The Five Oceans
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceans. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east. At 165.2 million square kilometres (63.8 million square miles) in area, it covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about one-third of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceans, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian subcontinent; on the west by East Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and in the far-south by the Southern Ocean. The Indian Ocean is nearly 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) wide at the southern tips of Africa and Australia; its area is 73,556,000 square kilometres (28,350,000 sq mi), which includes the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The ocean's volume is estimated to be 292,131,000 cubic kilometres. Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest, and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It occupies a roughly circular basin and covers an area of about 14,056,000 km2 (5,427,000 sq mi), almost the size of Russia. The coastline is estimated to be 45,390 km (28,200 mi) long. Surrounded by the land masses of Europe, North America, Greenland, and by several islands, it is partly covered by sea ice throughout the year, and almost completely in the winter months. |
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106,400,000 square kilometers(41,100,000 sq mi), it covers approximately 22% percent of the Earth's surface and about twenty-six percent of its water surface area. The Atlantic Ocean occupies an elongated, S-shaped basin extending longitudinally between the Americas to the west, and Europe and Africa to the east. As one component of the interconnected global ocean, it is connected in the north to the Arctic Ocean (which is sometimes considered a sea of the Atlantic), to the Pacific Ocean in the southwest, the Indian Ocean in the southeast, and the Southern Ocean in the far-south. The Atlantic's width varies from 2,848 kilometers (1,770 mi) between Brazil and Sierra Leone to over 6,400 km (4,000 mi) in the far-south. Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, is also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean. It comprises the southernmost waters on the planet, and is generally accepted to be south of 60°S latitude, and encircling the continent of Antarctica. The Southern Ocean has typical depths of between 4,000 and 5,000 meters (13,000 to 16,000 ft) with only limited areas of shallow water. Its greatest depth is measured at 7,236 meters (23,737 ft) at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench, at 60°00'S, 024°W. It is considered the fourth-largest of the planet's five principal oceans. This ocean zone is where cold, northward flowing waters from the Antarctic mix with warmer sub-Antarctic waters. Large icebergs are very common in its waters, as well as countless iceberg fragments and sea ice of varied depths. High winds and large waves in its northern reaches are the norm. |