The Ocean A life under the sea

Just the facts… The ocean covers about 70% of the earths surface and contains 97% of the earth’s water supply! There are four oceans all over the world, and their names are Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Average depths are… »Pacific- 15,215 feet »Atlantic- 12,881 feet »Indian- 13,002 feet »Arctic- 3,953 feet deep waters ahead!

Pacific Located between the Southern ocean, Asia, Australia, and Western Hemisphere The Pacific ocean is about 15 times the size of the United States and covers about 28% of the entire world! It is surrounded by the “Ring of Fire”, and is subject to tropical cyclones Major contributor to the world because of extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, and minerals, sand, and gravel for the construction industry Dark blue indicates location of Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Second largest ocean Located between Africa, Europe and the Western hemisphere Subject to tropical cyclones and hurricanes The Atlantic is a natural resource for oil and gas fields, fish, sand and gravel, and precious stones Dark blue indicates location of Atlantic Ocean

Indian Located between Africa, Asia, and Australia Is about 5.5 times the U.S. in size Creates Monsoons and tropical cyclones Dark blue indicates location of Indian Ocean

Arctic Smallest of the world’s oceans Located between Europe, Asia, and North America Winter has cold, clear skies with constant darkness, and summer brings continuous daylight and damp, foggy weather Dark blue indicates location of Arctic Ocean

So… Now that we know about all four of the oceans, let’s examine…

Why is the ocean blue? The sun is made up of all of the colors of the rainbow, (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet) so the sunlight penetrates the water and is scattered by ripples and particles in the water. Deep water is particularly blue because much of the blue sunlight is scattered by the oxygen in the water. Did you know that… the Red Sea often looks red because of the red algae that lives in it the Black Sea looks almost black because of the high concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the water

What causes waves ? Waves are often caused by winds on the surface of the ocean. Some of that wind transfers energy to the water through friction between air molecules and water molecules. Stronger winds make stronger waves!

What causes tides ? Tides are periodic rises and falls in a large body of water. They are caused by the gravitational attraction of the moon, that causes the ocean to bulge in the direction of the moon twice a day because the earth is rotating.

Why are the oceans salty ? As water flows through rivers before entering the ocean, it picks up mineral salts from rock and soil of the river beds. And since water can evaporate and salt cannot, the water gets saltier and saltier as time passes. Right now oceans are 3.5% salt on average. The saltiest water is in the Red Sea and the least salty water is in the polar region the melting ice caps and a lot of rain contribute to diluting the water. The Dead Sea is so salty you can float in it!

What about the coral reefs ? Coral reefs form in shallow, warm water that is usually near land and mostly in the tropics. Coral prefer temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. There are three main types of coral… –Fringing- form along the coastline and grow in shallow water –Barrier reefs- grow parallel to shorelines and are usually separated from land by a deep lagoon –Coral Atolls- rings of coral that grow on top of old, sunken volcanoes in the ocean Sadly, many coral reefs are dying because of water pollution, dredging off the coast, careless specimens of researchers, and sedimentation

Animals of the ocean There are literally millions of animal species in the ocean. To name a few, there are crustaceans, whales, seals, sharks, lobsters, crabs, plankton, jellyfish, and every type of fish you could ever imagine! Let’s learn more about these animals! Lobster Blue Whale Octopus Sea Anemone Sea Horse Dolphin

Lobster Blue Whale Lobsters are a type of crustaceans, they have a tough shell or exoskeleton and live on the ocean floor. They are mainly nocturnal, meaning they come out at night, and are predators of crabs, clams, worms, and snails. Lobsters can live to be 100 years old!! Blue whales are the biggest animals in the ocean and on earth! They breathe through two blow holes that can push water up feet above the surface of the water. They live in small groups called pods and eat tiny crustaceans, plankton and small fish

Octopus Sea Anemone The octopus is an eight armed animal that lives on the ocean floor with each arm having two rows of suction cups. It also has an eye on each side of its head so the octopus has very good eyesight. It moves by walking on its tentacles and lives in dens, spaces under rock, crevices in the sea floor. In order to escape from predators, octopus’ squirt black ink into the water which allows them to escape. Sea anemone look like plants but are actually predatory animals. They live attached to firm objects in the seas, usually the sea floor, rock, or coral, but they can slide around very slowly. There are over 1000 species of anemones found in coastal waters worldwide, in shallow waters and in deep oceans. They come in many different shapes and sizes, and eat fish, muscles, and worms.

Dolphin Sea Horse Average dolphins grow to be about 12 feet long, sometimes weighing more than 1,400 pounds. They eat mostly fish and squid with their many pairs of sharp pointed teeth. Sharks and orca prey upon dolphins, they also often get trapped in people’s fishing nets. Seahorses are a type of small fish that have armored plates all over their body (they don't have scales). There are about 50 different species of seahorses around the world. They live in seaweed beds in warm water and are very slow swimmers. Seahorses can change their color to camouflage (hide) themselves in order to hide from enemies. They swim by moving the fin on their back.

Bacaccio Blue RockfishBrown Rockfish Cabazon California Sheephead China Rockfish Gaint SeabassGaribaldiGrunt Sculpin Kelp Bass Shortspine Thornyhead Red Irish Lord Just a few of the millions of fish that live in the ocean!

Endangered Species Certain species of these animals that make their homes in the ocean, grow fewer and fewer each day when they are over hunted or oceans are polluted. Click on the link! ?start=%2200:01:13%22&end=%2200:02:14%22

Thanks for learning about the ocean!