Oceans are essential to human existence, yet also provide us with entertainment and relaxation. Fishing, diving, swimming, boating and constructing sand castles are just a few ways we enjoy exploring and exploiting them.
The ocean’s characteristic blue hue can be traced to its ability to absorb red and orange wavelengths of light while reflecting back primarily blue light rays. Discover more fascinating facts about our seas by continuing reading!
1. It’s the largest body of water on Earth
The ocean covers approximately 71% of Earth’s surface. We traditionally divide it up into five large basins called ocean basins for ease of navigation, and its presence provides life on this blue planet from space.
The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean. Accessible only via diving, its enormous pressure could crush anyone trying to enter.
The ocean floor is filled with ridges, trenches, plateaus and canyons that USGS (United States Geological Survey) scientists examine in order to gain more information about its resources and hazards. Furthermore, The Big Blue also contains many remarkable creatures like jellyfish-like siphonophores which look like giant trailing death nets with tentacles capable of stinging tentacles; these long tentacles can extend over 100 feet!
2. It’s home to more than half of all life on Earth
The ocean teems with life, including microscopic plants called phytoplankton that provide half of our oxygen supply. Powered by sunlight, phytoplankton float in seawater where they’re eaten by shrimp (also called zooplankton) and fish for sustenance.
Though vast, the ocean remains ever in motion with waves, tides and currents carrying heat and salt throughout our planet.
The deep ocean can be dark, but certain creatures such as jellyfish, squid and anglerfish rely on bioluminescence to illuminate their surroundings and find food in the dark. At its bottom lies an aquatic hotspot where hydrothermal vents disgorge superheated water from Earth’s core – providing habitats for an ecosystem rich with clams, crabs and tube worms.
3. It’s the largest source of fresh water on Earth
Earth has five oceans – Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Pacific. However, all five contribute to one large body of water called the global ocean.
The hadal zone is the deepest part of the ocean. Its darkness and extreme cold are only two of its hallmark characteristics – these depths also contain intense pressure that could even crush someone!
Some animals that inhabit the deep sea have evolved to thrive under its harsh conditions, including fish with special eyes to detect light in darkness and jelly-like siphonophores with tentacles that capture crustaceans. These organisms play an integral part of marine food chains and contribute to oxygen production – without them, there wouldn’t be as much oxygen in our oceans! Are you curious to gain more knowledge about our planet’s oceans? Consider enrolling at Case Western Reserve University to study geological sciences or environmental geology!
4. It’s the largest ocean ecosystem
While the ocean may seem vast, its vastness hides numerous ecosystems. These include polar, temperate and tropical waters as well as bays and estuaries in bayous or estuaries as well as deep sea water column environments for deep sea benthic organisms (benthic environments). Furthermore, its geography includes continental shelves, island arcs and mangrove systems.
The ocean is home to an abundance of life, from microscopic organisms called phytoplankton to larger aquatic plants like kelp that provide food and shelter for animals as well as producing about 50% of our oxygen through photosynthesis.
The Pacific is the largest of all five named oceans, stretching from North America’s west coast to Asia and Australia in the east. At its deepest point – Mariana Trench – its depth nearly rivals that of Mount Everest! Furthermore, its surface area exceeds all continents combined – giving whales, dolphins, and other sea mammals plenty of room to swim freely!
5. It’s the largest source of oxygen on Earth
Phytoplankton are tiny marine-living bacteria that produce half of Earth’s oxygen through photosynthesis. Once formed, these creatures are consumed by other creatures like zooplankton (a type of shrimp), fish, whales and even humans – providing essential oxygen supply.
The ocean provides significant amounts of oxygen through decomposition of dead plants and animals as well as through plate tectonics and volcanic activity.
The ocean is home to over 230,000 marine animal species and more are constantly being discovered. Additionally, over three million shipwrecks have occurred here including those of Titanic and Christopher Columbus’ Santa Maria; more historical artifacts exist here than in all world museums combined! There are even rivers and lakes under water caused by salt water mixing with hydrogen sulfide which forms denser layers than ever before!
6. It’s the largest source of food on Earth
The ocean is home to over 230,000 marine animal species and possibly even more may be discovered as humans gain the knowledge needed to explore its depths. Marine life ranges from majestic whales to microscopic planktonic organisms like zooplankton.
The color of the ocean can be explained by various factors. Water molecules and small particles preferentially reflect blue light over red wavelengths, leading to blue water becoming more prominent underwater than any other hues.
Phytoplankton (plant-like microalgae) are at the core of ocean food chains. Producing half of Earth’s atmosphere’s oxygen through photosynthesis, they’re vital food sources for fish, whales, and ocean birds as well as an important carbon sink–known as “carbon pumping” by marine scientists–regulating atmospheric concentration of CO2. They serve an integral function as part of Earth’s climate regulation system and ensure an overall more comfortable atmosphere for life on Earth.
7. It’s the largest mountain range on Earth
The longest mountain range on Earth doesn’t exist above water – it lies undersea. Known as the Mid-Ocean Ridge, it extends 40,389 miles around our planet like an indented baseball diamond stitched together from mountains and valleys created by shifting tectonic plates.
This massive range of rock serves as a home to numerous deep sea creatures, such as jelly-like siphonophores (pronounced Sigh-fon-oh-fours) and tube worms that feed on marine detritus as well as the molten rocks rising up from Earth’s mantle through vents located along its length. They feed off detritus as well as the lava flows rising up through vents located along its length – this produces canyons in the seafloor that dwarf Grand Canyon while steep trenches that reach temperatures up to nearly 700 degrees Fahrenheit – this heat nurtures unique bacteria communities on Earth that inhabit its depths – feeding off both marine detritus and mantle mantle rock for much of its existence.
8. It’s the largest animal on Earth
Ocean life is astounding, boasting more exotic species than all the world’s museums combined. One of the biggest creatures living underwater is the blue whale; its massive body can span three school buses! This giant feeds on krill found in deepest parts of the ocean while jelly-like siphonophores – giant nets trailing death nets with tentacles to capture small crustaceans – also thrive here.
Other sea dwellers include fish, octopuses and squid. All three depend on phytoplankton (microscopic plants that float at the surface) and zooplankton (tiny animals that float through the water). Even in its deepest parts of the ocean with high pressure and minimal light sources there remains life such as giant squid that can grow up to 27 metres in length!
9. It’s the largest living structure on Earth
The ocean is vast and filled with fascinating history. It regulates global climate and supports marine ecosystems while we divide it up into five basins for our purposes, yet all the waters make up one enormous body of water.
Oceans are constantly shifting; waves, tides, and currents move the seawater around the planet distributing heat and salt evenly across its expanse.
The Pacific and Atlantic oceans are more salty than their Arctic and Southern counterparts, as well as more vibrant with life than either region. Jellyfish-like creatures known as siphonophores float through the deep sea trailing death nets with their tentacles while bottom dwellers known as siphonophores feed on bacteria near vents which release superheated water containing minerals from Earth’s interior – it is estimated that more treasure lies hidden under sea than could ever fit inside any museum in existence!
10. It’s the largest source of minerals on Earth
Oceans cover over 99 percent of Earth’s surface and provide home for an array of sea life ranging from tiny zooplankton to the world’s largest animal — the blue whale. Ocean life truly amazes.
The ocean serves as a large heat storage reservoir that greatly influences global climate and weather patterns, helping regulate carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere through absorption, storage, and release.
The Arctic Ocean is one of five ocean basins, and its climate and salinity make it particularly hard to study due to its remote location and thickness of ice cover. But this does not stop it being home to huge reserves of natural resources – oil and minerals among them! It is also home to millions of shipwrecks as well as more historical artifacts than all museums combined!