AN OCEAN WORLD . Click Here!

GENERAL INFORMATION About 71% of Earth’s surface is ocean Average depth of 3800 meters Major ocean basins Atlantic Pacific Arctic Indian Southern

GENERAL INFORMATION The oceans affect every aspect of life on Earth. Scientists believe, and there is a lot of evidence showing, that life may have begun in the oceans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvrzM-BavDg&feature=related

Water And Water Vapor The Sun stripped away Earth’s first atmosphere How did water and water vapor form on early Earth? The Sun stripped away Earth’s first atmosphere Gases, including water vapor, released by the process of outgassing, replaced the first atmosphere. Water vapor in the atmosphere condensed into clouds. After millions of years, the clouds cooled enough for water droplets to form. Hot rain fell and boiled back into the clouds. Eventually, the surface cooled enough for water to collect in basins.

PACIFIC ATLANTIC ½ total ocean area 1/3 earth’s surface Circular shaped Deepest trench-Marianas Trench Edges are irregular Many chains of active volcanoes…..”ring of fire” Many islands Vasco Balboa credited with discovery Narrow/ S shaped Relatively shallow Mid Atlantic Ridge extends entire length Few Islands- largest is Greenland Romans named this ocean

INDIAN ARCTIC Confined to Southern Hemisphere except northern tip Shaped like a large triangle Apex- India Base- Antarctica Earliest mariners were Egyptians Most shallow and small Separated from Atlantic by a ridge Surface covered by sea ice North Pole in its domain Least studied- inhospitable weather and permanent ice pack

SOUTHERN Encircles Antarctica Enclosed by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current Iceburgs Common High wind & waves keep sea ice from forming Very biologically productive!

TO KNOW Atlantic Ocean North America Pacific Ocean South America Indian Ocean Arctic Ocean Southern Ocean Caribbean Sea Mediterranean Sea Gulf of Mexico Arabian Sea Hudson Bay North America South America Africa Europe Asia Australia

Hemispheric Symmetry Equator is physical barrier. Divides current patterns. Divides life zones. Curvature of the earth causes more heat at the equator. Northern Hemisphere- mostly land. Southern Hemisphere-mostly water.

Global Wind Patterns To view this animation, click “View” and then “Slide Show” on the top navigation bar.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OCEANOGRAPHY The origins of marine science lie in voyaging. Technological advances have led to modern oceanography. Modern marine science research is usually conducted by teams of specialists working for oceanographic or military institutions. The tools of modern oceanography include satellites, piloted and remotely controlled vehicles, and computer modeling.

VOYAGING Voyaging on water was important to many early civilizations. The Egyptians, Cretans and Phoenicians were all skilled sailors. Voyaging was first done to find new land and trade routes. Voyaging for science didn’t come until later. Cartographers, or chart makers, recorded information about locations, landmarks and currents. Today, charts are detailed graphic representations of water and water-related information.