53 Ocean Information That Will Amaze You
Our Earth is roofed with stunning oceans—however how a lot will we find out about them? Whereas scientists have solely explored a small portion of those our bodies of water, we’ve discovered so much from their efforts. What’s a coral reef? Is desk salt the identical as what’s discovered within the ocean? What do oceanographers do? We’ve put collectively this listing of fantastic ocean details for teenagers to share within the classroom.
Plus, click on the button for a Google Slides copy of all of the ocean details discovered under!
1. Oceans cowl 71% of Earth’s floor.

These enormous our bodies of salt water comprise 97% of all of the water on Earth.
2. There may be one world ocean.

Scientists and geographers divide it into 5 totally different sections—the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern, and the Arctic Oceans—however there’s actually just one ocean.
3. Seas are smaller than oceans and are sometimes partially enclosed by land.

Seas normally have land on a number of sides. The Mediterranean Sea is positioned between Africa and Europe. The Baltic Sea could be present in northern and central Europe. You’ll discover the Caribbean Sea between North America, Central America, and South America.
4. Ocean water is salty.

Its saltiness comes from sodium chloride, a chemical substance that’s dissolved within the water. Our desk salt can also be sodium chloride however in crystal kind.
5. Oceans are deep in addition to extensive.

The typical ocean is often a little bit over 2 miles deep. The deepest a part of Earth’s oceans, although, is the Mariana Trench within the Pacific Ocean, which is sort of 7 miles deep!
6. The ocean flooring has many ranges.

This may be one of the attention-grabbing ocean details on this listing. The continental shelf, the shallowest half, runs alongside the sides of the continents. They decelerate towards the deep components, that are referred to as the basins. All the best way on the backside of the basins are giant, flat plains. Deep cracks within the ocean flooring are referred to as trenches.
7. Ocean water is consistently in movement.

Winds and different forces transfer giant quantities of ocean water round Earth in patterns referred to as currents. Watch this nice video to study extra!
8. Ocean currents could be heat or chilly.

The heat currents normally carry heat climate and rain whereas chilly currents typically trigger a dry local weather.
9. There may be life on all ranges of Earth’s oceans.

Whether or not it’s vegetation that develop close to the water’s floor or animals swimming of their habitats, there are 5 main life zones, and lots of dwelling issues name our oceans residence.
10. There are an estimated 2.2 million species of animals dwelling within the ocean.

Most of them are invertebrates—animals with out a spine—similar to shrimp and jellyfish. The reality is, although, that the quantity is unknown and scientists imagine that 91% of ocean species have but to be categorized!
11. A number of the Earth’s smallest animals stay within the ocean.

Zooplankton are so small that you simply want a microscope to see them!
12. The most important ocean animal is the blue whale.

The truth is, it’s the biggest animal to ever stay on Earth. It’s so long as two college buses! Watch this superb video to study extra about blue whales.
13. The ocean has areas referred to as habitats.

They are often divided into two, really—coastal habitats and open ocean habitats. Distance from the shore, ocean depth, and temperature decide the sorts of vegetation and animals that stay in an space of the ocean.
14. Coral reefs are a sort of ocean habitat.

Coral reefs are among the many most numerous habitats on Earth! The skeletons of tiny animals referred to as polyps harden to present dwelling polyps a house. When polyps die, extra transfer in. Coral reefs are fashioned from hundreds of years of this cycle.
15. Coral reefs are just like the rainforests of the ocean.

They supply meals and shelter to many sorts of ocean animals. Try this video about our world’s Coral Kingdoms.
16. A lot of the world’s oxygen is created by phytoplankton and algae.

By photosynthesis, they produce about half of the oxygen that land-dwelling creatures (together with people!) breathe.
17. Oceans maintain climates secure by storing warmth from the Solar.

By shifting water across the globe, oceans maintain locations from getting too scorching or too chilly.
18. About 171 trillion items of plastic are floating on the earth’s oceans.

That’s simply the estimate for plastic floating on the ocean floor—it doesn’t embody plastic that has sunk under the floor! Watch these children take motion in opposition to ocean plastic.
19. Animals on each land and sea eat plastic.

The devastating fact is that 52% of sea turtles have eaten plastic trash. One expedition discovered plastic within the stomachs of 20% of the fish.
20. Ocean air pollution reduces oxygen within the water.

Plastic air pollution disrupts the species of micro organism that reside within the ocean and is chargeable for producing oxygen. This is among the most necessary ocean details for teenagers you may share. We have to all do our half to guard our oceans!
21. Oceanographers examine the oceans and attempt to maintain them wholesome.

Oceanographers monitor the best way the water strikes, have a look at the constructions of basins and seafloors, look at the standard of the water, and examine the vegetation and animals that stay in oceans.
22. We’ve solely explored 5% of the oceans.

Contemplating oceans cowl about 70% of Earth, now we have a protracted technique to go in attending to know our oceans! Will you be the following oceanographer to find an underwater trench or new species of fish? Watch this cool video about ocean explorers!
23. The Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean on Earth.

It covers greater than 30% of the Earth’s floor!
24. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean on Earth.

Positioned on the North Pole, the frigid Arctic Ocean isn’t solely the smallest however additionally the shallowest ocean. This is among the chilliest ocean details for teenagers!
25. The longest mountain vary could be discovered underwater.

This one shares details concerning the ocean and mountains! The Andes in South America span 8,900 kilometers (5,530 miles) and are often known as the longest mountain vary on land. A a lot, a lot bigger mid-oceanic ridge was discovered underwater, with a size of virtually 65,000 kilometers (40,389 miles). That’s huge!
26. The Ring of Hearth is a area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic exercise within the Pacific Basin.

The Ring of Hearth contains many trenches, together with the well-known Mariana Trench, the place the deepest place on Earth is positioned.
27. The Atlantic Ocean is barely bigger than half the scale of the Pacific Ocean.

Regardless that it’s the second-largest ocean and reaches a depth of 27,493 ft, the Atlantic Ocean covers nearly one-fifth of the Earth’s floor.
28. The Pacific Ocean’s identify has a relaxing origin.

Named by explorer Ferdinand Magellan, the identify is derived from Tepre pacificum, which is Latin for “peaceable sea.”
29. The Pacific Ocean borders greater than 50 international locations!

This is among the most astonishing enjoyable details concerning the ocean. For the reason that Pacific Ocean is so giant, it is smart that it touches so many international locations, together with Australia, Chile, Japan, and the US.
30. The Titanic sank within the Atlantic Ocean.

Simply off the coast of Nova Scotia in Canada, the famed ship hit an iceberg and sank. Greater than 1,500 passengers misplaced their lives.
31. The warmest ocean is the Indian Ocean.

Because of the heat of the Indian Ocean, the water evaporates quicker than different oceans and the nice and cozy temperature makes it powerful for phytoplankton to outlive.
32. The youngest ocean is the Southern Ocean.

Fashioned when Antarctica break up from South America and Australia, the Southern Ocean (also called the South Polar Ocean or Antarctic Ocean) is roughly 30 million years previous. This course of additionally fashioned the well-known Drake Passage (when you’re sharing these ocean details for teenagers, watch this video of what it’s wish to cross the Drake Passage)!
33. There are 5 named oceans on Earth: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.

Though scientists acknowledge one world ocean, it’s divided geographically into the 5 named oceans.
34. Sperm whales sleep upright within the ocean.

The magnificent sperm whale maintains a vertical place throughout its 10-to-15-minute-long energy naps. Doesn’t sound very restful for people!
35. The Atlantic Ocean was the primary to be crossed by each air and sea.

Whereas the Vikings and explorers discovered their method throughout the Atlantic Ocean, ocean liners started crossing within the early 1800s. In 1919, Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown have been the first to finish a nonstop transatlantic flight!
36. Oceans take up carbon dioxide from the environment.

The oceans assist regulate Earth’s local weather by absorbing about 30% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that people launch into the environment.
37. The deep sea is residence to bioluminescent creatures.

It’s estimated {that a} whopping 90% of the animals dwelling greater than 500 meters (1,640 ft) under the floor are bioluminescent (light-emitting). This must be one of the mind-blowing ocean details for teenagers! Creatures generally discovered within the pelagic zone embody jellyfish, shrimp, squid, and fish.
38. The Indian Ocean covers about 20% of the Earth’s floor.

The third-largest of the 5 oceans, the Indian Ocean is about 5.5 occasions the scale of the US!
39. The Nice Barrier Reef within the Pacific Ocean could be seen from area.

It’s, in any case, the largest dwelling construction on the planet!
40. Hydrothermal vents within the ocean can attain temperatures of over 750° Fahrenheit (400°C).

Hydrothermal vents are discovered alongside mid-ocean ridges and launch mineral-rich water that helps distinctive ecosystems.
41. The ocean has underwater lakes and rivers.

They kind when seawater “seeps up via thick layers of salt, that are current beneath the seafloor.” Wow!
42. Ocean stress will increase with depth.

When you consider it, it is smart—the deeper you go beneath the ocean, the better the stress from water pushing down in your physique!
43. Big kelp forests within the ocean present important habitat.

These kelp forests present shelter, nursery areas, and meals for hundreds of ocean species.
44. The loudest sound within the animal kingdom comes from a whale.

Thought-about the loudest animals on Earth, sperm whales can produce sounds as loud as 230 decibels—that’s louder than jet engines and rocket launches!
45. Sea ranges have risen about 8 inches since 1880.

This rise is because of adjustments in local weather which have prompted the growth of seawater because it warms and the melting of ice over land, similar to glaciers and polar ice caps.
46. The ocean comprises underwater volcanoes.

Hydrothermal vents and underwater volcanoes are scattered alongside mid-ocean ridges, contributing to the distinctive ecosystems of the deep sea. Study extra about what occurs when huge underwater volcanoes erupt!
47. Some ocean animals migrate hundreds of miles annually.

Species like humpback whales and leatherback sea turtles embark on epic migrations, touring hundreds of miles to breed, feed, or escape colder waters. Discover out why these migratory animals are now in nice peril.
48. The ocean is residence to the world’s largest dwelling construction.

The Nice Barrier Reef spans over 1,400 miles off the coast of Australia and consists of billions of tiny organisms referred to as coral polyps.
49. Sound travels quicker in water than in air.

Within the ocean, sound travels a lot quicker than in air, making it an important device for marine animals like dolphins and whales to speak over lengthy distances.
50. Oceans regulate the Earth’s temperature.

By absorbing and distributing warmth across the globe, oceans act like a worldwide thermostat, stabilizing the planet’s local weather and stopping excessive temperature swings. Study extra about how the ocean impacts local weather and climate on land.
51. The ocean has its personal “deserts.”

There are areas referred to as ocean gyres the place nutrient ranges are so low that few vegetation and animals can survive, creating organic “lifeless zones.”
52. You’ll find underwater waterfalls within the ocean.

One of many largest is the Denmark Strait cataract, the place chilly, dense water flows beneath lighter, heat water, making a waterfall impact that’s taller than any on land. This is among the wildest ocean details for teenagers!
53. We all know much less concerning the ocean flooring than we all know concerning the floor of Mars.

Regardless of advances in know-how, solely about 20% of the ocean flooring has been mapped with excessive decision, leaving a lot of it nonetheless a thriller. The excellent news? UNESCO has pledged to have 80% mapped by 2030!
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