision: this region has a special structure of currents, its own rules of weather formation, etc. The arguments in favor of such a decision are as follows: in the southern part of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, the boundaries between them are very arbitrary, while at the same time the waters adjacent to Antarctica, have their own specifics, and are also united by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

The largest of the oceans is the Pacific. Its area is 178.7 million km2. .

The Atlantic Ocean extends over 91.6 million km 2.

The area of ​​the Indian Ocean is 76.2 million km2.

The area of ​​the Antarctic (Southern) Ocean is 20.327 million km 2.

The Arctic Ocean covers an area of ​​approximately 14.75 million km2.

Pacific Ocean, the largest on Earth. It was named so by the famous navigator Magellan. This traveler was the first European to successfully cross the ocean. But Magellan was just very lucky. There are very often terrible storms here.

The Pacific Ocean is twice the size of the Atlantic. It occupies 165 million square meters. km, which is almost half the area of ​​the entire World Ocean. It contains more than half of all the water on our planet. In one place, this ocean extends 17 thousand km in width, stretching almost half the globe. Despite its name, this huge ocean is not only blue, beautiful and serene. Strong storms or underwater earthquakes make him furious. In fact, there are large zones of seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean.

Photographs of the Earth from space show the true size of the Pacific Ocean. This is the largest ocean in the world, covering one third of the planet's surface. Its waters stretch from East Asia and Africa to the Americas. At its shallowest points, the depth of the Pacific Ocean averages 120 meters. These waters wash the so-called continental shelves, which are submerged parts of continental platforms, starting from the coastline and gradually going under water. Overall, the depth of the Pacific Ocean averages 4,000 meters. The depressions in the west connect into the deepest and darkest place in the world - the Mariana Trench - 11,022 m. It was previously believed that there was no life at such depths. But scientists found living organisms there too!

On the Pacific Plate, a huge area earth's crust, there are ridges of high seamounts. In the Pacific Ocean there are many islands of volcanic origin, for example Hawaii, the most large island from the Hawaiian Islands archipelago. Hawaii is home to the highest peak in the world, Mauna Kea. She represents extinct volcano 10,000 meters high from its base on the seabed. In contrast to volcanic islands, there are low-lying islands formed by coral deposits that have been deposited over thousands of years on the tops of underwater volcanoes. This vast ocean is home to a wide variety of underwater species - from the world's largest fish (whale shark) to flying fish, squid and sea lions. The warm, shallow waters of coral reefs are home to thousands of species of brightly colored fish and algae. All kinds of fish, marine mammals, mollusks, crustaceans and other creatures swim in the cool, deep waters.

Pacific Ocean - people and history

Sea voyages across the Pacific Ocean have been undertaken since ancient times. About 40,000 years ago, Aboriginal people crossed by canoe from New Guinea to Australia. Centuries later between the 16th century BC. e. and X century AD e. Polynesian tribes settled the Pacific islands, venturing across vast distances of water. This is considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of navigation. Using special canoes with a double bottom and sails woven from leaves, Polynesian sailors ultimately covered almost 20 million square meters. km of ocean space. In the western Pacific, around the 12th century, the Chinese made great advances in the art of sea navigation. They were the first to use big ships with several masts located on the underwater part of the vessel, steering, as well as compasses.

Europeans began exploring the Pacific Ocean in the 17th century, when the Dutch captain Abel Janszoon Tasman sailed around Australia and New Zealand. Captain James Cook is considered one of the most famous explorers of the Pacific Ocean. Between 1768 and 1779 he mapped New Zealand, the east coast of Australia and many of the Pacific islands. In 1947, the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl sailed on his raft “Kon-Tiki” from the coast of Peru to the Tuamotu archipelago, part of French Polynesia. His expedition provided evidence that the ancient indigenous inhabitants of South America could cross vast sea distances on rafts.

In the twentieth century, exploration of the Pacific Ocean continued. The depth of the Mariana Trench was established, and unknown species of marine animals and plants were discovered. Development of the tourism industry, pollution environment and beach development threaten the natural balance of the Pacific Ocean. Governments of individual countries and groups of environmentalists are trying to minimize the harm caused by our civilization to the aquatic environment.

Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean is the third largest on Earth and covers 73 million square meters. km. This is the warmest ocean, the waters of which are rich in various flora and fauna. The deepest place in the Indian Ocean is a trench located south of the island of Java. Its depth is 7450 m. Interestingly, currents in the Indian Ocean change their direction to the opposite direction twice a year. In winter, when the monsoons prevail, the current goes to the shores of Africa, and in the summer - to the shores of India.

The Indian Ocean stretches from the coast of East Africa to Indonesia and Australia and from the coast of India to Antarctica. This ocean includes the Arabian and Red Seas, as well as the Bays of Bengal and the Persian Gulf. The Suez Canal connects the northern part of the Red Sea with the Mediterranean.

At the bottom of the Indian Ocean there are huge sections of the earth's crust - the African Plate, the Antarctic Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate. Shifts in the earth's crust cause underwater earthquakes, which cause giant waves called a tsunami. As a result of earthquakes, new mountain ranges appear on the ocean floor. In some places, seamounts protrude above the surface of the water, forming most of the islands scattered in the Indian Ocean. There are deep depressions between the mountain ranges. For example, the depth of the Sunda Trench is approximately 7450 meters. The waters of the Indian Ocean serve as a habitat various representatives wildlife including corals, sharks, whales, turtles and jellyfish. Powerful currents are huge streams of water moving through the warm blue expanses of the Indian Ocean. The Western Australian Current carries cold Antarctic waters north to the tropics.

The equatorial current, located below the equator, circulates warm water counterclockwise. Northern currents depend on the monsoon winds that cause heavy rainfall, which change their direction depending on the time of year.

Indian Ocean - people and history

Sailors and traders plied the waters of the Indian Ocean many centuries ago. Ships of the ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Persians and Indians passed along the main trade routes. In the early Middle Ages, settlers from India and Sri Lanka crossed into Southeast Asia. Since ancient times, wooden ships called dhows sailed the Arabian Sea, carrying exotic spices, African ivory and textiles.

In the 15th century, the great Chinese navigator Zhen Ho led a large expedition across the Indian Ocean to the shores of India, Sri Lanka, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. In 1497, the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama became the first European whose ship sailed around the southern tip of Africa and reached the shores of India. English, French and Dutch traders followed, and the era of colonial conquest began. Over the centuries, new settlers, traders and pirates have landed on the islands in the Indian Ocean. Many species of island animals that lived nowhere else in the world became extinct. For example, the dodo, a goose-sized flightless pigeon native to Mauritius, was exterminated by the end of the 17th century. Giant turtles on Rodrigues Island have disappeared 19th century. Exploration of the Indian Ocean continued in the 19th and 20th centuries. Scientists have done a great job mapping the relief seabed. Currently, Earth satellites launched into orbit take pictures of the ocean, measure its depth and transmit information messages.

Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean is the second largest and covers an area of ​​82 million square meters. km. It is almost half the size of the Pacific Ocean, but its size is constantly increasing. From the island of Iceland to the south in the middle of the ocean a powerful underwater ridge stretches. Its peaks are the Azores and Ascension Island. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a large mountain range on the ocean floor, is becoming wider each year by about an inch. The deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean is a trench located north of the island of Puerto Rico. Its depth is 9218 meters. If 150 million years ago there was no Atlantic Ocean, then over the next 150 million years, scientists suggest, it will begin to occupy more than half of the globe. The Atlantic Ocean greatly influences the climate and weather in Europe.

The Atlantic Ocean began to form 150 million years ago, when shifts in the Earth's crust separated North and South America from Europe and Africa. This youngest of the oceans is named after the god Atlas, who was worshiped by the ancient Greeks.

Ancient peoples, such as the Phoenicians, began exploring the Atlantic Ocean around the 8th century BC. e. However, only in the 9th century AD. e. The Vikings managed to reach from the shores of Europe to Greenland and North America. The “golden age” of Atlantic exploration began with Christopher Columbus, an Italian navigator who served the Spanish monarchs. In 1492, his small squadron of three ships entered the Caribbean Gulf after a long storm. Columbus believed that he was sailing to the East Indies, but in fact he discovered the so-called New World- America. He was soon followed by other sailors from Portugal, Spain, France and England. The study of the Atlantic Ocean continues to this day. Currently, scientists use echolocation (sound waves) to map the topography of the seabed. Many countries fish in the Atlantic Ocean. People have fished these waters for thousands of years, but modern fishing by trawlers has led to a significant reduction in fishing schools. The seas surrounding the oceans are polluted with waste. The Atlantic Ocean continues to play a huge role in international trade. Many important trade sea routes pass through it.

Arctic Ocean

Arctic Ocean, which is located between Canada and Siberia, is the smallest and shallowest compared to the others. But it is also the most mysterious, since it is almost completely hidden under a huge layer of ice. The Arctic Ocean is divided into two basins by the Nansen Threshold. The Arctic basin is larger in area and contains the greatest ocean depth. It is equal to 5000 m and is located north of Franz Josef Land. In addition, here, off the Russian coast, there is an extensive continental shelf. For this reason, our Arctic seas, namely: Kara, Barents, Laptev, Chukotka, East Siberian, are shallow.

How many oceans are there on Earth? This question is asked by every geography teacher. The waters of the world's oceans are the main source of one of the most important resources - water, which is vital for normal human life. The world's oceans are a guarantee of life and prosperity for all life on Earth.

So how many oceans are there on Earth? On the surface of the planet there are four oceans, which are combined into one concept - the world ocean:

  • Indian Ocean,
  • Atlantic Ocean,
  • Pacific Ocean,
  • North - Arctic Ocean.

Indian Ocean.

The first ocean discovered on earth was the Indian Ocean. This is the warmest ocean on the planet. The waters of the Indian Ocean near the coast can warm up to 35 degrees. The Indian Ocean was discovered thanks to the explorer Christopher Columbus, who was looking for new way for Europeans to India.

Atlantic Ocean

The second world ocean, the Atlantic, got its name thanks to the Greek titan Atlas. According to ancient greek mythology, the Titan Atlas was very brave and had a tough character. The ocean, named after this unshakable and brave titan, fully corresponds to its name and the semantic load that it carries. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean behave completely unpredictably. Movement The waters can be calm during the winter cold, but storms can rage in the summer.

Pacific Ocean

The very epithet “quiet” as a name for the ocean can bring to mind the calm surface of ocean water. But this is not true at all. The Pacific Ocean is one of the most formidable of Earth's four oceans. Why did it receive such a calm name? The thing is that when the navigator Magellan made his journey around the Earth, finding himself in unknown ocean waters, he was greeted by complete calm. The navigator was simply very lucky, and he called the raging ocean the Pacific, which presents regular “surprises” in the form of tsunamis and strong storms to the western coasts of Japan and the countries of America.

Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is the calmest, but also the coldest ocean. underwater world The ocean, a video of which can be viewed on the Internet, is not distinguished by a rich diversity of flora and fauna, which is due to the harsh living conditions in too cold waters.

Fifth Ocean

There were once five oceans on the surface of the earth. In addition to the four that exist today, there was a fifth ocean - the Southern Ocean, which washed Antarctica. But over time, movements of tectonic plates have made the boundaries of the Southern Ocean blurry and uncertain. This led to the fact that the Southern Ocean was no longer identified as a separate water body on geographical maps.

Other planets

Many explorers of the vastness of outer space argue that the ocean is a privilege not only of planet Earth. Some facts indicate that the hydrosphere could exist on other planets of ours. solar system. Many photos from the surface of Mars and numerous facts indicate that there once were water oceans on the red planet, which means there was life there, which in the form of various microorganisms can be present there now.

water chain

All four world oceans on planet Earth are not independent. They are interconnected by numerous rivers. Today, humanity faces one of the most important problems that needs to be solved - pollution of the world's oceans. Using the ocean as a source of many resources necessary for life, humanity forgets about caring for the world's oceans.

Thanks to the biological, natural and energy reserves of the world's oceans, humanity has protected itself from the problem of resource depletion in the bowels of the earth. Only the correct distribution of the resources of the world's oceans, and careful attitude to its waters will help humanity avoid many natural disasters.

They are different in geographical location, size and shape, which affects the characteristics of their nature.

Geographical location and size of continents

Continents are distributed unevenly on the Earth's surface. In the Northern Hemisphere they occupy 39% of the surface, and in the Southern Hemisphere they occupy only 19%. For this reason, the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is called continental, and the Southern Hemisphere is called oceanic.

Based on their position relative to the equator, continents are divided into a group of southern and a group of northern continents.

Since the continents are located at different latitudes, they receive unequal amounts of light and heat from the Sun. In shaping the nature of a continent, its area plays an important role: the larger the continent, the more areas it contains that are remote from the oceans and not affected by them. Has great geographical significance relative position continents.

Geographical location and size of the oceans

The continents that separate them differ from each other in size, water properties, current systems, and features of the organic world.

And they have a similar geographical location: they stretch from the Northern Arctic Circle to . almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. It has a special geographical location - it is located around the North Pole within the Arctic Circle, covered sea ​​ice and is isolated from other oceans.

The border between continents and oceans runs along the coastline. It can be straight or rugged, that is, having many protrusions. In the rugged coastlines many seas and bays. Protruding deep into the land, they have a significant impact on the nature of the continents.

Interaction of continents and oceans

Land and water have different properties, but they are constantly in close interaction. The oceans greatly influence natural processes on continents, but continents also take part in shaping the nature of the oceans.

World ocean- the main part of the hydrosphere, a continuous but not continuous water shell of the Earth, surrounding continents and islands and characterized by a common salt composition. The world's oceans are a heat regulator. The world's oceans have the richest food, mineral and energy resources. Although the World Ocean is a single whole, for the convenience of research its individual parts are assigned various names: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern oceans.

Ocean and atmosphere. The world's oceans, whose average depth is approx. 4 km, contains 1350 million km3 of water. The atmosphere, which envelops the entire Earth in a layer several hundred kilometers thick, with a much larger base than the World Ocean, can be considered as a “shell”. Both the ocean and the atmosphere are fluid environments in which life exists; their properties determine the habitat of organisms. The ocean determines the basic properties of the atmosphere and is a source of energy for many processes occurring in the atmosphere. The circulation of water in the ocean is influenced by winds, the Earth's rotation, and land barriers.

Ocean and climate. It is well known that the temperature regime and other climatic characteristics of the area at any latitude can change significantly in the direction from the ocean coast to the interior of the continent. Compared to land, the ocean warms more slowly in summer and cools more slowly in winter, smoothing out temperature fluctuations on the adjacent land.

Composition of sea water. The water in the ocean is salty. The salty taste is given by the 3.5% dissolved minerals it contains - mainly sodium and chlorine compounds - the main ingredients of table salt. The next most abundant is magnesium, followed by sulfur; All the usual metals are also present. Of the non-metallic components, calcium and silicon are especially important, since they are involved in the structure of the skeletons and shells of many marine animals. Due to the fact that the water in the ocean is constantly mixed by waves and currents, its composition is almost the same in all oceans.

Properties of sea water. The density of sea water (at a temperature of 20 ° C and a salinity of about 3.5%) is approximately 1.03, i.e., slightly higher than the density of fresh water (1.0). The density of water in the ocean varies with depth due to the pressure of the overlying layers, as well as depending on temperature and salinity. In the deepest parts of the ocean, waters tend to be saltier and colder. The densest masses of water in the ocean can remain at depth and maintain a low temperature for more than 1000 years.

Seawater is much less transparent to visible light than air, but more transparent than most other substances. The penetration of solar rays into the ocean to a depth of 700 m has been recorded. Radio waves penetrate into the water column only to a small depth, but sound waves can travel thousands of kilometers under water. Speed ​​of sound propagation in sea ​​water fluctuates, averaging 1500 m per second.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest on Earth


Pacific Ocean- the largest ocean in terms of area and depth on Earth, it occupies 49.5% of the surface of the World Ocean and holds 53% of the volume of its water. Located between the continents of Eurasia and Australia in the west, Northern and South America in the east, Antarctica in the south.

The Pacific Ocean extends approximately 15.8 thousand km from north to south and 19.5 thousand km from east to west. The area with seas is 179.7 million km², the average depth is 3984 m, the volume of water is 723.7 million km³. Greatest depth Pacific Ocean (and the entire World Ocean) - 10,994 m (in the Mariana Trench).

On November 28, 1520, Ferdinand Magellan entered the open ocean for the first time. He crossed the ocean from Tierra del Fuego to the Philippine Islands in 3 months and 20 days. All this time the weather was calm, and Magellan called the ocean Quiet.

The second largest ocean on Earth after the Pacific Ocean, occupying 25% of the surface of the World Ocean, with a total area of ​​91.66 million km² and a volume of water of 329.66 million km³. The ocean is located between Greenland and Iceland in the north, Europe and Africa in the east, North and South America in the west, and Antarctica in the south. Greatest depth - 8742 m (deep-sea trench - Puerto Rico)

The name of the ocean first appears in the 5th century BC. e. in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who wrote that “the sea with the pillars of Hercules is called Atlantis.” The name comes from the famous Ancient Greece the myth of Atlas, the Titan, holding on his shoulders firmament at the westernmost point of the Mediterranean. The Roman scientist Pliny the Elder in the 1st century used modern name Okeanus Atlanticus - "Atlantic Ocean".

The third largest ocean on Earth, covering about 20% of its water surface. Its area is 76.17 million km², volume - 282.65 million km³. The deepest point of the ocean is in the Sunda Trench (7729 m).

In the north, the Indian Ocean washes Asia, in the west - Africa, in the east - Australia; in the south it borders on Antarctica. Border with Atlantic Ocean passes along the 20° meridian of eastern longitude; from Quiet - along 146°55’ meridian of eastern longitude. The northernmost point of the Indian Ocean is located at approximately 30°N latitude in the Persian Gulf. The width of the Indian Ocean is approximately 10,000 km between southern points Australia and Africa.

The ancient Greeks called the western part of the ocean known to them with the adjacent seas and bays the Erythraean Sea (Red). Gradually, this name began to be attributed only to the nearest sea, and the ocean was named after India, the country most famous at that time for its wealth on the shores of the ocean. So Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. e. calls it Indicon pelagos - “Indian Sea”. Since the 16th century, the name Oceanus Indicus - Indian Ocean, introduced by the Roman scientist Pliny the Elder back in the 1st century, has been established.

The smallest ocean on Earth, located entirely in the northern hemisphere, between Eurasia and North America.

The ocean area is 14.75 million km² (5.5% of the area of ​​the World Ocean), the volume of water is 18.07 million km³. The average depth is 1225 m, the greatest depth is 5527 m in the Greenland Sea. Most of the bottom relief of the Arctic Ocean is occupied by the shelf (more than 45% of the ocean floor) and the underwater margins of continents (up to 70% of the bottom area). The ocean is usually divided into three vast water areas: the Arctic Basin, the North European Basin and the Canadian Basin. Due to the polar geographical position, the ice cover in the central part of the ocean remains throughout the year, although it is in a mobile state.

The ocean was identified as an independent ocean by the geographer Varenius in 1650 under the name Hyperborean Ocean - “Ocean in the extreme north.” Foreign sources of that time also used the names: Oceanus Septentrionalis - “Northern Ocean” (Latin Septentrio - north), Oceanus Scythicus - “Scythian Ocean” (Latin Scythae - Scythians), Oceanes Tartaricus - “Tartar Ocean”, Μare Glaciale - “Arctic Sea” (lat. Glacies - ice). On Russian maps of the 17th - 18th centuries the names are used: Sea Ocean, Sea Ocean Arctic, Arctic Sea, Northern Ocean, Northern or Arctic Sea, Arctic Ocean, Northern Polar Sea, and the Russian navigator Admiral F. P. Litke in the 20s of the XIX century centuries called it the Arctic Ocean. In other countries the English name is widely used. Arctic Ocean - "Arctic Ocean", which was given to the ocean by the London Geographical Society in 1845.

By resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR dated June 27, 1935, the name Arctic Ocean was adopted, as corresponding to the form already used in Russia since early XIX century, and close to earlier Russian names.

Code name three waters oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian) surrounding Antarctica and sometimes unofficially identified as the “fifth ocean”, which, however, does not have a clearly delineated northern border by islands and continents. The conditional area is 20.327 million km² (if we take the northern boundary of the ocean to be 60 degrees south latitude). Greatest depth (South Sandwich Trench) - 8428 m.