You oceans are portions of water that occupy the main and wider depressions of the planet's relief. It is, therefore, a huge set of Water mixed with other elements, mainly mineral salts, and that surrounds the areas formed by the emerged lands, which include islands and continents.
One of the main features of the Planet Earth in relation to the other planets currently known is that more than 70% of its surface is composed of water., most of which is made up of the oceans. This predominance makes ocean waters very important for the life of millions of species of living beings and also for climate regulation, among other factors.
If we consider that the oceans, unlike the seas, are not surrounded by continents on at least three sides, we can say that there are only three oceans: o Pacific, O Atlantic it's the Indian Ocean, since the oceans arctic glacier and Antarctic Glacier they would actually be great seas (or a set of seas). However, we have included both in the specifications below, as most geographic and general approaches consider them historically as oceanic areas.
Read too: Tsunami - result of an earthquake in the ocean floor
Ocean characteristics
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific is the biggest ocean on our planet, responsible for covering almost a third of the earth's surface, covering an area of approximately 165 million km2. Basically, it presents in its eastern portion the American continent and, in the west, the Asian continent and Oceania. O Bering Strait, located to the north and responsible for the division of North America with Asia, allows the communication of the Pacific with the Arctic Glacial Ocean.
The vast area occupied by the Pacific Ocean makes it present a great climate relevance, because it's where most of the air masses and marine currents are produced. And that's not to mention cyclical climate anomalies and changes, such as the El Niño, O La Niña and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.
THE name origin of this ocean is in ancient belief of navigators that its waters were the calmest on the planet. Today, however, we know that its waters are far from peaceful, depending on the location in which one navigates.
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Atlantic Ocean
the Atlantic is the second largest ocean on planet earth, with an area of approximately 106 million km². It is non-continuously surrounded by the African continent to the east and by the Americas to the west, in addition to having extensive communication with the Arctic and Antarctica. At least until the end of the 20th century, the Atlantic was considered the main intercontinental trade route on Earth, since it is being gradually transferred to the Pacific.
The appearance of the Atlantic can be considered geologically recent, around 150 million years ago. Its origin is related to the movement of tectonic plates, which transformed the ancient continent of Gondwana into South America and Africa.
THE name origin Atlântico comes, according to some versions, from Atlas, a titan of mythology condemned by Zeus to support the vault of heaven on his back. During the Age Mémorning, this ocean was called the North Sea and only received its original name again after the dissemination of the famous world map drawn up by Mercator in the 16th century.
See too: Cyclone - tropical storm originating in low atmospheric pressure zones
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean has an area of about 73 million km² and, therefore, it is the third largest ocean on the planet. It is non-continuously surrounded by Oceania and Asia to the east, to Asia to the north and to Africa to the west. It has a complex connection with the Mediterranean Sea through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Like the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean too emerged from the separation of the Gondwana continent, in the Mesozoic Era, being the youngest among all the oceans on Earth. In its southern part, the waters are cooler; in areas closer to the Asian continent, they are warmer, which favors the climate of monsoons, whose effects are most felt in India.
The Indian Ocean, in some locations, is also called the “Sea of the Indies”, in reference to the East Indies, where ancient navigators left in search of spices and other products. Before the European colonial expansion, the Indian Ocean was the main maritime trade route on the planet.
Arctic glacial ocean
As we've already mentioned, the Arctic Glacier technically it's not an ocean, but a great set of seas., as per the most recent reclassifications. However, like the Antarctic Glacier, its name remains.
Its total area corresponds to 21 million km² and extends north of the Antarctic Polar Circle of the Asian, European and American continents. THE most of its surface, however, is frozen in an imprecise area, as it increases in the polar winter (of six months) and decreases in the summer.
Also access: What are the differences between weather and climate?
Antarctic Glacial Ocean
The Southern Ocean or Southern Ocean is the set of waters located south of the Antarctic Circle and that surround the continent of Antarctica, forming an extension of the waters of the Arctic, Antarctic and Indian oceans.
The area of this ocean was delimited by the Treaty of Antarctica, carried out in 1956, and amounts to an approximate total of 20.3 million km². Despite the low temperatures, presents a big biodiversity, unlike the Arctic, including penguins, seals, sea lions, cetaceans, plankton and others.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
People have always lived with the idea that the world was made up of five oceans. However, according to the most recent classifications, there are only three oceans in the world. Check the alternative that correctly indicates their respective names:
Mark the alternative that does not indicate the importance of the oceans for the Earth or for living beings:
a) Among the terrestrial elements, the oceans are the most responsible for influencing the planet's climates.
b) The oceans function as chemical and biological indicators of biological and climatic conditions.
c) It is in the oceans that there is the greatest absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere, through photosynthesis carried out by plankton and marine algae.
d) The oceans are responsible for the abundance of water for human activities related to the consumption of this substance by the body.
