Fun facts about THE OCEAN

As we all know, the ocean is a huge body of salt water that separates the different continents around the world. It represents 71 percent of the Earth's surface and is divided into four regions: the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, and the Arctic oceans. It also represents 97 percent of the world's water; that is why the planet would be almost impossible to live in without it. Besides, the ocean is the home of millions of marine species, representing the aquatic ecosystem that scientists are discovering. Knowing this, in this entrance we will learn some interesting facts about the ocean:



1. The ocean is the Earth's greatest source of oxygen, with kelp, algae, and tiny ocean phytoplankton producing about 70% of the atmospheric oxygen; also, absorbing about a third of the carbon dioxide produced on Earth.

2. Around 91 percent of the ocean species remain undiscovered. The total of marine species is still unknown, but scientists estimated that there are around 2.2 million plants, animals, and fungi. 


3. More people have been to the moon than the deepest parts of the sea. Because of the pressure conditions of the oceans, it is inaccessible, which is why twelve people have been to the moon, but only three people have been to the deepest point in the ocean, the Marianas Trench. 


4. The ocean influences and regulates Earth's climate and carries life-sustaining nutrients, acting like the planet's "heart". Like the human circulatory system, ocean currents move heat, moisture, and nutrients to where they need to be.  


5. There is enough salt in the ocean to cover the whole surface of the Earth. If we decide to remove and spread the salt of the oceans, it would form a layer more than 50 feet or 166 meters thick of Earth's land surface. 


6. The ocean floor is moving. The ocean floor is composed mostly of basalt and other igneous rocks, forming what's known as oceanic crust. As tectonic plates spread apart, molten magma rises up into the ocean floor, forming a mid-ocean ridge, which is part of the active tectonic processes that are shaping our planet. 


7. Sea level and the amount of water in the ocean change over time. As global average temperatures increase, heat is absorbed into the ocean, sea surface temperatures rise, and water expands, which adds to the volume of water in the ocean and increases global sea levels. Also during colder climatic periods, ice caps grow, glaciers form, and water turns to ice, lessening the amounts in other parts of the water cycle like the ocean; the reverse is true during warm periods.


8. The longest mountain range in the world is found underwater. Stretching over 65,000 km, the Mid-Oceanic Rige is a mountain chain that runs along the center of the ocean basins and it's 90 percent submerged. 


9. There are more historic artifacts under the ocean than in all of the world's museums. Finding such ancient objects from the daily life of the ancient people can tell us how they were fishing, cooking, traveling, repairing shops, fighting against pirates, and even throwing away their trash. Mugs, pieces of clothing, musical instruments, ship propellers, binoculars, compasses, games, art sculptures, wooden boxes, and many others have been found under the ocean. 


10. It's possible to find rivers and lakes beneath the ocean. When salt water and hydrogen sulfide combine, it becomes denser than the rest of the water around it, enabling it to form a lake or river that flows beneath the sea. 




In short, we can notice that the ocean is an extremely important resource for our existence, as it is home of millions of species, it regulates the climate, provides us with oxygen, and keeps part of the history of our ancestors. So it's necessary to continue investigating, in order to learn many more interesting facts. 


Bibliographic sources 💧: 




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