1/16/25, 8:16 AM Ocean - Wikipedia

Ocean
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The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth.[8] In English, the term
ocean also refers to any of the large bodies of water into which the world ocean is conventionally Earth's ocean
divided.[9] The following names describe five different areas of the ocean: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian,
Antarctic/Southern, and Arctic.[10][11] The ocean contains 97% of Earth's water[8] and is the primary
component of Earth's hydrosphere and is thereby essential to life on Earth. The ocean influences
climate and weather patterns, the carbon cycle, and the water cycle by acting as a huge heat reservoir.

Ocean scientists split the ocean into vertical and horizontal zones based on physical and biological
conditions. The pelagic zone is the open ocean's water column from the surface to the ocean floor. The
water column is further divided into zones based on depth and the amount of light present. The photic
zone starts at the surface and is defined to be "the depth at which light intensity is only 1% of the surface
value"[12]: 36 (approximately 200 m in the open ocean). This is the zone where photosynthesis can occur.
In this process plants and microscopic algae (free-floating phytoplankton) use light, water, carbon
dioxide, and nutrients to produce organic matter. As a result, the photic zone is the most biodiverse and
the source of the food supply which sustains most of the ocean ecosystem. Ocean photosynthesis also Pacific Ocean of Earth seen from space in
produces half of the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere.[13] Light can only penetrate a few hundred more 1969
meters; the rest of the deeper ocean is cold and dark (these zones are called mesopelagic and aphotic Basin countries List of countries by length of
zones). The continental shelf is where the ocean meets dry land. It is more shallow, with a depth of a few coastline
hundred meters or less. Human activity often has negative impacts on marine life within the continental
shelf. Surface area 361,000,000 km2
(139,382,879 sq mi)
Ocean temperatures depend on the amount of solar radiation reaching the ocean surface. In the tropics, (71% Earth's surface area)[1]
surface temperatures can rise to over 30 °C (86 °F). Near the poles where sea ice forms, the temperature Average depth 3.688 km (2 mi)[2]
in equilibrium is about −2 °C (28 °F). In all parts of the ocean, deep ocean temperatures range between
Max. depth 11.034 km (6.856 mi)
−2 °C (28 °F) and 5 °C (41 °F).[14] Constant circulation of water in the ocean creates ocean currents.
(Challenger Deep)[3]
Those currents are caused by forces operating on the water, such as temperature and salinity
Water volume 1,370,000,000 km3
differences, atmospheric circulation (wind), and the Coriolis effect.[15] Tides create tidal currents, while
(328,680,479 cu mi)[1]
wind and waves cause surface currents. The Gulf Stream, Kuroshio Current, Agulhas Current and
(97.5% of Earth's water)
Antarctic Circumpolar Current are all major ocean currents. Such currents transport massive amounts
of water, gases, pollutants and heat to different parts of the world, and from the surface into the deep Shore length1 Low interval calculation:
ocean. All this has impacts on the global climate system. 356,000 km (221,208 mi)[4]
High interval calculation:
Ocean water contains dissolved gases, including oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. An exchange of 1,634,701 km
these gases occurs at the ocean's surface. The solubility of these gases depends on the temperature and (1,015,756 mi)[5]
salinity of the water.[16] The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is rising due to CO2
Max. 30 °C (86 °F) (max. surface)
emissions, mainly from fossil fuel combustion. As the oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, a higher
temperature 20 °C (68 °F) (avg. surface)
concentration leads to ocean acidification (a drop in pH value).[17]
4 °C (39 °F) (avg.
The ocean provides many benefits to humans such as ecosystem services, access to seafood and other overall)[6][7]
marine resources, and a means of transport. The ocean is known to be the habitat of over 230,000
Min. −2 °C (28 °F) (surface)
species, but may hold considerably more – perhaps over two million species.[18] Yet, the ocean faces temperature
many environmental threats, such as marine pollution, overfishing, and the effects of climate change. 1 °C (34 °F) (deepest
Those effects include ocean warming, ocean acidification and sea level rise. The continental shelf and points)[6][7]

coastal waters are most affected by human activity. Sections/sub- Main divisions (volume %):
basins Pacific Ocean (50.1%)
Atlantic Ocean (23.3%)
Terminology Indian Ocean (19.8%)
Antarctic/Southern Ocean
(5.4%)
Ocean and sea
Arctic Ocean (1.4%)
The terms "the ocean" or "the sea" used without specification refer to the interconnected body of salt Other divisions: Marginal
water covering the majority of Earth's surface.[10][11] It includes the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, seas
Southern/Antarctic, and Arctic oceans.[19] As a general term, "the ocean" and "the sea" are often
Trenches List of oceanic trenches
interchangeable.[20]
1
Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
Strictly speaking, a "sea" is a body of water (generally a division of the world ocean) partly or fully
enclosed by land.[21] The word "sea" can also be used for many specific, much smaller bodies of seawater, such as the North Sea or the Red Sea. There
is no sharp distinction between seas and oceans, though generally seas are smaller, and are often partly (as marginal seas) or wholly (as inland seas)
bordered by land.[22]

World Ocean
The contemporary concept of the World Ocean was coined in the early 20th century by the Russian oceanographer Yuly Shokalsky to refer to the
continuous ocean that covers and encircles most of Earth.[23][24] The global, interconnected body of salt water is sometimes referred to as the World
Ocean, global ocean or the great ocean.[25][26][27] The concept of a continuous body of water with relatively unrestricted exchange between its

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