Our planet is made up mostly of water that is divided into oceans. They are great immense bodies of water that gave rise to life on the planet as we know it today. All the world oceans they have different characteristics and that is why they are classified under different names. Each of them harbors a different amount of biodiversity according to their environmental conditions.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the world's oceans and their characteristics.
What is an ocean
The first of all is to know what an ocean is in order to know what the different types exist on the planet. When we say the word ocean, we relate it to huge amounts of water that cover long stretches of land. There is no exact measure to measure the oceans. We only know that they have a great extension, being the majority of the world. If we talk about planet earth, we see that we could only divide it into a large body of salt water. However, as the characteristics are different in each place on the planet, they have been divided into different types.
The interest of dividing the enormous mass of water that covers our planet into different types is the ease of being able to study in depth.
Oceans of the world
We are going to know which are the main oceans of the world in their main characteristics:
- Pacific Ocean: It is the largest and has an impressive 714 cubic kilometers of water. Every year it is reduced by one centimeter due to the movement of tectonic plates. Even in spite of this, it is still the largest ocean on the planet. The deepest points on the planet have been found in this huge body of water. Among them we have the call Mariana Trench.
- Atlantic Ocean: it is smaller than the previous one, measuring a little more than half. However, it is home to numerous oil fields and constitutes an important connection between Europe and America. One of the most curious facts about this ocean is that it is the one with the highest salinity.
- Indian Ocean: It is the third largest of the world's oceans and has a coverage of 19.5% of the total water existing on earth. It stands out for having a great wealth of oil and natural gas deposits. This amount of fossil fuels has been able to bring great wealth to some of the nations of the Middle East.
- Arctic Ocean: it is considered the smallest and the least deep of all. However, it is the coldest of all the world's oceans. Home to a large amount of marine life despite the most extreme conditions. It has become one of the most important oceans for the ecological balance of many species of habitats that are less northern. Thanks to these unique environmental conditions, large numbers of endemic species are found.
- Antartic Ocean: it is one of the last oceans to be divided by humans. It is characterized by being the only one that surrounds a continent completely. At least 10.000 species of animals are found in this ocean and contain 50 times more carbon than the Earth's atmosphere.
Characteristics and importance of the world's oceans
Since there really are no physical limits or barriers that divide the oceans, it is simply reflected through maps and scale figures. This is easier to differentiate for the study of giving different characteristics and biodiversity that each place in the world houses. As we have mentioned before, the Atlantic Ocean is the ocean with the highest salinity. This does not mean that it is a different body of water from the rest of the world. But, being a saltier area and with other characteristics, it is home to other species of flora and fauna. Thus, you can live perfectly these bodies of water to be able to study them independently.
Beyond a few miles of waters that surround the shores of a nation, no government can have any ocean under its ownership. Each nation is free to travel by sea or by air through these aquatic spaces. For this, there are regulations and laws that regulate the use and exploitation of the oceans in order to maintain their preservation and sustainable use.
The oceans are fundamental pieces of our planet. If they only study formed water it would be something too simple, but it is that inside there are so many forms of life and it has taken human beings a historical journey to discover it. Despite this, even today not all species are known since the space is immense. Of all the world's oceans, only about 5% are known. And it is that research in these ecosystems represent high economic costs and a high risk for researchers.
It can be said that the world's oceans are the food of the seas and rivers. Since the human being does not have the necessary characteristics to be able to reach great ocean depths, using technological equipment is essential. Even so, there are potential risks of accidents or sudden deaths. These are the reasons why they have been able to create special robots to study cavities, marine ridges and deeper areas where light does not reach. In these areas the danger is much greater. Neither are they investigations that can be done in a regulated manner since they require high economic costs and high investment. In addition, since the space to investigate is very scarce, the probability that something different from what is already known will not be found increases.
The most studied levels of the ocean have revealed quite a few curious facts. And it is that various forms of life are housed that depend entirely on the conditions of the waters. These conditions are primarily temperature, salinity, density, pressure, and contamination. Water pollution It has become a global problem which is seriously affecting the chemical aspect of the waters. In this way, the polluted oceans of the world prevent the development of numerous life forms that support the health of all ecosystems.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the world's oceans and their characteristics.