The Ocean is the largest water in the whole entire world. The Oceans covers around 70% of the entire Earth. There are many animals that are found in the ocean, many that have not even been discovered.
This type of water is a body of salt water that makes up around 98% of all of the water that is on the planet Eaerth.
Weather of the Ocean
The weather of the Ocean depends on a lot of different things such as air circulation, temperatures of the land around it and evaporation. Since the ocean is so large, if the weather is cloudy or suny, it can change how cool the ocean is.
The temperatures in the ocean usually go from freezing to warm. The average temperature is 39 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets deeper, it gets cooler.
Oceans
There are five oceans around the world:
- Arctic
- Atlantic
- Indian
- Pacific
- Southern oceans
These oceans cover over 70% of the earths surface and one of the deepest oceans, Mariana Trench is as deep as Mt. Everest is tall.
The five oceans can be called one “world ocean” because they do not have any boards that block them from one another and they all flow together freely.
In the ocean and the saltwater bays, in seas and in inlets, there are small organisms and bacteria that help make up part of the creatures that live in the Marine Ecosystem.
Arctic Ocean
Located in the Northern part of the Earth is the Arctic Ocean. This ocean is located close to the North Pole.
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean and it is also the most shallow of all of the oceans of the world. Even though the Arctic Ocean is a saltwater ocean, much fresh water flows into the Arctic from all of the ice that melts since much of the Arctic is covered by ice all year long.
Atlantic Ocean
The second biggest ocean in all of the world is the Atlantic Ocean. It goes from:
- Europe
- Africa
- North America
- South America
One ocean current that flows from the Atlantic Ocean is the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is a wamr current and it goes from Florida in the United States to Europe. The Gulf Stream is important to the climate of the United States and Europe.
When Christopher Columbus was sailing, people thought that you would fall off the Earth if you went to the Atlantic Ocean because they thought the world was not round but flat. When this happened, Columbus sailed and not only did he not fall off the Earth, but he discovered the Americas.
The name Atlantic Ocean comes from the word “Atlas,” which was a Greek word which means “Sea of Atlas.”
Indian Ocean
The ocean that is the third largest ocean is the Indian Ocean. It is found in:
- Asia
- India
- Africa
- Australia
The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the whole world and it includes different places such as:
- Red Sea
- Persian Gulf
- Madagascar
- Seychelles
- Sri Lanka
Pacific Ocean
The largest ocean of the world is the Pacific Ocean. This ocean covers 1/3 of the Earth. The Pacific Ocean goes from:
- Asia
- Australia
- North America
- South America
The name Pacific Ocean came from the explorer Ferdinand Magellin. He called it “Mar Pacificio,” which is a Portuguese saying that means, “peaceful sea.”
Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench is the largest and deepest trench in the world. It is over 30,000 foot deep under the ocean. This trench formed when tectonic plates moved and caused a trench to form.
Other Interesting Things About the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is interesting because it has the largest island, New Guinea located in the southern part of the ocean. It also has Hawaii and the Great Barrier Reef which is known for all of its coral.
Southern Ocean
The fourth largest ocean is the Southern Ocean which is located at the South Pole and in the south part of the Earth. This ocean is the not only the fourth largest ocean but it is also the second smallest of all of the world’s oceans.
Ocean Water
The water of the ocean is very salty. The salt comes from sodium chloride which is a chemical that is dissolved in the ocean water.
Ocean Currents
When the wind blows, it moves the water and the water is always moving. When this happens, it is called ocean currents. The currents can be cold currents or they can be warm current.
Ocean Floor
The ocean floor is the part of the ocean that is shallow compared to the rest of the ocean. The ocean floor is part of the continental crust and it is found close to the edges of the different continents.
The ocean floor is made when parts of the continental shelf slope down towards the deeper parts of the oceans. The deeper parts of the ocean are called basins.
Basins
The basins of the ocean are the parts of the ocean that are deeper. At the bottom of the basins are flat areas that form the bottom of the ocean. Sometimes, there are trenches that are found in the ocean floor and these are caused by the plates of the continents moving.
Ocean Zones
There are three zones in the ocean, the euphotic zone, this zone gets the most sunlight, the disphotic zone, this zone gets some sunlight but not enough for plants to survive and the third zone, the aphotic zone, gets no sunlight at all.
Marine Life
Plant life in the ocean gets food from photosynthesis so the top zone is the only zone that has plants. These plants include seaweed, sea grasses, and algae. Kelp is one plant that is known to grow in the ocean.
There are over one million different species of plants that live in the ocean and there are more than 9 million that have not even been discovered yet.
The algae is the most important plant in the Ocean because it helps to give oxygen and without the algae, the plant and animals of the ocean would not be able to breathe.
The most important algae is kelp. It is important because it gives food and shelter to many anmals. It also helps people because it can be used in many different products.
Photosynthesis plays a huge role in how the animal and plants live.
Marine Animals
Plankton and other fish are found in the ocean. Plankton is a huge source of food to marine life. There are other animals such as fish, walruses, whales, bacteria, seals, dolphins and so many more. There are animals found in the ocean that even make their own light.
The ocean is so big that no one is sure that all the animals in the ocean have been discovered and new discoveries are happening all the time.
Since the ocean gets super deep, most of the animals live in the top 200 meters of the water and the ocean that is deep is very dark and there is very little food.
Most of the animals have fat or blubber so that they can survive the different temperatures. There are also some of the largest animals that are found in the ocean such as the blue whale, which is the biggest animal that lives on the earth.
Some of the ocean animals include:
- Sea turtles
- Octopus
- Manta Ray
- Blue Whale
- Seahorse
- Sharks
- Humpback Whale
- Manatee
- Killer Whale
- Sperm Whale
- Starfish
- Sea Otter
- Sea Cucumber
- Cuttlefish
- Sea Lion
- Walrus
- Dolphin
Ocean Plants
Plants in the ocean grow close to the surface of the water because that is where they can get the most sunlight. Since plants need sunlight for photosynthesis, this is the place where most of them grow. These plants include plants such as:
- Algae
- Seaweed
- Sea grass
Why Are Oceans Important?
Oceans are important because they are a place where many animals live. The ocean also is a place that provides food for many animals and people.
Oceans also give the Eearth gases, minerals and oil that is needed.
The oceans are homes to fish like plankton that help to create oxygen for the world.
Another reason that the ocean is important is because the ocean helps to keep the climate at the right temperature because it helps to store the heat that the sun shines on the ocean.
Why Are the Oceans in Danger?
The oceans are in danger because of pollution. People pollute the ocean when they throw out their garbage and use toxic waste in their water systems.
When people fish too much, it can cause there to be less fish for other animals in the ocean and it can cause fish to become extinct.
Oil spills are another danger for the ocean. When oil spills happen, it can cause fish and other animals to die. When an animal eats a fish that has ate a lot of oil, that animal can die as well. Since people fish in the ocean, fish that are sick can be harmful to people too.
More Facts About the Ocean:
- Crabs, fish and other animals live in salt marshes.
- Living things, such as ocean animals are able to live in salt and in soil.
- Salt marshes are wetlands that contain special plants and animals.
- When rivers flow into oceans, fresh water can mix with salt water and this is where salt marshes form.
- There are over 200,000 different kinds of marine life that have been discovered.
- The largest animal is the Blue Whale.
- The longest fish is the Whale Shark.
- Most of the people in the world live within 60 miles of the coast of the ocean.
- Coral is an animal and it builds on hard skeleton around itself to be protected. It is only the size of an ant.
What Did You Learn?
- How many oceans are there around the world?
There are five different oceans around the world, the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans. - What kind of animals live in the ocean?
All kinds of different animals such as fish, plankton, whales, shark, and many other animals live in the ocean. - What happens when river freshwater and ocean saltwater mix?
When this happens, a salt marsh is formed. - How many zones are there in the ocean?
There are three zones and the top one gets light, the middle one gets a little light and the lower one gets no light at all. - Can plants live in the middle or lower zones of the ocean?
Plants cannot live in these zones because they need light to make photosynthesis.
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