Who discovered the world's oceans. Movement of water in the ocean

World Ocean- this is the salty, watery shell of the Earth surrounding the islands and continents. The collection of all the largest bodies of water on Earth. Something we simply couldn't live without. The World Ocean includes all four oceans of our planet.

World Ocean

Most of the globe is covered by seas and oceans. , which means that the aquatic world is simply obliged to surprise us with interesting and extraordinary facts, which, by the way, it does. The world ocean is the totality of all the seas and oceans on Earth. This name comes from

  • Greek Okeanos - the great river flowing around the Earth,
  • English WorldOcean,
  • him . Weltmeer
  • French Ocean, Ocean Mondial,
  • Spanish Oceano, Oceano mundial)

It is important to answer the question correctly here: how many oceans are there in the world? The French scientist de Florier introduced the term for the components of the World Ocean. This term is “the world’s oceans.” The names of these oceans are

In total, on the map you will find five oceans, which together with the seas represent a large organism with its own life and its own stories. The world's oceans directly influence a huge number of natural processes, which is why it is a close object of various studies. Thus, the nature of the currents determines the climate of the regions, and in the salt water, which at first glance is unsuitable for life, there is an entire underwater world, with its large and very small representatives. Oceans of the world rich in various minerals, in addition, they represent a source of energy and food. Residents of a large number of coastal areas are engaged in fishing, which is very often their main source of income. In this article I will answer the most popular questions about the World Ocean.

Volume of the world's oceans

The world's oceans constantly exchange energy and heat with the environment. He is an inexhaustible source for humanity. How big is this source? Let's find out. An ocean is a collection of water; John Murray was the first to measure its quantity. And in 1983, Leningrad scientists Shiklomanov and Sokolov carried out their measurements. The data they published states that the volume of the world's oceans is 1.338 billion km 3 of water. Murray's measurements were corrected by only 1%.

World Ocean Map

Rising sea levels

Many scientists are concerned rising sea levels. This is due to an anomaly in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. An increase in overall temperature leads to an increase in the melting of ice. Gradually, over three years, the archipelago loses its snow cover, and the volume of water increases by 60 km 3 when the temperature increases by only 1 0.

World Ocean - video

Video film “Secrets of the World Ocean” - its history and impact on our survival and on the planet.

film “Secrets of the Depths of the Sea. The Unknown World" is a popular science film made by oceanographers about what can be seen if the World Ocean is drained.

I hope that these two videos made the same impression on you as they did on me.

Which ocean is the largest in the world

The largest ocean in the world— Quiet, occupying a third of the World. This ocean is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful, amazing and wonderful, with a unique and diverse fauna. He also holds the record for the number of islands, which amount to 10 thousand. We can talk about this ocean endlessly. It is full of secrets, riddles and mystical stories. It owes its name to the voyage of Magellan, who sailed through its waters for three months. During all this time, the captain and his crew never struggled with bad weather. This ocean includes such seas as the Yellow, Japanese, Bering, Tasman, Coral, Java, and East China. Also, very important international air and sea routes pass through the Pacific Ocean.

What is the smallest ocean in the world

The smallest ocean in the world- Arctic. Located between North America and Eurasia, it occupies only 4% of the area of ​​the entire World Ocean. It is also ten times smaller than the largest Pacific Ocean. Despite its rather modest size, this representative of the aquatic world has a unique fauna and is rich in stories.

What is the saltiest ocean in the world

List of oceans of the world complements and the saltiest ocean in the world, which is the Atlantic. Despite the fact that it collects a large amount of fresh water, the percentage of salt here is 35.4%. The Atlantic Ocean is very interesting. In almost any place, the percentage of salt is the same. This feature is unique to him. The Indian Ocean, for example, does not fit this rule at all, since in some areas the salt saturation is several times higher than the salinity of the Atlantic Ocean.

Which ocean is the warmest in the world

The Pacific Ocean will appear several times on lists of the very best. This time he became the first, as he received the title "C" warmest ocean in the world" Despite the fact that there has always been a lot of controversy and doubt regarding this fact, just think a little logically, and it will become clear that this ocean deserves the title of the warmest. Thus, the cover of ice and the proximity of oceans such as the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic to Antarctica definitely exclude them from possible contenders for this title. Only the Indian Ocean raises doubts, because it includes the warmest seas and currents. However, it is also adjacent to Antarctica, which deprives it of the title of the warmest ocean. The coldest ocean is the Arctic Ocean. He is also the smallest.

The world's oceans and its parts: what else is worth knowing

  • Scientists note that the Moon has been studied much better than the World Ocean. We know only about 3% of information about him.
  • Despite the thickness of the water at the bottom, in some places there are underwater waterfalls. Currently, 7 such natural phenomena are known.
  • At the bottom there are underwater rivers - areas in which methane, hydrogen sulfide, seeps through cracks and mixes with water.
  • The deepest point of the World Ocean is called the Mariana Trench. The maximum depth is more than 11 km.
  • Almost 2.2 million different species of organisms live in the depths of the waters.
  • The whale shark is recognized as one of the largest fish on earth. Its weight reaches 21.5 tons.
  • The average depth of the world's oceans is 3,984 km.
  • At a depth of 1 km you can find organisms that are amazing in appearance. They often have a very scary appearance.

The most beautiful ocean in the world

It is difficult to say which is the most beautiful ocean in the world, since each part of the World Ocean has its own charms and its own unique beauty. That is why you need to visit all the oceans and determine your favorite for yourself. Well, I’ll help you a little - look at the photos of the ocean.

Oceans of the world - photos


When studying our planet, it is very important to know what part of the Earth's surface is occupied by the World Ocean. Its area is truly impressive, because it occupies most of the surface of the globe. From space it looks as if the Earth is a single body of water on which the continents are located as separate islands.

Volume of the World Ocean

The concept of “World Ocean” was first introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century by the famous Russian oceanologist Yu. M. Shokalsky. It denotes the totality of all the seas, oceans, bays and straits in which the planet is so rich. With the development of technology and in the course of numerous studies, it was found that the area of ​​the World Ocean makes up 70% of the Earth's surface, that is, 361 million square meters. km.

It should be noted that the distribution of the waters of the World Ocean is uneven, and in percentage it looks like this:

  • 81% of ocean waters are distributed in the Southern Hemisphere;
  • 61% - in the Northern Hemisphere.

Such unevenness is one of the most important factors in the formation of nature and climate on Earth.

Fig.1. Map of the World Ocean.

The volume of the Ocean is more than 1300 million cubic meters. km. But if we take into account the water that is concentrated in the silt of the ocean floor, then we can safely add 10% to this figure.

Area of ​​the four oceans

For a long time, scientists could not come to a consensus on how to divide the World Ocean into regions and how many oceans exist on the planet. Only in 1953 did the International Hydrogeographical Bureau develop a common division of the waters of the World Ocean, which is still successfully used in practice.

TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this

The world ocean consists of four oceans, each of which has a unique geological structure, features of the continental coastline, bottom topography, currents, natural resources and many other indicators.

  • Pacific Ocean- the largest on the planet, its area occupies almost half of the waters of the World Ocean and is 179 million. sq. km. Its deepest place is the famous Mariana Trench with a depth of 11 km.
  • Atlantic Ocean- the second largest, its area is almost 92 million square meters. km. Maximum depth - 8.7 km. in a trench called Puerto Rico.
  • Indian Ocean- slightly less than the Atlantic - 76 million square meters. km. Its deepest point is the Java Trench, whose depth reaches 7.7 km.
  • Arctic- completes the four world oceans, its area is slightly less than 15 million square meters. km. The greatest depth was recorded in the Nansen Trench - 5.5 km.

Rice. 2. Arctic Ocean.

The topography of the ocean floor largely determines the depth of the World Ocean. A relatively shallow continental shoal or shelf, which extends for approximately 200 m, is followed by a continental slope that smoothly turns into a bed. Here, the average depth of the World Ocean is 4 km, but do not forget about the presence of depressions that can reach 11 km. in depth.

World Ocean. Oceans of the Earth

The world's oceans cover ¾ of our planet, this is the largest accumulation of water. The world ocean is one (from any point you can get to another point without crossing land) and consists of 5 interconnected oceans:

1. Quiet.

2. Atlantic.

3. Indian.

4. Arctic.

5. South.

A world map or a map of the hemispheres clearly shows that most of the earth's surface is covered with water.

Rice. 1. Map of the hemispheres

The largest ocean is the Pacific, its area is about 180 million square meters. km, which is almost 50% of the area of ​​the entire World Ocean. The Pacific Ocean stretches both from north to south and from west to east. This ocean is also considered the deepest; it is here that the Mariana Trench is located.

Rice. 2. Map of the Pacific Ocean

The second largest area is the Atlantic Ocean. It is almost half the size of the Pacific Ocean. It extends more from north to south than from west to east.

The Indian Ocean has an area of ​​approximately 90 million square meters. km, it is quite wide.

The Southern Ocean is the conventional name for the waters of the three oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian) surrounding Antarctica. These waters are distinguished by a certain salinity, temperature, and living organisms, so they are combined into a separate ocean. The northern boundary of the Southern Ocean is located at the 60th parallel of south latitude. The ocean area is approximately 20 million square meters. km.

The smallest ocean is the Arctic Ocean, with an area of ​​14.75 million square meters. km.

Rice. 3. Arctic Ocean on the map

The boundaries of the oceans coincide with the shores of continents and islands, and are also drawn along some seas and straits.

Rice. 4. Ocean boundaries

Continents, islands and peninsulas

The oceans contain huge areas of land - continents and relatively small areas - islands.

There are only 6 continents:

1. Eurasia.

2. Africa.

3. North America.

4. South America.

5. Antarctica.

6. Australia.

Rice. 5. Continents on the map

There are a great many islands. The largest island is Greenland, its area is 2.13 million square meters. km.

Archipelago- a group of islands located close to each other.

Rice. 6. Hawaiian Archipelago

Peninsula- a piece of land that juts out into the ocean.

The largest peninsulas: Arabian, Hindustan, Indochina, Labrador, Scandinavian, Somalia, etc.

Seas, bays and straits

Sea- a part of the ocean that freely communicates with it and is surrounded by land. Seas differ from the main part of the ocean in the properties of water, currents, and living organisms.

There are three groups of seas:

1. Internal (located in the depths of continents, connected to the oceans through other seas).

2. Marginal (located along the edges of the continents, immediately turning into the ocean).

3. Interisland (between islands).

Bay- a part of the ocean that freely communicates with it and extends into the land. In many ways, bays are no different from seas. Examples: Gulf of Mexico, Bay of Bengal, Bay of Biscay.

Rice. 7. Gulf of Mexico on the map

Strait- a narrow part of the ocean, surrounded on both sides by land. The widest strait is the Drake Strait.

Salinity

Unlike many land waters, the waters of the World Ocean are salty, i.e. Various salts and substances are dissolved in ocean water.

Salinity– the number of grams of substances dissolved in one liter of water. Salinity is measured in ppm (‰). The average salinity of the World Ocean is 35‰, which means that 35 grams of salts and substances are dissolved in 1 liter of water.

There are many chemical elements dissolved in sea water, 4/5 of them are table salt.

Rice. 1. Sea salt

In addition, sea water contains particles of gold, silver, and various metals, but in very small quantities.

Rice. 2. Content of some components in sea water

The salinity of ocean waters varies; it depends on the climate (temperature, amount of precipitation), the degree of evaporation, the presence of inflowing rivers, currents, and the connection of the reservoir with the main part of the ocean.

The saltiest sea is the Red Sea, its salinity is 42‰. This is explained by the fact that no rivers flow into it, i.e. do not have a desalination effect; in addition, the sea is located in a dry and hot climate, which causes significant evaporation of water from its surface, and salts remain.

Rice. 3. Red Sea on the map

The Arctic and North Atlantic seas, on the other hand, have low salinity, many rivers, and cool climates with high rainfall that desalinize the seawater. For example, the salinity of the waters of the Baltic Sea is only 11‰.

Ocean water is unsuitable for drinking due to its high salt content. Currently, seawater desalination plants are used on ships and in many countries where there are no fresh water sources.

Rice. 4. Desalination station

Temperature

Another feature of oceanic waters is that their temperature changes only in the upper layers under the influence of sunlight, and at a depth of more than 2000-3000 meters the temperature is constant throughout the year - about 2 degrees.

In addition, unlike fresh water, sea water freezes at a temperature of -1.8 -2 degrees, i.e. at negative temperatures.

Rice. 5. Frozen sea

The temperature of surface waters is influenced by currents, geographic location, and nearby areas. The world's oceans are capable of absorbing heat and releasing it, thereby maintaining certain climatic characteristics. In summer, the ocean has a cooling effect because... does not have time to heat up, and in winter - heating, because The ocean waters do not have time to cool.

Bibliography

Main

1. Basic course in geography: Textbook. for 6th grade. general education institutions / T.P. Gerasimova, N.P. Neklyukova. – 10th ed., stereotype. – M.: Bustard, 2010. – 176 p.

2. Geography. 6th grade: atlas. – 3rd ed., stereotype. – M.: Bustard, DIK, 2011. – 32 p.

3. Geography. 6th grade: atlas. – 4th ed., stereotype. – M.: Bustard, DIK, 2013. – 32 p.

4. Geography. 6th grade: cont. maps - M.: DIK, Bustard, 2012. - 16 p.

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, reference books and statistical collections

1. Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia / A.P. Gorkin. – M.: Rosman-Press, 2006. – 624 p.

Materials on the Internet

1. Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements ().

2. Russian Geographical Society ().

Divided into separate parts (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Parts of the World Ocean

First of all, the World Ocean is a collection of individual oceans (Table 1).

Table 1. Main characteristics of the oceans (according to K. S. Lazarevich, 2005)

Total area, million km 2

Average depth, m

Maximum depth, m

Volume, million km 3

11 022 (Mariana Trench)

Atlantic

8742 (Puerto Rico Trench)

Indian

7729 (Sunda Trench)

Arctic

5527 (Greenland Sea)

World Ocean

11 022 (Mariana Trench)

The basis for this division is the following characteristics:

  • configuration of the coastline of continents, archipelagos and islands;
  • bottom relief;
  • independent systems of ocean currents and atmospheric circulation;
  • characteristic features of the horizontal and vertical distribution of the physical and chemical properties of water.

The boundaries of the oceans are extremely arbitrary. They are carried out on continents, islands, and in expanses of water - along underwater elevations or, conditionally, along meridians and parallels.

Smaller and relatively enclosed parts of the oceans are known as seas, bays, and straits.

Classification of seas

Sea- a part of the ocean, usually separated by islands, peninsulas and surface hills. The exception is the so-called sea without shores - the Sargasso Sea.

Seas make up 10% of the world's oceans. The largest sea on Earth is the Philippine Sea. Its area is 5726 thousand km 2.

The seas differ from the open part of the ocean in their special hydrological regime and other natural features, which is due to some isolation, the large influence of land and slow water exchange.

Seas are classified according to different criteria. By location seas are divided into:

  • outlying, which are located on the underwater continuation of the continents and are limited on the ocean side by islands and underwater hills (for example, the Barents Sea, Bering Sea, Tasman Sea; all of them are closely connected with the ocean);
  • domestic (Mediterranean), which flow far into the land, connecting with the oceans through narrow straits, often with bottom rises - underwater rapids, sharply differing from them in hydrological regime. Inland seas, in turn, are divided into inland(for example, Baltic and Black) and intercontinental(for example, Mediterranean and Red);
  • interisland, more or less surrounded by a dense ring of islands and underwater rapids. These include the Java, Philippine and other seas, the regime of which is determined by the degree of water exchange with the ocean.

By the origin of the basins seas are divided into:

  • continental (epicontinental), which are located on the shelf and arose due to the increase in water in the ocean after the melting of glaciers during the advance of ocean water onto land. This type includes most marginal and many inland seas, the depths of which are relatively shallow;
  • oceanic (geosynclinal), which are formed as a result of breaks and faults in the earth's crust and subsidence of the land. These mainly include intercontinental seas, the depths of which increase towards the center to 2000-3000 m and have basins that are relatively symmetrical in shape. They are characterized by tectonic activity, and usually they cut through the continental basement. All interisland seas are also located in zones of tectonic activity of the Earth, and the islands surrounding them serve as the tops of seamounts, often volcanoes.

The boundary between land and sea, the so-called coastline, As a rule, it is very uneven, with bends in the form of bays and peninsulas. Along the coastline there are usually islands, separated from the continents and from each other by straits.

Bay classification

Bay- part of the ocean that extends deep into the land. Bays are less isolated from the oceans and are divided into different types:

  • fjords - narrow, long, deep bays with steep banks, jutting into mountainous land and formed at the site of tectonic faults (for example, Sognefjord);
  • estuaries - small bays formed on the site of river mouths flooded by the sea (for example, the Dnieper estuary);
  • lagoons - bays along the coast, separated from the sea by spits (for example, the Curonian Lagoon).

There is a division of bays according to sizes. The largest bay on Earth, both in area and depth, is the Bay of Bengal. Its area is 2191 thousand km2, and its maximum depth is 4519 m.

Essentially similar water areas can be called bays in some cases, and seas in others. For example, the Bay of Bengal, but the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, but the Red Sea, etc. The fact is that their names have existed since historical times, when there were not enough clear definitions and ideas about water bodies.

Strait classification

Strait- a relatively narrow part of the ocean or sea that separates two areas of land and connects two adjacent bodies of water.

By morphology The straits are divided as follows:

  • narrow and wide straits (the widest Drake Passage is 1120 km);
  • short and long straits (the longest is Mozambique - 1760 km);
  • shallow and deep straits (the deepest Drake Passage is 5249 km).

Based on the direction of water movement, they are distinguished:

  • flowing straits, in which the current is directed in one direction (for example, the Strait of Florida with the Florida Current);
  • exchange straits, in which currents pass in opposite directions off different coasts (for example, in Davis Strait, the warm West Greenland Current is directed to the north, and the cold Labrador Current is directed to the south). Currents in the Bosphorus Strait pass in opposite directions at two different levels (surface current from the Black Sea to Marmara, and deep one - vice versa).

Name the oceans of the globe and show them on the globe and the map of the hemispheres.

1. The world's oceans. If you look at the globe, we will see that most of the globe is occupied by water. This is the World Ocean. The World Ocean accounts for 3/4 of the entire surface of the Earth, or 361 million km2 (Fig. 68).

Rice. 68. Ratio of ocean and land areas.

The world's oceans consist of separate oceans that have their own names, but they are all connected to each other. From any point of the World Ocean you can get to any other without crossing land. (Check this out on the map of the hemispheres.)
Large areas of land surrounded by oceans and seas are called continents or continents. There are 6 continents on the globe. This Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia And Antarctica.
Small areas of land surrounded on all sides by water are called islands. (Find the islands on the map Greenland, Madagascar, Iceland.)
The part of the land that extends deep into the body of water is called a peninsula. (Locate the peninsula on the map Apennine And Labrador.)
The world ocean consists of 4 parts.
The Pacific Ocean (180 million km2) is the largest and deepest of all the oceans on the globe. The occupied area corresponds to the remaining three combined. In 1520-1521, F. Magellan first crossed this ocean during his trip around the world. The Pacific Ocean starts from the west coast of North and South America and extends to Australia and Antarctica.
Here is the deepest place in the World Ocean - the Mariana Trench (depth - 11,022 m).
The Atlantic Ocean (92 million km2) is half the size of the Pacific Ocean. It starts from the east coast of North and South America and extends to the west coast of Eurasia, Africa and Antarctica. It stretches from the Arctic Circle to the South Polar Circle. Particularly important sea routes pass through the Atlantic Ocean, connecting countries located on the continents of the Western and Eastern hemispheres. The ocean has been completely developed for maritime transport.
The Indian Ocean (75 million km2) occupies most of the southern hemisphere. It is the warmest ocean. (Use the map of the hemispheres to determine which continents it is located between.) The Indian Ocean has cleaner water than others. This is due to the fact that almost no rivers flow into its southern part.
The Arctic Ocean (14 million km2) is the smallest among all oceans. Its borders begin from the coast of North America and end at the coast of Eurasia. Most of it is covered with ice throughout the year.
The next feature of the Arctic Ocean is its shallow depth. In places where the underwater continental margins transition into the ocean floor, the depth is only 200 m. There are quite a few such places on the coast of Eurasia. There are many large islands in the ocean.

2.Parts of the oceans. Parts of the oceans include seas, bays, and straits.
The sea is part of the ocean and differs from it in the properties of water and animal life. In most cases, seas are located off the coast of land, but sometimes they are found in the open ocean (for example, Sargasso zhora). An ordinary sea is separated from the ocean by peninsulas, islands or underwater ridges.
Seas that extend far into the mainland are called inland seas. (For example, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea. Which ocean are they parts of?) Seas located on the outskirts of continents are called marginal seas. These include the seas located on the coast of Eurasia - Barents, Kara, Laptev, Japanese, Okhotsk, East China and others.
A bay is a small part of the ocean or sea that extends deep into the land. For example, Hudson and Gulf of Mexico are parts of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North America, and Persian Gulf - part of the Indian Ocean in southern Eurasia.
Parts of the World Ocean are connected to each other by straits. A strait is a narrow expanse of water bounded on both sides by the shores of continents or islands. The width of the straits is very different. The widest (up to 950 km) and deepest (up to 5840 m) - Drake Passage, and the longest (about 1670 km) - Mozambique Channel.

1. How can we determine the integrity of the World Ocean?

2. Does the territory of Kazakhstan have access to the World Ocean? How can you access the World Ocean from the territory of Kazakhstan?

3. How far is the nearest sea from your area? Measure this distance on the map.

4. Mentally, starting from the Black Sea, make a sea trip around the world. Name the oceans, seas, bays, straits, channels through which or near which this route runs?

5. Name the internal and marginal seas on the coast of the Eurasian continent.

6. Which strait connects two seas with two oceans, two continents with two states?

7. Mark the named seas, bays and straits on the contour map.

8. Fill out the “Oceans” table using information from the text.



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