A message on why the world's oceans are important. Oceans. Wildlife of the Pacific Ocean

From space, the Earth has been described as "blue marble." Do you know why? Because most of our planet is covered by the World Ocean. In fact, almost three-quarters (71%, or 362 million km²) of the Earth is ocean. Therefore, healthy oceans are vital to our planet.

The ocean is unevenly distributed between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. contains about 39% of the landmass, and in the Southern Hemisphere the lands occupy approximately 19%.

When did the ocean appear?

Of course, the ocean arose long before the advent of humanity, so no one knows exactly how it happened, but it is believed that it was formed due to water vapor present on Earth. As the Earth cooled, this water vapor eventually evaporated, formed clouds, and fell as rain. Over time, rain flooded the lowlands, creating the first oceans. As water flowed from land, it picked up minerals, including salts, which formed salt water.

Meaning of the ocean

The ocean is extremely important to humanity and the entire Earth, but some things are more obvious than others:

• Provides food.
• Provides oxygen through tiny organisms called phytoplankton. These organisms produce approximately 50-85% of the oxygen we breathe and also store excess carbon.
• Regulates the climate.
• It is a source of important products we use in cooking, including thickeners and stabilizers.
• Provides opportunities for recreation.
• Contains such as natural gas and oil.
• Provides a "road" for international trade. More than 98% of US foreign trade occurs across the ocean.

How many oceans are there on planet Earth?

Map of all the oceans and continents of the Earth

The main part of the hydrosphere of our planet is considered to be the World Ocean, which connects all the oceans. There are currents, winds, tides and waves that constantly circulate around this ocean. But to simplify, the world's oceans were divided into parts. Below are the names of the oceans with brief description and characteristics, from largest to smallest:

• Pacific Ocean: is the largest ocean and is considered the largest geographical feature on our planet. It is the west coast of America and the east coast of Asia and Australia. The ocean extends from the Arctic Ocean (in the north) to the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica (in the south).
• Atlantic Ocean: is smaller than the Pacific Ocean. It is also shallower than the previous one and America in the west, Europe and Africa in the east, borders the Arctic Ocean in the north, and connects with the Southern Ocean in the south.
• Indian Ocean: is the third largest ocean. It borders Africa in the west, Asia in the north, and Australia in the east, and borders the Southern Ocean in the south.
• Southern or Antarctic Ocean: was designated as a separate ocean by the International Hydrographic Organization in 2000. This ocean includes the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, and it surrounds Antarctica. In the north it does not have clear outlines of islands and continents.
• Arctic Ocean: this is the smallest ocean. It is the northern coasts of Eurasia and North America.

What does sea water consist of?

The salinity (salt content) of water varies in different parts of the ocean, but averages around 3.5%. To recreate sea water at home, you need to dilute a teaspoon of table salt in a glass of water.

However, the salt in seawater is different from table salt. Our table salt is made up of the elements sodium and chlorine, and salt in seawater contains more than 100 elements, including magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Ocean water temperatures can vary greatly and range from -2 to +30°C.

Ocean zones

As you study marine life and habitats, you will learn that different marine organisms can live in different areas, but the two main ones are:

• Pelagic zone (pelagil), considered the "open ocean".
• The benthic zone (benthal), which is the ocean floor.

The ocean is also divided into zones based on how much sunlight each receives. There is a plant that receives enough light to ensure the process of photosynthesis. In the dysphotic zone there is only a small amount of light, and in the aphotic zone there is no sunlight at all.

Some animals, such as whales, sea turtles and fish, can occupy multiple zones throughout their lives or during different seasons. Other animals, such as barnacles, are able to remain in one area for almost their entire lives.

Ocean habitats

Ocean habitats range from warm, shallow, light-filled waters to deep, dark, cold areas. The main habitats are:

• Littoral zone (littoral): This is a coastal area that is flooded with water during high tides and dried out during low tides. Marine life here faces serious challenges, so living organisms must adapt to changes in temperature, salinity and moisture.
• : another habitat for organisms along the coast. These areas are covered with salt-tolerant mangroves and provide important habitat for several marine species.
• Sea herbs: They are flowering plants that grow in marine, fully saline environments. These unusual marine plants have roots with which they attach themselves to the bottom and often form “meadows.” The seagrass ecosystem is capable of supporting hundreds of species of organisms, including fish, shellfish, worms and many others. Grasslands store more than 10% of the oceans' total carbon, as well as produce oxygen and protect coastal areas from erosion.
• : coral reefs are often called the "forest of the sea" due to their high biodiversity. Most coral reefs are found in warm tropical and subtropical areas, although deep-sea corals exist in some cold habitats. One of the most famous coral reefs is.
• Deep sea: Although these cold, deep and dark areas of the ocean may seem inhospitable, scientists have proven that they support wide range sea ​​life. These are also important areas for scientific research, as about 80% of the ocean is more than 1,000 meters deep.
• Hydrothermal Vents: They provide a unique, mineral-rich habitat that is home to hundreds of species, including organisms called (which carry out the process of chemosynthesis) and other animals such as clams, clams, mussels, crabs and shrimp.
• Kelp forests: they are found in cold, fertile and relatively shallow waters. These underwater forests include an abundance of brown algae. The giant plants provide food and shelter for a huge number of marine species.
• Polar Regions: located near the polar circles of the Earth, north of the Arctic and south of the Antarctic. These areas are cold, windy and have wide variations daylight during a year. Although these areas are apparently uninhabitable for humans, they are characterized by rich marine life, and many migratory animals travel to these areas to feed on krill and other prey. Polar regions are also home to iconic animals such as polar bears (in the Arctic) and penguins (in Antarctica). The polar regions are coming under increasing scrutiny due to concerns about temperature rises likely to be most noticeable and significant in these areas.

Facts about the oceans

Scientists have studied the surfaces of the Moon, Mars and Venus better than the ocean floor of the Earth. However, the reason for this is not at all indifference to oceanography. It is actually more difficult to study the surface of the ocean floor, measuring gravitational anomalies and using sonar at close ranges, than the surface of a nearby moon or planet, which can be done using a satellite.

Needless to say, Earth's ocean is unexplored. This complicates the work of scientists and, in turn, does not allow the inhabitants of our planet to fully understand how powerful and important this resource is. People need to understand their impact on the ocean and the ocean's impact on them—humanity needs ocean literacy.

• The Earth has seven continents and five oceans, united into one World Ocean.
• The ocean is a very complex object: it hides mountain ranges with more volcanoes than on land.
• The fresh water used by humanity directly depends on sea water, through.
• Throughout geological time, the ocean dominates the land. Most rocks found on land were deposited underwater when sea levels were higher than they are today. Limestone and siliceous shale are biological products that formed from the bodies of microscopic marine life.
• The ocean forms the coast of continents and islands. This happens not only during hurricanes but also with constant erosion, as well as with the help of waves and tides.
• The ocean dominates the world's climate, driving three global cycles: water, carbon and energy. Rain comes from evaporated seawater, carrying not only water, but also solar energy that brought it from the sea. Ocean plants produce most of the world's oxygen, and currents carry heat from the tropics to the poles.
• Life in the oceans has allowed the atmosphere to receive oxygen since the Proterozoic eon, billions of years ago. The first life arose in the ocean, and thanks to it, the Earth retained its precious supply of hydrogen, locked in the form of water, and not lost in outer space, as it otherwise would have been.
• The diversity of habitats in the ocean is much greater than on land. Likewise, there are larger groups of living organisms in the ocean than on land.
• Most of the ocean is desert, with estuaries and reefs supporting the world's largest number of living organisms.
• The ocean and people are inextricably linked. He provides us Natural resources, and at the same time can be extremely dangerous. From it we extract food, medicine and minerals; trade also depends on sea routes. Most of the population lives near the ocean, and this is the main recreational attraction. Conversely, storms, tsunamis and changes in water levels threaten residents of coastal areas. But, in turn, humanity has a negative impact on the ocean, as we continuously use it, change it, pollute it, etc. These are issues that concern all countries and all inhabitants of our planet.
• Only 0.05% to 15% of our ocean has been studied in detail. Since the ocean makes up approximately 71% of the Earth's surface, this means that most of our planet is still unknown. As our dependence on the ocean continues to grow, marine science will become increasingly important to maintaining the health and value of the ocean, not just to satisfy our curiosity and needs.

The greatness and power of the ocean has amazed man for a long time. Ancient people not only worshiped this vast expanse of water and inhabited it with good or hostile creatures, but they were also afraid and experienced superstitious horror. But since people needed the ocean both as a means of communication and as a source of food, they learned to use it, unraveled its secrets and fell in love.

The huge expanse of water that washes the continents is commonly called the World Ocean in science. The ocean is a vast part characterized by large sizes, independent waters and above them, significant features in the distribution of water masses and the magnitude of physicochemical parameters, as well as in their regime.
The ocean is heterogeneous. Its constituent elements are usually called water masses. Each of them represents a relatively large volume of water that forms in a certain area of ​​the World Ocean - the source of this mass, which for a long time has an almost constant and continuous distribution of physical, chemical and biological characteristics that make up a single complex and spread as a whole.
According to their vertical position, water masses are surface and subsurface, occupying the upper floors of the water column (to depths of about 500 m), intermediate (in the depth range 500 - 1000 m), deep (1200 - 4000 m) and bottom (deeper than 4000 m). The most widespread in the world is cold bottom water. Its waters reach the 40th parallel. latitude (!), in Indian - the northern edges of the ocean, at -7°, and in some places -20° N. w.

Essay on the topic:

plan:

introduction
• 1Phase of the world's oceans
• 2 History of the study
  • 2.1 Research methods
  • 2.2 Scientific organizations
  • 2.3 Museums and aquariums
• 3 Discovery of the world's oceans
• 4 Geography of the oceans
  • 4.1 Ocean water
  • 4.2. Bottom development
  • 4.3 Sea currents
• 5Geology
• 6Klima
• 7 Ecology
• 8 Economics
• 9Fact Research

introduction

World Ocean- the main part of the hydrosphere, which makes up 94.1% of its area, which is the continuous but untamed water of the earth's shell surrounding the continents and islands, and is marked by a general salt composition.

Celine and the large archipelagos divide the world's oceans into five large parts (oceans):

• Atlantic Ocean
• Indian Ocean
• arctic ocean
• Pacific Ocean
• South ocean

Smaller oceans are known as seas, gulfs, straits, etc.

The doctrine of land oceans is called Oceanology.

1. Origin of the world's oceans

The source of the world's oceans is a matter of hundreds of years of debate.

They think the ocean is hot when it's hot. Due to the high partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere it reaches 5 bar, its water is saturated with carbon dioxide, H2CO3 is acidified (pH ≈ 3-5).

A large number of various metals are dissolved in this water, especially iron in the form of FeCl2 chloride.

The activity of photosynthetic bacteria led to the appearance of oxygen in the atmosphere. It was absorbed by the ocean and consumed to oxidize the iron dissolved in the water.

There is a hypothesis that from the silhouette of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods up to the supercontinent Pangea, the ancient Pantal Ocean was surrounded, which covers about half of the world.

second

History of the study

The first explorers were seafarers. In the era geographical discoveries the continent, explored oceans and islands are described. The voyage of Magellan (1519-1522) and, as a result, the abolition of James Cook (1768-1780) allowed Europeans to gain an understanding of the vast expanses of water that surround the continents of our planet, and to imagine the contours of the continents.

The first maps of the world were created. In the 17th and 18th centuries coastlines were described in detail, and the world map received a modern look. However, the depths of the ocean were poorly explored. In the mid-17th century, the Dutch geographer Bernhardus Varenius proposed using the term "water" "World Ocean".

On December 22, 1872, the ship Challenger set sail from Portsmouth, Port Portland, specially equipped to participate in the first oceanographic survey.

In the second half of the 20th century, intensive study of the depths of the oceans began.

Using the echolocation method, we collected detailed maps the depths of the ocean and discovered the main forms of the bottom relief in the ocean. These data, together with the results of geophysical and geological research, led to the formation of the theory of tectonic tectonics in the late 60s. Tectonic plates are a modern geological theory of lithosphere movement.

An international program to study the seabed was organized to study the structure of the oceanic crust. One of the main results of the program was the confirmation of the theory.

2.1.

Research methods

• Ocean research in the 20th century was actively carried out on research ships. In some areas of the oceans they performed regular flights. A significant contribution to science was the research of such national courts as Vityaz, Academician Kurchatov, Academician Mstislav Keldysh. Major international scientific experiments took place in the ocean of Polygon-70, MODE-I, POLYMODE.
• The study used Deep Sea vehicles such as Peaks, Mir, Trieste.

  In a study of the bathyscaphe Trieste in 1960, a dive was recorded at Marian Ditch. One of the most important scientific results of the dive is the discovery of highly organized life at such depths.

• Late 1970s. The development of the first specialized oceanographic satellites began (SEASAT in the USA, Kosmos-1076 in the USSR).
• On April 11, 2007, the Chinese satellite Haiyang-1B (Ocean 1B) began studying the color and temperature of the sea.

• In 2006, NASA's Jason 2 satellite began working on the International Ocean Topography Mission (OSTM) project to study global ocean circulation and global sea level fluctuations.

• By July 2009, Canada had built one of the largest scientific complexes for studying the World Ocean.

2.2.

Scientific organizations

• AARI
• VNIIOkeangeology
• Institute of Oceanology. P. P. Shirshov RAS
• Institute Pacific Ocean. V. I. Ilyichev from the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
• Scripps California Research Institute.

2.3. Museums and aquariums

• Museum of the World Ocean
• Oceanographic Museum of Monaco

There are only 3 aquariums in Russia: Planet Neptune in St. Petersburg, Aquamir in Vladivostok and the Oceanarium in Sochi.

Construction of aquariums has begun in Moscow.

Today, there are several views on the division of the global ocean, taking into account hydrophysical and climatic characteristics, water characteristics, biological factors, etc.

Already in the XVIII-XIX. There have been such versions for several centuries. Conrad Malta-Brunet and Charles de Fleurier separated two oceans. In particular, Philippe Beuchet and Henry Steenfens proposed to divide it into three parts.

The Italian geographer Adriano Balbi (1782-1878) identified four regions in the oceans: the Atlantic, north and south of the North Sea and the Great Ocean, part of which became the modern Indian (this division is due to the inability to determine the exact boundaries between the Indian and Pacific oceans and the similarities conditions Zoogeographical these regions).

Today we often talk about the Indo-Pacific region, located in the region's tropical zoogeography, which includes the tropical Indian and Pacific regions, as well as the Red Sea. The boundary area runs along the African coast at Cape Agulhas, and then from the Yellow Sea on the northern coast of New Zealand and the Southern California Tropic of Capricorn.

In 1953, the International Hydrogeographical Office developed a new division of the world's oceans, which was then finally allocated to the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.

fourth

Geography of the oceans

General physical and geographical data:

• Average temperature: 5°C;
• Average pressure: 20 MPa;
• Average density: 1.024 g/cm3;
• Average depth: 3730 m;
• Total weight: 1.4 × 1021 kg;
• Total volume: 1370 million km3;
• pH: 8.1 ± 0.2.

The deepest point of the ocean is the Mariana Trenches, located in the Pacific Ocean near the Northern Mariana Islands.

Its greatest depth. 11,022 m was explored in 1951 by the British submarine Challenger II, after which the deepest part of the pool was named Challenger Deep.

4.1.

Waters of the World Ocean

The world's oceans lead to most of the Earth's hydrosphere, the oceanosphere. In the ocean it is more than 96% (1,338 billion cubic meters). From the water of the Earth. The volume of fresh water entering the ocean through river flow and precipitation does not exceed 0.5 million cubic kilometers, which corresponds to a water layer over an area of ​​about 1.25 m. This leads to insensitivity of the salt composition of sea water and minor changes in density.

The unity of the ocean as a water mass is ensured by constant movement in horizontal and vertical directions. In the ocean, as in the atmosphere, there are no sharp natural boundaries; they are all more or less gradual. It supports a global mechanism of energy transformation and metabolism, supported by the uneven warming of surface waters and the atmosphere via solar radiation.

4.2.

Below is the relief

Systematic exploration of the bottom of the World Ocean began with the advent of the echo sounder. Most of the ocean floor is flat, called the abyssal plane.

Their average depth is 5 km. In the central parts of all oceans, 1-2 km away, there are linear raises - central ocean reefs that are connected to one network. Reefs are divided by the transformation of defects into segments that appear in low-elevation relief perpendicular to the crest.

In the absolute plains there are many lonely mountains, some of which are divided above the surface of the water in the form of islands. Most of these hills are extinct or active volcanoes.

Under the weight of the mountain, the oceanic crust sways and the mountains slowly sink into the water. Exists coral reef, which creates a peak that results in the formation of a ring island of corals - an atol.

If the continent is passive, then between it and the ocean there is an underwater part - the underwater part of the continent and the continental slope, which smoothly turns into the plain of the abyss.

Before subduction, areas where trees of oceanic crust lie beneath continents in which trenches are located are the deepest parts of the oceans.

4.3. Sea currents

Ocean currents—the movement of large ocean waters—have serious consequences for the climate of many regions of the world.

5. Geology

Main article - Marine Geology.

sixth

The ocean plays an important role in shaping the Earth's climate. Under the influence of solar radiation, water evaporates and is transported to continents, where it falls in the form of various precipitation. Ocean currents transport heated or cooled water to other latitudes and are largely responsible for distributing heat around the planet.

Water has a huge heat capacity, so ocean temperatures change much more slowly than air or soil temperatures.

Areas near the ocean have lower daily and seasonal variations in temperature.

If the factors causing currents are constant, a D.C., and if they are episodic, a short-term random current is formed. In the predominant direction, the streams are divided into a meridian, which directs its waters to the north or south, and a region, which extends across the width.

Currents whose water temperature is higher than the average temperature for the same latitude are called hot, cold, and currents that have the same temperature as the surrounding waters are neutral.

The direction of flow in the world's oceans is influenced by the force of rejection caused by the rotation of the Earth, the Coriolis force. In the northern hemisphere, the branches flow to the right, and in the southern direction - to the left. On average, the flow speed does not exceed 10 m/s, and the depth is no more than 300 m.

sevenths

ecology

The ocean is a living space for many life forms; among them:

• Kites such as whales and dolphins
• Cephalopods such as octopus, squid
• Crustaceans such as lobster, shrimp, wings
• sea ​​worms
• plankton
• coral
• seaweed

Decreased stratospheric ozone concentrations over Antarctic waters cause lower ocean carbon dioxide uptake, threatening the exoskeletons of calcium and shellfish, molluscs and crustaceans.

eighths

economy

The oceans have great importance for transport: many ships are transported by ships between world ports. For transporting a unit of cargo per unit distance, sea transport is one of the cheapest, but not the fastest.

Canals were built to reduce the length of the sea, most notably Panama and Suez.

9. Interesting facts

• Warming the world's oceans to boiling requires energy, which is released from the decay of 6.8 giga of uranium.
• If you take all the ocean water (1.34 billion km3) and make a ball, you get a planet with a diameter of about 1400 km.

comments

links

Exhibitions and openings

• For the secrets of Neptune / Science.

  Publication and after it. A. A. Aksenov. - Moscow: Mizel, 1976. - 399 p. — (XX century: travel, discoveries, research).

oceanology

• Wegener A. Origin of continents and oceans / Trans. with him. P. G. Kaminsky, ur. P. N. Kropotkin. - L.: Nauka, 1984. - 285 p.
• Stepanov V.N. Okeanosfera.

  - M.: Mizel, 1983. - 270 p.

• Shamraev Yu.I., Shishkina L.A. Oceanology. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1980. - 382 p.
• Gusev A.M. Basics of oceanology. - Moscow: Moscow State University Publishing House, 1983.
• Gusev A.M. Antarctica. Oceans and atmosphere.. - M.: Education, 1983. - 151 p.

• Moiseev P.

  A. Biological resources of the World Ocean. — 2nd ed. - M.: Agropromizdat, 1989. - 366 p. — ISBN 5-10-000265-4

• Zakharov L.A. Introduction to commercial oceanography. - Kaliningrad, 1998.

  - 83 seconds.

general information

• Dictionary geographical encyclopedia/ Ch. Published by A.F. Treshnikov. - 2nd ed., Vol. - Moscow: Soviet encyclopedia, 1989 - 591 p.

A map of the world in which the oceans are shown in blue.

Pangea, surrounded by the super-ocean Panthalassa

Bathyscaphe "Trieste"

Average annual surface temperature of the World Ocean

Alignment of the geoid (EGM96) with the idealized figure of the Earth (ellipsoid WGS84).

We can see that the surface of the world's oceans is not completely smooth, for example in the northern Indian Ocean - it drops by 100 meters and rises by ~80 meters in the western Pacific Ocean.

Message "World Ocean"

Point one. The concept of the World Ocean. What is the World Ocean? This is the totality of all known seas and oceans of our planet, and in other words – the marine water shell of our planet Earth. The oceans contain more than 95 percent of the water on Earth. Alas, you cannot drink it, since the seas and oceans of the Earth are salty waters.

They surround the continents of the Earth. There are a great many islands scattered in the World Ocean, large, huge, small and very tiny, inhabited and uninhabited by humans.

Point two. Five or four oceans of the Earth. The world's oceans include five or four oceans - scientists do not have a consensus on this issue.

These are the Atlantic, Pacific (Great) oceans, Indian and Arctic oceans. According to another classification, there is also a Southern Ocean on the planet.

The maximum depth of water in the ocean is more than 11 km - this is much greater than the height of the ocean itself. high mountain on Earth, that is, Everest.

This depth is noted in the abyss of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.

Point three. Have we all come out of the World Ocean? The world ocean is the cradle of life on Earth; according to the main version of biologists, life on the planet originated once upon a time, in time immemorial, in the ocean.

And later, living creatures came to land and adapted to life on land.

Point four. Pollution of the World Ocean and other environmental “shortcomings”. Oceanologists explore the oceans and seas of the world. Today they talk about environmental problems associated with the World Ocean. Firstly, this is the pollution of the World Ocean - plastic waste that is swallowed by fish, chemical waste from coastal industries, which poisons all living things in the ocean.

And, of course, oil spilled from tankers while transporting this type of fuel. This is the most dangerous pollution of sea and ocean waters: seabirds are killed en masse, smeared with oil, fish and marine animals over vast territories are poisoned by oil poisons. One wrecked tanker carrying oil can devastate an entire region!

Also, the level of the World Ocean is now rising due to global warming on Earth, which is caused by people.

A rise in the level of the World Ocean by just 5 cm can lead to catastrophic consequences: flooding of coastal areas, entire cities and resort areas in different countries, and large floods.

Therefore, it is important for people to prevent global warming on the planet.

The oceans, which are all the seas and oceans of the Earth, have a great influence on the life of the planet. The huge mass of ocean water forms the planet's climate and serves as a source of precipitation. This produces more than half of the oxygen and regulates the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since it can absorb excess. Accumulation and transformation of a large mass of mineral and organic matter occurs at the bottom of the World Ocean, and the geological and geochemical processes occurring in the oceans and seas have greatly influenced the entire earth's crust.

Dad became the cradle of life on Earth; Now about 4/5 of all living beings on the planet live.

1. The oceans and its parts

We once called our planet Earth even though it looked blue from space. This color is explained by the fact that ¾ of the planet's surface is covered by a continuous lid of water - with oceans and seas - and only a little more than ¼ of the earth's share.

The surface of the World Ocean and the Earth are qualitatively different, but they are not separated: there is a constant exchange of matter and energy among them. A huge role in this exchange belongs to the circle of water in nature.

The world ocean is one, although it is greatly divided. Its surface area is 361 million.

km². The average depth of the world's oceans is about 4000 meters - this is only 0.0007 the radius of the world. The ocean, given that the density of its water is close to 1, and the density solid Earth is about 5.5, we have only a small fraction of the mass of our planet. The world's oceans are divided into four main parts: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic oceans.

Since there is a constant exchange of water between them, the distribution of the World Ocean into parts is largely determined and turns into historical changes.

The oceans are then divided into parts. They have seas, bays and straits.

The parts of the ocean that come into a country and are separated from the ocean by islands or peninsulas, as well as the height of the underwater landscape, are called seas.

The surface of the sea is called the water area. A part of the sea area of ​​a certain width that extends along the national belt is called territorial water. They are part of this situation.

International law does not allow the extension of territorial waters beyond 12 nautical miles (1 nautical mile is 1852 meters). The 12-mile connection has been recognized by approximately 100 countries, including ours, and 22 countries that have arbitrarily established wider territorial waters.

Outside territorial waters, it is the high seas, which are generally used by all countries.

The part of the sea or ocean that penetrates deep into the land but communicates freely with it is called a gulf. With its water properties, currents and living organisms, bays are usually very different from the sea and oceans.

Parts of the world's oceans are connected to narrower ones. The narrower is a relatively wide water area, which is limited on both sides by the coasts of continents, islands or peninsulas.

The width of the strait varies greatly.

Thus, the global ocean, as part of the hydrosphere, consists of oceans, seas and strains. Everyone is connected.

2. Problems of the world's oceans

Man is a child of nature, his whole life corresponds to its laws and rules, but we should not draw attention to the growing negative influence economic activity on the environment. Changes are occurring on an ever-increasing scale due to deforestation, plowing of large areas, hydraulic engineering measures affecting river flow and groundwater regimes, introduction large quantity river, ground and lake waters and, in particular, pollution.

Accordingly, it changes the liquid, gaseous and solid flow into the seas and oceans. Sea water is polluted due to the burial of various waste, garbage and impurities from ships, unfortunately, frequent accidents. In the Pacific Ocean, about 9 million tons of waste are dumped every year during flight stages, in the Atlantic Ocean - more than 30 million tons.

Oceans and seas are polluted with harmful substances such as oil, heavy metals, pesticides, and radioisotopes. In March 1995, the bodies of 324 dolphins and 8 whales were discovered in the Gulf of California.

According to experts, the main cause of the tragedy was the influence of these substances. Gaseous toxic substances, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, enter the atmosphere from sea water. Caltech estimates that 50,000 tons of lead are released into the oceans each year by rain in the air from car exhaust. In places close to the sea coast, sea water often reveals pathogenic microflora.

Pollution levels are constantly increasing. Water's self-cleaning capabilities are sometimes insufficient to cope with ever-increasing amounts of waste. Under the influence of currents, pollution mixes and spreads very quickly, negatively affecting areas rich in animals and vegetation, which causes serious damage to the state of marine ecosystems. Humanity is killing.

3. Protecting the oceans

The most serious problem of the seas and oceans in our century is oil pollution, the consequences of which are catastrophic for all life on Earth.

This is why an international conference was organized in London in 1954 to develop coordinated measures to protect the marine environment from oil pollution.

It adopted a convention defining the responsibilities of countries in this area. Later in 1958, four more instruments were adopted in Geneva: on the high seas, on the territorial sea and adjacent zone, on the continental shelf, on fisheries and on the conservation of living marine resources. These conventions were legally enshrined in the principles and norms of maritime law. Each country is required to develop and enforce laws prohibiting pollution of the marine environment by oils, radioactive waste and other harmful substances.

A conference held in London in 1973 adopted documents on the prevention of pollution from ships. In accordance with the adopted Convention, each ship must have a certificate - evidence that the hull, mechanisms and other equipment are in good condition and do not cause damage to the seabed.

Compliance with certificates is verified by verification at the input port.

It is prohibited to drain oil from tankers; all emissions from them must be exhausted only at coastal points. Electrochemical plants were created to clean and disinfect ship waste, including household waste. The Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has developed an emulsion method for cleaning tanks that completely eliminates oil entering the water area. It consists of adding several surfactants to the wash water (ML preparation), which allows the vessel to be cleaned without releasing contaminated water or oily residues, which can then be regenerated for further use.

Each tanker can transport up to 300 tons of oil.

To prevent oil leakage, the oil tanker is planned to be improved. Many modern tankers have a double bottom. If one of them is damaged, the oil does not spill, the other shell holds it.

In particular, logbooks, ship managers must record information on all petroleum operations involving petroleum and petroleum products to indicate the place and time of delivery or discharges from a contaminated vessel for waste water.

Floating oil spreaders and side barriers are used to systematically clean water surfaces from accidental spills. Physico-chemical methods are also used to prevent the spread of oil. We created a group of foam that completely scalds when in contact with oil. Once foamed, the foam can be reused as a sorbent. Such drugs are very suitable for their ease of use and low cost, but their mass production has not yet been established.

There are also sorbents based on plant, mineral and synthetic substances. Some can recover up to 90% of spilled oil. The main requirement for them is irreversibility.

When oil is collected using sorbents or mechanical means, a thin film is left on the surface of the water, which can be removed by spraying chemical products that break it down.

These substances must be biologically pure.

A unique technology has been developed and tested in Japan, thanks to which a huge city can be removed within a short time. Kansai Sange Corporation has prepared the ASWW reagent, the main ingredient of which is a specially processed rice casing. When torn across the surface, the preparation absorbs the discharge within half an hour and turns it into a thick mass that can be pulled out with a simple net.

The original cleaning method is confirmed by American scientists in the Atlantic Ocean. Under the oil film, the ceramic plate falls to a certain depth. An acoustic panel is connected to it. Under vibration, it is first collected at the plate installation site and then mixed with water and flashes. Electricity, brought to the stove, the fountain was lit, and the oil was completely burned.

To remove oil stains from the surface of coastal waters, American scientists have created a modification of polypropylene that attracts fatty particles.

On the ship's cascades between the buildings, they pulled out some kind of curtain from this material, the ends of which hung in the water. When the cutter hits the spot, the oil sticks well to the “curtains”. The rest of the polymer passes only through the cylinders of a special device that presses the oil into the prepared container.

Since 1993, the dumping of liquid radioactive waste (LRW) has been prohibited, but the number is constantly increasing. For guard environment in the 1990s, we began to develop projects for the cleanup of liquid radioactive waste.

In 1996, representatives of Japanese, American and Russian companies signed a contract for the creation of a plant for processing liquid radioactive waste, located on Far East Russia. The Japanese government allocated $25.2 million. USA to complete the project.

Despite some success in searching effective means eliminating pollution, it is premature to talk about solving the problem.

Only by introducing new methods of cleaning water surfaces can we guarantee the cleanliness of the seas and oceans. The main challenge that all countries must address is pollution prevention.

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I think that the ocean of the world provides the planet with oxygen, especially since the main source of oxygen on Earth is not reproduced by forests, but blue - with green algae - living in the ocean.
This largely determines the shape of the planet as a whole, including climate and the water cycle on Earth. In the ocean, vital shipping routes connect continents and islands.

Its biological resources are enormous. There are more than 160 thousand species of animals and about 10 thousand species of algae in the World Ocean. The annual repetition of commercial fish is estimated at 200 million tons, of which about 1/3. More than 90% of global production comes from the coastal shelf, especially in the temperate and high latitudes of the northern hemisphere. The share of the Pacific Ocean in the world catch is about 60%, the Atlantic - about 35%. On the shelf of the World Ocean there are large reserves of oil and gas, large reserves of ferromanganese ores and other minerals.

Humanity is just beginning to harness the world's energy resources, including tidal and tidal energies.

The world's oceans make up 94% of the hydrosphere. The desalination of seawater will help solve many water problems in the future. Unfortunately, humanity does not always wisely use the natural resources of the world's oceans.

Today, at a lesson about the world around me, I gave a presentation on the topic “Oceans and seas in human life.”

We live in the center of Russia, and the seas and oceans are far from us, but, nevertheless, they are of great importance in our lives.

Placethe origin of life.

There is a theory that all life on earth originated in the oceans. Including a person. Water is not only the source of life, but also the most important element for its maintenance.

This is the ocean.

It plays an important role in our life.

2. Food source.

Seas and oceans are the place where people receive food. The seafood we eat includes: fish, shrimp, squid, mussels, edible seaweed, lobster, octopus, crab, lobster, sea ​​salt, oysters, scallops.

Most of the dishes prepared from these products are delicacies. Sea food contains vitamins A, B, C and D, and is also rich in iodine, bromine, calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for the human body. Every year people consume 100 million tons of seafood.

3. Climate.

Ocean currents significantly influence the climate on the continents, so the way of life of people depends on them.

The dry climate in the desert and the humid climate in the jungle also depend on the proximity of the ocean.

4. Moving and locomotion.

Sea routes are used to transport passengers and goods.

5. Minerals.

At the bottom of the World Ocean there are large deposits of minerals.

For example, at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean there is a lot of oil and
gas

6. Health.

The sea is a place of healing. The maritime climate has a beneficial effect on human health: skin, respiratory and nervous systems, and also strengthens the immune system.

7. Recreation and entertainment.

Sea cruises and travel are popular all over the world, as well as boating,
catamarans and water skiing.

Study.

The world's oceans are not yet well studied. Scientific expeditions are organized to study its expanses and inhabitants.

9. Sport.

Rowing, sailing and other water sports are very popular and are included in the program of the Summer Olympic Games.

10. Materials for decorations.

Pearls that grow in sea shells are used to make velor jewelry.

Beads and earrings are made from corals.

11. Fleet basing and border protection.

Areas of the sea coast are used for parking of ships and vessels, including military vessels, which are the force for protecting the maritime borders of the state.

If my report on seas and oceans helps you a little in your studies, please put a link to my blog on your social network. After all, I tried.

Includes all the seas and oceans of the Earth. It occupies about 70% of the planet's surface and contains 96% of all water on the planet. The world ocean consists of four oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic.

Sizes of the oceans: Pacific - 179 million km2, Atlantic - 91.6 million km2, Indian - 76.2 million km2, Arctic - 14.75 million km2

The boundaries between oceans, as well as the boundaries of seas within oceans, are drawn rather arbitrarily. They are determined by land areas delimiting the water space, internal currents, differences in temperature and salinity.

Seas are divided into internal and marginal. Inland seas protrude quite deeply into the land (for example,), and marginal seas adjoin the land with one edge (for example, the Northern, Japanese).

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific is the largest of the oceans. It is located in both the northern and southern hemispheres. In the east, its border is the coast of North and, in the west - the coast of and, in the south - Antarctica. It owns 20 seas and more than 10,000 islands.

As the Pacific Ocean covers all but the coldest,

it has a diverse climate. over the ocean varies from +30°

The water temperature in the Atlantic Ocean ranges from -1 °C to + 26 °C, the average water temperature is +16 °C.

The average salinity of the Atlantic Ocean is 35%.

The organic world of the Atlantic Ocean is distinguished by a wealth of green plants and plankton.

Indian Ocean

Most of the Indian Ocean is located in warm latitudes and is dominated by humid monsoons, which determine the climate of East Asian countries. The southern edge of the Indian Ocean is sharply cold.

Indian Ocean currents change direction depending on the direction of the monsoons. The most significant currents are the Monsoon, Trade Wind and.

The Indian Ocean is diverse; there are several ridges, between which there are relatively deep basins. The deepest point of the Indian Ocean is the Java Trench, 7 km 709 m.

Water temperature in Indian Ocean fluctuates from -1°C off the coast of Antarctica to +30°C, the average water temperature is +18°C.

The average salinity of the Indian Ocean is 35%.

Arctic Ocean

Much of the Arctic Ocean is covered in thick ice—almost 90% of the ocean surface in winter. Only near the coast does the ice freeze to the land, while most of the ice drifts. Drifting ice is called "pack".

The ocean is located entirely in northern latitudes and has a cold climate.

A number of large currents are observed in the Arctic Ocean: the Trans-Arctic Current runs along the north of Russia, and as a result of interaction with the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean, a current is born.

The relief of the Arctic Ocean is characterized by a developed shelf, especially off the coast of Eurasia.

The water under the ice always has a negative temperature: -1.5 - -1°C. In summer, the water in the seas of the Arctic Ocean reaches +5 - +7 °C. The salinity of ocean water decreases significantly in summer due to the melting of ice and, this applies to the Eurasian part of the ocean, deep Siberian rivers. So in winter the salinity in different parts is 31-34% o, in summer off the coast of Siberia it can be up to 20% o.

Sea transport - essential element international trade. Countries such as and others, cut off from continents and not having sufficient resources of their own, are entirely dependent on. This is associated with a potential environmental hazard: the wreck of a ship carrying oil, fuel oil, coal and others causes serious damage.

Almost 95% of all water on Earth is salty and unfit for consumption. Seas, oceans and salt lakes are made of it. Collectively, all this is called the World Ocean. Its area is three quarters of the entire area of ​​the planet.

The World Ocean - what is it?

The names of the oceans have been familiar to us since elementary school. These are the Pacific, otherwise called the Great, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic. All of them together are called the World Ocean. Its area is more than 350 million km2. This is a huge territory even on a planetary scale.

The continents divide the World Ocean into four oceans known to us. Each of them has its own characteristics, its own unique underwater world, varying depending on the climate zone, current temperature and bottom topography. A map of the oceans shows that they are all connected to each other. None of them are surrounded by land on all sides.

The science that studies the oceans is oceanology

How do we know that seas and oceans exist? Geography is a school subject that first introduces us to these concepts. But a special science—oceanology—is engaged in a more in-depth study of the oceans. She considers water expanses as an integral natural object, studies the biological processes occurring inside it, and its connection with other constituent elements of the biosphere.

This science studies the ocean depths to achieve the following goals:

• increasing the efficiency and ensuring the safety of underwater and surface navigation;
• optimization of the use of mineral resources of the ocean floor;
• maintaining the biological balance of the oceanic environment;
• improvement of meteorological forecasts.

How did the modern names of the oceans come about?

Every geographical feature is given a name for a reason. Any name has certain historical background or is associated with the characteristic features of a particular territory. Let's find out when and how the names of the oceans came about and who came up with them.

• Atlantic Ocean. The works of the ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo described this ocean, calling it Western. Later, some scientists called it the Hesperides Sea. This is confirmed by a document dated 90 BC. Already in the ninth century AD, Arab geographers announced the name “Sea of ​​Darkness”, or “Sea of ​​Darkness”. It received such a strange name because of the clouds of sand and dust that were raised above it by the winds that constantly blew from African continent. The modern name was first used in 1507, after Columbus reached the shores of America. Officially, this name was established in geography in 1650 in the scientific works of Bernhard Waren.
• The Pacific Ocean was named so by a Spanish navigator. Despite the fact that it is quite stormy and there are often storms and tornadoes, during Magellan’s expedition, which lasted a year, the weather was constantly good and calm, and this was a reason to think that the ocean was really quiet and calm. When the truth was revealed, no one began to rename the Pacific Ocean. In 1756, the researcher Bayush proposed calling it the Great, since it is the largest ocean of all. To this day, both of these names are used.
• The reason for giving the name was the many ice floes drifting in its waters, and, of course, the geographical location. Its second name - Arctic - comes from the Greek word “arktikos”, which means “northern”.
• With the name of the Indian Ocean, everything is extremely simple. India is one of the first countries known Ancient world. The waters that wash its shores were named after her.

Four Oceans

How many oceans are there on the planet? This question seems to be the simplest, but for many years it has been causing discussions and debates among oceanologists. The standard list of oceans looks like this:

2. Indian.

3. Atlantic.

4. Arctic.

But since ancient times, there has been another opinion, according to which there is a fifth ocean - the Antarctic, or Southern. Arguing this decision, oceanologists cite as evidence the fact that the waters washing the shores of Antarctica are very unique and the system of currents in this ocean differs from the rest of the water expanses. Not everyone agrees with this decision, so the problem of dividing the World Ocean remains relevant.

The characteristics of the oceans vary depending on many factors, although they may all appear to be the same. Let's get to know each of them and find out the most important information about all of them.

Pacific Ocean

It is also called Great because it has the largest area among all. The Pacific Ocean basin occupies slightly less than half the area of ​​all the world's waters and is equal to 179.7 million km².

It includes 30 seas: Japan, Tasman, Java, South China, Okhotsk, Philippines, New Guinea, Savu Sea, Halmahera Sea, Koro Sea, Mindanao Sea, Yellow Sea, Visayan Sea, Aki Sea, Solomonovo, Bali Sea, Samair Sea, Coral, Banda, Sulu, Sulawesi, Fiji, Maluku, Comotes, Seram Sea, Flores Sea, Sibuyan Sea, East China Sea, Bering Sea, Amudesen Sea. All of them occupy 18% of the total area of ​​the Pacific Ocean.

It is also a leader in the number of islands. There are about 10 thousand of them. The largest islands in the Pacific Ocean are New Guinea and Kalimantan.

The subsoil of the seabed contains more than a third of the world's reserves of natural gas and oil, active production of which occurs mainly in the shelf areas of China, the United States of America and Australia.

Many transport routes pass through the Pacific Ocean, connecting Asian countries with South and North America.

Atlantic Ocean

It is the second largest in the world, and this is clearly demonstrated by the map of the oceans. Its area is 93,360 thousand km 2. The Atlantic Ocean basin contains 13 seas. They all have a coastline.

An interesting fact is that in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean there is the fourteenth sea - Sargasovo, called the sea without shores. Its boundaries are ocean currents. It is considered the largest sea in the world by area.

Another feature of this ocean is the maximum influx of fresh water, which is provided by the large rivers of North and South America, Africa and Europe.

In terms of the number of islands, this ocean is the complete opposite of the Pacific. There are very few of them here. But it is in the Atlantic Ocean that the largest island on the planet, Greenland, and the most remote island, Bouvet, are located. Although sometimes Greenland is classified as an island of the Arctic Ocean.

Indian Ocean

Interesting facts about the third largest ocean by area will make us even more surprised. The Indian Ocean was the first known and explored. He is the guardian of the largest coral reef complex.

The waters of this ocean hold a secret that has not yet been properly explored. The fact is that luminous circles of regular shape periodically appear on the surface. According to one version, this is the glow of plankton rising from the depths, but their ideal spherical shape still remains a mystery.

Not far from the island of Madagascar you can observe a one-of-a-kind natural phenomenon - an underwater waterfall.

Now some facts about the Indian Ocean. Its area is 79,917 thousand km 2. The average depth is 3711 m. It washes 4 continents and includes 7 seas. Vasco da Gama is the first explorer to sail across the Indian Ocean.

Interesting facts and characteristics of the Arctic Ocean

It is the smallest and coldest of all the oceans. Area - 13,100 thousand km 2. It is also the shallowest, the average depth of the Arctic Ocean is only 1225 m. It consists of 10 seas. In terms of the number of islands, this ocean ranks second after the Pacific.

The central part of the ocean is covered with ice. Floating ice floes and icebergs are observed in the southern regions. Sometimes you can find intact ice sheets 30-35 m thick. It was here that the infamous Titanic crashed after colliding with one of them.

Despite the harsh climate, the Arctic Ocean is home to many species of animals: walruses, seals, whales, seagulls, jellyfish and plankton.

Depth of the oceans

We already know the names of the oceans and their features. But which ocean is the deepest? Let's look into this issue.

A contour map of the oceans and ocean floor shows that the bottom topography is as diverse as the topography of the continents. Under the thickness of sea water there are hidden depressions, depressions and elevations like mountains.

The average depth of all four oceans combined is 3700 m. The deepest is the Pacific Ocean, the average depth of which is 3980 m, followed by the Atlantic - 3600 m, followed by the Indian - 3710 m. The latest in this list, as already mentioned, is is the Arctic Ocean, the average depth of which is only 1225 m.

Salt is the main feature of ocean waters

Everyone knows the difference between sea and ocean water and fresh river water. Now we will be interested in such a characteristic of the oceans as the amount of salt. If you think that the water is equally salty everywhere, you are very mistaken. The concentration of salt in ocean waters can vary significantly even within a few kilometers.

The average salinity of ocean waters is 35 ‰. If we consider this indicator separately for each ocean, then the Arctic is the least saline of all: 32 ‰. Pacific Ocean - 34.5 ‰. The salt content in the water here is low due to the large amount of precipitation, especially in the equatorial zone. Indian Ocean - 34.8 ‰. Atlantic - 35.4 ‰. It is important to note that bottom waters have a lower salt concentration than surface waters.

The saltiest seas in the World Ocean are the Red Sea (41 ‰), the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf (up to 39 ‰).

World Ocean Records

• The deepest place in the World Ocean is its depth of 11,035 m from the surface water level.
• If we consider the depth of the seas, the Philippine Sea is considered the deepest. Its depth reaches 10,540 m. The second place in this indicator is the Coral Sea with a maximum depth of 9,140 m.
• The largest ocean is the Pacific. Its area is larger than the area of ​​the entire earth's land.
• The saltiest sea is the Red Sea. It is located in the Indian Ocean. Salt water supports all objects that fall into it well, and in order to drown in this sea, you need to try very hard.
• The most mysterious place is located in the Atlantic Ocean, and its name is the Bermuda Triangle. There are many legends and mysteries associated with it.
• The most poisonous sea creature is the blue-ringed octopus. It lives in the Indian Ocean.
• The largest collection of corals in the world, the Great Barrier Reef, is located in the Pacific Ocean.