Amazing Facts About Oceans

When it comes to underwater life, we have barely know anything about it. We may know more about Mars than we do about our own oceans. The deep blue oceans are still unchartered territory for humans. The oceans are very big and deep. This makes studying it very difficult. Earth's oceans are also home to countless species, a considerable portion of which we have only discovered in recent years and still loads more yet to be disclosed. Oceans are ultimate source of life for our Earth. As the oceans are deep in terms of absolute liquid, they are deeper when it comes to mystery and fascination.

Here are some amazing facts about oceans: 

1. There are lakes, rivers, and hidden waterfalls in the ocean

The ocean is like an entirely separate world. There are trenches, mountains, volcanos, and lakes and rivers. 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. 

2. Light gives the Ocean its iconic blue color

From deep blues to vibrant turquoises, the oceans of the world get their blue tint because of orange and red wavelengths from the sun. 

 3. A majority of life on our Earth is aquatic 

As so much of the Earth’s surface is underwater, it comes as no surprise that marine species outnumber those on land. But, it’s an incredible 94% of the Earth’s living species that exist within the oceans.  

4. Thank the ocean for our oxygen

Over 70 percent of our planet’s oxygen is produced by the ocean. It is thought that between 70 and 80 per cent of the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plants, nearly all of which are marine algae,plankton, and some bacteria.

5. There is a lot of gold under the ocean

There's around 20 million tons of gold dispersed throughout the oceans. The ocean floor also has undissolved gold embedded in it, but it's not cost-effective to mine it. 

 6. Most volcanic eruptions happen underwater

When it comes to volcanic activity, the oceans have the most going on by a wide margin. Many of us know Mount Stromboli in Italy or the world's most active volcanic mass Kilauea in Hawaii. But around 80% of volcanic eruptions actually occur underwater. 

 7. We have better maps of Mars than of the ocean

Less than 5% of the ocean has been explored, according to the National Ocean Service. In fact, we have better maps of Mars than of the oceans, despite the fact that it's nearly 50 million miles away. 

 8. There are some areas of the ocean that are unimaginably deep

The Mariana Trench is considered to be the deepest part of the world’s oceans—and the deepest point on Earth. Inside the Trench is a valley known as Challenger Deep. It’s deepest point measures 11km. That’s a long dive down! 

 9. The world’s longest mountain chain is underwater

The longest mountain range in the world is found under water. Stretching over 56,000km, the Mid-Oceanic Ridge is a mountain chain that runs along the centre of the ocean basins. 

 10. Earth's biggest waterfall is in the Atlantic ocean

The Denmark Strait cataract, a waterfall below the Atlantic Ocean, is the equivalent of 2000 of the world’s most notable waterfalls, with cascading liquid pouring 11,500 feet down. 

 11. “Dead Zones” in the ocean can be barren of any life

There are literal "dead zones" that cannot sustain any sea life in oceans and large lakes around the world. These zones, most of which were naturally occurring but some are now manmade, are hypoxic (meaning low in oxygen) and cause these bodies of water to fail to support the marine life living there. 

 12. The oceans keep the internet online

Submarine cables buried deep within the oceans have carried more than 97% of intercontinental data traffic—meaning that overseas communication is made possible by ocean-based cables. 

 13. Earth's most remote place is in the South Pacific

Known as Point Nemo, the area is roughly 1000 miles away from the coasts of three neighboring islands. It is called “the oceanic pole of inaccessibility" or the farthest point from any land on Earth. 

 14. Less than 5% of the planet’s oceans have been explored

We have only explored about 5% of the Earth’s oceans. There's a lot more to be discovered! 

 15. Half of the United States exists below the ocean

Not only does a large part of the planet exist beneath the ocean, so does the United States – around 50%, in fact. 

 16. The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean and contains around 25,000 islands

 With 25,000 islands lying within it, the Pacific Ocean has more islands than anywhere else on the planet, covering around 30% of the Earth’s surface. The name “Pacific Ocean” comes form the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, “peaceful sea”. 

 17. The world's largest living structure is in the ocean

The sea is home to the world’s largest living structure – the Great Barrier Reef. Measuring around 2,600km, it can even be seen from the Moon! 

 18. The ocean has more artifacts than all the world's museums combined

The sea can be described as the planet’s mega museum. There are more artefacts and remnants of history in the ocean than in all of the world’s museums combined! 

 19. Pressure at the bottom of the ocean would crush you like an ant 

In the Mariana Trench (35,802 feet below the surface), which includes the deepest point on the planet, the water pressure is eight tons per square inch. 

 20. The loudest ocean sound came from an icequake 

In 1997, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) captured one of the loudest sounds ever recorded, which they named "The Bloop." 

 21. There is a lot of plastic in the oceans 

With over 7 million tons of plastic winding up in the ocean each year, it’s inevitable that a lot of it winds up as part of an unwelcome addition to a fish’s diet. 

 22. Our oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface

With so much of the Earth’s surface taken up by ocean, it’s evident how vital these marine environments are to the planet, and how much there still is to be explored. 

 23. We still only know a fraction of the marine species in our oceans 

Size and water pressure conspire to limit our exploration of the oceans, so much so that it’s estimated we’ve identified only one-third of the potential marine life lurking beneath the surface. An average of 2000 new species are described each year. 

 24. More people have been to the moon than to the Mariana Trench 

In human history, one dozen people have set foot on the moon, but just three people have managed to make it to the Mariana Trench, because of the extreme conditions there. 

 25. The biggest waves are under the surface of the ocean 

The largest waves that occur in the ocean are called internal waves, which take place between two fluids with two different densities. As these internal waves travel for thousands of miles. They can grow to be 650 feet tall. 

 26. Seashells actually don't sound like the ocean 

Seashells have long been perceived as the iPods of the sea, tiny little devices that can mimic the static, hissing noise of the water. What they’re actually doing is acting as a resonator, or a cavity that allows sound to vibrate. 

 27. Water at the bottom of the ocean is incredibly hot 

In the deepest parts of the ocean, the water temperature may only be 2º to 4º Celsius, with the exception of water coming out of hydrothermal vents in the seafloor. The water released from these vents can be up to 400º Celsius.

The End Notes

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