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Explore the Mysteries of the Oceans
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Learn all about the 5 Oceans of the World. In this video we walk through the geographic locations for each ocean and share some unique facts about each area. We hope you enjoy learning all about our Oceans.
The Oceans of the earth are vast, they are humongous! Over 72% of the earth is covered with water called Oceans and Seas There are five major Oceans of the world, and although these Oceans are all connected, they each have a different name.
They are mostly divided up by the world's seven continents.
Did you know that over 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year?
In our Importance of Oceans video, we discuss why it's so essential to take care of the water that covers our beautiful earth. In fact, seawater makes up two-thirds of our planet! Most of that water flows in the five interconnected oceans. And this water provides us with so many important benefits. The ocean is vital to our planet because it produces over half of the world's oxygen supply. It also absorbs 50 times more carbon that the atmosphere. We can also turn to the ocean for food, transportation, and recreation. When it comes to food supply, we are talking about more than just fish. Did you know that ingredients in peanut butter and soymilk are also found in the ocean? In addition, the ocean helps regulate weather patterns, creates employment opportunities, and provides ingredients for medicines. Ocean mining and plastic pollution are two major problems for our oceans. Ocean mining produces plumes of sediment that blanket sections of the ocean floor. It chokes filter-feeding species and the fish swimming amidst the debris and destroys habitats. Plastic is a major concern because it doesn't decompose. The constant movement in the water simply breaks it down into smaller pieces called microplastics. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of debris between Hawai'i and California that is twice the size of Texas. This floating mass of plastic is estimated to be 80,000 tons.
Pacific Ocean: Located between the continents of Asia, N./S. America & Australia The largest of the 5 oceans, covers 30% of the Earth’s surface.It separates Asia and Australia from North and South America. The word Pacific means peaceful, but the ocean is not calm or peaceful. Many volcanoes are located in the ocean: The “Ring of Fire”. The deepest part is nearly 7 miles below the surface. The Great Barrier Reef is located off the Australian coast.
The largest island in the Pacific Ocean is the island of New Guinea in the South Pacific.
Atlantic Ocean: The Atlantic Ocean is the world's second largest ocean.Located between the continents America, Europe, and Africa , About half the size of the Pacific Ocean, Many sharks are found in the waters of the ocean. Islands located in the Atlantic include the Bahamas and Greenland, which is the largest island on Earth. The word Atlantic means “Sea of Atlas”. Cities on the Atlantic Ocean include Miami and London.
Indian Ocean: The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world. Located between Africa, Australia and parts of Asia, Largest breeding grounds of the world for humpback whales. The Suez Canal in Egypt is a waterway in the ocean. Cities along the ocean include Mumbai, India; Perth, Australia; and Singapore. Many endangered species live here such as turtles and seals.It is the warmest ocean in the world.
Arctic Ocean: Located around the North Pole across the Arctic circle. Home to many of the Polar Bears of the world. Smallest ocean and most shallow, but is the coldest. Sometimes called the “frozen ocean”, almost completely covered in ice during the winter, There are more fish species here than anywhere else in the world. A lot of fresh water enters the Arctic from melting ice.
Southern Ocean: Located around the South Pole across the Antarctic circle. The Southern Ocean is the fourth largest of the oceans.. Home to the Emperor Penguins and Wandering Albatrosses. Sometimes it is also called the Antarctic Ocean. Icebergs are found throughout the Southern Ocean. No people live along the coast of the ocean
Fun Facts about the Ocean
The average depth of the world's oceans is 12,200 feet.
The mountain Mauna Kea in Hawaii rises 33,474 feet from its base. This would make it the tallest mountain in the world if its base wasn't below sea level.
Around 97 percent of the planets water is in the oceans.
Around 80 percent of the world's population lives within 60 miles of the ocean coast.
The world's longest mountain range is actually under the ocean and is called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Cycles of a Tide
Tides cycle as the Moon rotates around the Earth and as the position of the Sun changes. Throughout the day the sea level is constantly rising or falling.
1. The sea level rises
2. High tide is reached
3. The sea level falls
4. Low tide is reached
5. Back to number 1
This cycle can happen once or twice a day depending on the location of the area to the Moon. Tides that happen once a day are called diurnal. Tides that happen twice a day are called semidiurnal. Because the Earth rotates in the same direction as the Moon, the cycle is actually slightly longer than a day at 24 hours and 50 minutes.
Tides and the Moon
While the Sun and the rotation of the Earth both have some tidal impact, the location of the Moon has the biggest affect on the tide. The gravity of the Moon causes a high tide both on the side of the Earth directly below the Moon (sub lunar tide) and the opposite side of the Earth (antipodal). Low tides are on the sides of the Earth 90 degrees away from the Moon. See the picture below.
Saltstraumen, Norway: Saltstraumen is one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. It is located in a narrow strait between two islands in Norway.
Tidal Currents
When the sea level is rising or falling, water is flowing to or from the ocean. This flow causes currents called tidal currents.
Flood current - A flood current occurs as the sea level is rising towards high tide. Water is flowing towards the shore and away from the ocean.
Ebb current - An ebb current occurs as the sea level is dropping towards low tide. Water is flowing away from the shore and towards the ocean.
Slack water - At the exact time of high tide or low tide there is no current. This time is called slack water.
Tidal Range
The tidal range is the difference in sea level between low tide and high tide. The tidal range will vary in different locations depending on the location of the Sun and the Moon as well as the topography of the shore line.
In the open ocean the tidal range is typically around 2 feet. However, tidal ranges can be much larger near the shore. The largest tidal range is on the coast of the Bay of Fundy in Canada where the tides can change by as much as 40 feet from high to low tide.
Bay of Fundy, Canada: The Bay of Fundy has the highest tide range in the world, with tides that can reach up to 17 meters (56 feet). v
Hopewell Rocks, Canada: Hopewell Rocks are a series of sea stacks located in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. The rocks are exposed at low tide, but they are submerged at high tide.
Mont-Saint-Michel, France: Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island located off the coast of France. At high tide, the island is surrounded by water, while at low tide, the island is accessible by foot.
Types of Tides
Spring - Spring tide occurs when the Sun and the Moon are aligned to combine for the largest tidal range of the highest high tide and the lowest low tide.
Neap - A neap tide is when the tidal range is at its smallest. This occurs during the first and third quarters of the Moon.
High - High tide is the point in the tidal cycle where the sea level is at its highest.
Low - Low tide is the point in the tidal cycle where the sea level is at its lowest.
Types of Tides
Semidiurnal - A semidiurnal tidal cycle is one where there are two high and two low tides each day.
Diurnal - A diurnal tidal cycle is one where there is only one high and one low tide during a day.
Interesting Facts about Tides
The same tidal forces that cause tides in the oceans affect the solid Earth causing it to change shape by a few inches.
There are typically two spring tides and two neap tides each month.
In a semidiurnal cycle the high and low tides occur around 6 hours and 12.5 minutes apart.
Local factors such as weather can also affect the tides.
The energy from tidal forces can be harnessed for electricity using tidal turbines, fences, or barrages.
The Mariana Trench is the deepest point on Earth, located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is 10,994 meters (36,070 feet) deep, which is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.
The Mariana Trench was formed by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Philippine Plate. Subduction is a process where one tectonic plate slides underneath another. The Mariana Trench is part of the Marianas Arc, a chain of volcanic islands and underwater volcanoes.
The Deep Sea Secrets
Incredible Creatures of the Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench is home to a unique ecosystem that includes a variety of deep-sea creatures,
such as the Mariana snailfish, the anglerfish, and the vampire squid.
The Mariana Trench is a very challenging environment to explore. The water pressure at the bottom of the trench is over 1,000 times greater than the water pressure at sea level. However, scientists have been able to explore the trench using submersibles and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
In 2012, James Cameron became the first person to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench in a solo submersible. He spent three hours exploring the trench and collecting data.
The Mariana Trench is a fascinating place that is still largely unexplored. Scientists are continuing to learn more about the trench and the unique creatures that live there.
Ocean Waves
One of the things many people love about the ocean is the waves. People love to play in the waves, surf the waves, and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.
What causes ocean waves
Ocean waves are caused by wind moving across the surface of the water. The friction between the air molecules and the water molecules causes energy to be transferred from the wind to the water. This causes waves to form.
What is a wave?
In science, a wave is defined as a transfer of energy. Ocean waves are called mechanical waves because they travel througah a medium. The medium in this case is water. The water doesn't actually travel with the wave, but only moves up and down. It's the energy that travels with the wave. You can go here to learn more about the science of waves.
What are swells?
Swells are rolling waves that travel long distances through the ocean. They are not generated by the local wind, but by distant storms. Swells are typically smooth waves, not choppy like wind waves. A swell is measured from the crest (top) to the trough (bottom).
Ocean Currents
An ocean current is a continuous flow of water in the ocean. Some currents are surface currents while other currents are much deeper flowing hundreds of feet below the surface of the water.
What causes ocean currents?
Surface currents are usually caused by the wind. As the wind changes, the current may change as well.
Currents are also influenced by the rotation of the Earth called the Coriolis effect. This causes currents to flow clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
Deep ocean currents are caused by a number of things including changes in the temperature, salinity (how salty the water is), and density of the water.
One other factor impacting ocean currents is the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun.
Do currents impact the climate?
Ocean currents can have a significant impact on climate. In some areas warm water is moved from the equator to a colder region causing the region to be warmer.
One example of this is the Gulfstream current. It pulls warm water from the equator to the coast of Western Europe. As a result, areas such as the United Kingdom are typically much warmer than areas at the same northern latitude in North America.
Understanding Waves & Currents
Illustration of spatial variability of ocean currents, SSTs, surface waves, atmospheric mesoscale circulations, and internal boundary layer developments in the CASPER-East measurement region.
Interesting Facts about Ocean Waves and Currents
The tallest wave ever measured was 1719 feet at Lituya Bay, Alaska.
The tallest wave recorded in the open ocean was 95 feet during a storm near Scotland.
Surface currents are important to ships as they can make it easy or difficult to travel depending on the direction of the current.
Some marine animals take advantage of currents to migrate thousands of miles to and from breeding grounds.
Ben Franklin published a map of the Gulf Stream in 1769.
Wave energy is a type of renewable energy that uses the power of the waves to generate electricity. Waves are created by the wind blowing across the surface of the ocean. The wind transfers its energy to the water, which creates waves.
Wave energy is a clean and sustainable source of energy. It does not produce any greenhouse gases or other pollutants. Wave energy is also a reliable source of energy, as the waves are always moving. It can be used to generate electricity in coastal areas with strong waves
Exploring Wave Energy
Different Devices and Systems
Wave energy can be harnessed using a variety of devices, such as buoys, floats, and oscillating water columns. These devices convert the energy of the waves into mechanical energy, which is then converted into electricity by a generator.
Oscillating water columns wave energy devices
Oscillating water column is a way to generate wave energy. An oscillating water column is a tall tube that is partially submerged in the ocean to convert the energy of the waves into electricity.. As the waves move the water up and down in the tube, the air inside the tube is compressed and expanded. This compression and expansion of the air turns a turbine, which produces electricity.
Float-type wave energy devices devices use a float on the surface of the ocean to convert the energy of the waves into electricity. The float is connected to a generator on the seabed by a cable. As the waves move the float back and forth, the cable turns the generator and produces electricity.
Float-type wave energy devices are one of the most common types of wave energy converters. They are relatively easy to install and maintain, and they can be used in a variety of coastal environments. However, they can be expensive to build and operate.
Here are some of the benefits of float-type wave energy devices:
They are relatively easy to install and maintain.
They can be used in a variety of coastal environments.
They are relatively efficient at converting wave energy into electricity.
Here are some of the challenges of float-type wave energy devices:
They can be expensive to build and operate.
They can be damaged by storms and other extreme weather events.
They can have a negative impact on marine life if they are not carefully sited and designed.
Overall, float-type wave energy devices are a promising technology for generating clean and sustainable electricity from the waves. However, more research and development is needed to reduce their cost and improve their efficiency.
Buoy-type wave energy device.
The device in the image has a large, floating buoy on the surface of the ocean. Buoy-type devices use a buoy that is moored to the seabed. The buoy is connected to a generator on the seabed by a cable. As the waves move the buoy up and down, the cable turns the generator and produces electricity.
Buoy-type wave energy devices are one of the most common types of wave energy converters. They are relatively easy to install and maintain, and they can be used in a variety of coastal environments. However, they can be expensive to build and operate.
The key differences between float-type and buoy-type wave energy devices
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