Alexa, Lora, Dani, and Cody Ocean Alexa, Lora, Dani, and Cody

Interesting Facts  Oceans cover about 140 million square miles which is nearly 71% of the Earth. The deepest point in the ocean is 6.8 miles. They contain 97% of the Earth’s water. Oceans also provide 99% of the living space on the planet. 90% of all volcanic activity occurs here.

1: Pacific Ocean 2: Atlantic Ocean 3: Indian Ocean 4: Southern Ocean Common Oceans 1: Pacific Ocean 2: Atlantic Ocean 3: Indian Ocean 4: Southern Ocean 5: Arctic Ocean

Location The Pacific Ocean separates Asia and Australia from the Americas. The Atlantic Ocean separates the Americas from Eurasia and Africa. The Indian Ocean is by Asia, and it separates Africa and Australia. The Southern Ocean encircles Antarctica. The Arctic Ocean is sometimes considered a sea of the Atlantic, and it washes up on Northern North American and Eurasian shores.

Hurricanes Hurricanes are huge, rotating air masses that typically have very low pressure, high winds, and a lot of rain. The are the largest storm systems on Earth. They begin to spin due to the Coriolis effect. Large hurricanes have speeds that have been as high as 250 mph. They form only in the late summer and fall, and they usually last between 5 and 10 days.

El Niño and La Niña El Niño occurs when there is an abnormal warming of the ocean waters in the middle and eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This effect contains two cyclones which rotate around a point between them. After the warm water is pushed back to the west, cold nutrient-rich ocean water rises from below creating the La Niña effect.

Ocean Currents

Animal Life Life within the ocean evolved three billion years before life on land. They can be divided into three groups: Zooplankton (drifting animals) ex: jellyfish and fish eggs Nekton (free swimmers & largest group) ex: fish, whale, octopus, squid, and eels Benthos (spends entire life on ocean bottom) ex: starfish, lobsters, snails, and oysters

Plant Life Many plants grow in the shallow depths of the ocean. Simple plants such as algae serve as food for many animals. Not only are these plants used in ocean life, but also on land by humans for uses such as making toothpaste, make-up, and even clothes.

Endangered Species Blue Whale Finback Whale Steller’s Sea Lion Steelhead Green Sea Turtle West Indian Manatee Smalltooth Sawfish And many more… 

Preservation Toxic waste and garbage is being dumped into the ocean, and they are harmful to many plants and animals. A way to solve this problem would be to stop putting waste into the ocean and find a new place to dispose of the material. Another form of pollution comes from boat’s engines. The harmful chemical is the gasoline which leaks out of the boat. One way to prevent this is by turning off the boat’s engine when it is not needed.

Bibliography (2002, Feb 8). Ocean pollution. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/ocean_pollution.htm (2009, Nov 4). Ocean. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean Crouse, R. (n.d.). Weather and the ocean. Retrieved from http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Tw-Z/Weather-and-the-Ocean.html Jacobs, W. (2004, Feb 5). Discover data: 20,000 species under the sea . Retrieved from http://discovermagazine.com/2004/feb/twenty-thousand-species (n.d.). Hurricanes. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/kids/hurr.htm (n.d.). Life near the surface. Retrieved from http://www.mos.org/oceans/life/surface.html (n.d.). Save the sea. Retrieved from http://www.savethesea.org/STS%20ocean_facts.htm

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