Photo credit: Robin Gunn
We all love the ocean, but how much do we really know about it? Here are some basic fun facts about the oceans we love!
For starters there are five – Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian, and Southern.
Pacific Ocean
- The Pacific is the largest and covers more than 30% of Earth’s surface.
- Challenger Deep, the lowest known point on Earth at 35,827 feet below sea level, is in the Pacific Ocean near Guam.
- The Pacific is home to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia and the Ring of Fire, which describes the collection of volcanoes around the ocean basin.
- By volume, the Pacific contains more than half of the world’s ocean waters.
- Due to plate tectonics, the Pacific is currently sinking.
- This ocean is home to the world’s second largest island, New Guinea.
- In the Northeast Pacific, tropical storms are known as hurricanes; in the Northwest they are called typhoons. In the South Pacific, they are known as cyclones.
Atlantic Ocean
- The Atlantic is the second largest, but only half the size of the Pacific Ocean.
- It stretches between It borders North America, South America, Africa and Europe.
- The mid-Atlantic ridge is the longest mountain range of Earth, and since it is spreading, the ocean is growing in size.
- The Atlantic was the first ocean to be crossed by ship and plane.
- The largest island in the world, Greenland, is in the Atlantic Ocean.
- The Atlantic contains more salt than the other four.
Southern Ocean
- The Southern Ocean is located around the South Pole.
- It’s home to Emperor penguins.
Arctic Ocean
- The Arctic surrounds the North Pole and many polar bears live on Arctic ice.
- The ice covering the Arctic is shrinking by 8% every ten years.
- Most of the ground features discovered in the Arctic Ocean have been named after explorers to the region.
Indian Ocean
- The Indian is located between Africa and Austral-Asia.
- This ocean is the world’s largest breeding ground for humpback whales.
Each ocean has a diverse group of animals that call it home. In addition to the five oceans, there are lots of seas. They are part of the ocean, but partially enclosed by land. The most famous are the Caribbean and Mediterranean.
The “Seven Seas” was thought to refer to the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Black, Red, Arabian, Persian Gulf, and Caspian seas. Today, most people believe that refers to the North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, Arctic, Indian and Southern oceans.
Want more fun facts? Check out noaa.org.