Information AboutOcean |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT OCEAN | |
| oceans | |
| oceanography | |
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An ocean (from , ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) in Greek ) is a major body of Saline Water , and a principal component of the Hydrosphere . Approximately 71% of the Earth 's Surface (an area of some 361 million Square Kilometer s) is covered by ocean, a Continuous Body Of Water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller Sea s. More than half of this area is over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) deep. Average oceanic Salinity is around 35 Parts Per Thousand (ppt) (3.5%), and nearly all seawater has a salinity in the range of 31 to 38 ppt. OVERVIEW Though generally recognized as several 'separate' oceans, these waters comprise one global, interconnected body of salt water often referred to as the , the Atlantic Ocean , the Indian Ocean , the Southern Ocean (which is sometimes subsumed as the southern portions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans), and the Arctic Ocean (which is sometimes considered a Sea of the Atlantic). The Pacific and Atlantic may be further subdivided by the Equator into North erly and South erly portions. Smaller regions of the oceans are called seas, Gulfs , Bay s and other names. There are also some smaller bodies of saltwater that are totally landlocked and ''not'' interconnected with the World Ocean, such as the Caspian Sea , the Aral Sea , and the Great Salt Lake – though they may be referred to as 'seas', they are actually Salt Lake s. Geologically, an ocean is an area of oceanic crust covered by water. Oceanic crust is the thin layer of solidified volcanic s, the latter two of which were formed by the collision of Cimmeria with Laurasia . The Mediterranean Sea is very nearly a discrete ocean, being connected to the World Ocean through the Strait Of Gibraltar , and indeed several times over the last few million years Movement of the African Continent has closed the strait off entirely. The Black Sea is connected to the Mediterranean through the Bosporus , but this is in effect a natural Canal cut through continental rock some 7,000 years ago, rather than a piece of oceanic sea floor like the Strait of Gibraltar. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES |
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