1. Introduction to Oceanography
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

2. Overview
 The world ocean is the most prominent feature on
Earth.
 Oceans cover 70.8% of Earth’s surface.
 The origin and development of life on Earth is
connected to the ocean.
 The oceans have a long history on Earth.
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3. Earth’s Oceans
 Earth has one ocean.
 It is divided into four
principle oceans, and
one other.
 Pacific Ocean
 Atlantic Ocean
 Indian Ocean
 Arctic Ocean
 Southern, or Antarctic
Ocean
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4. OCEANS

5. Ocean Size and Depth
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6. Earth’s Oceans
1) Pacific Ocean
a. World’s largest ocean
i. Accounts for more than
half of Earth’s ocean space
b. World’s deepest ocean
c. Earth’s largest
geographic feature
d. Named in 1520 by
Ferdinand Magellan

8. Earth’s Oceans
2) Atlantic Ocean
a. Half the size of
the Pacific
Ocean
b. Shallower than
the Pacific
Ocean
c. Separates the
Old World
from the New
World
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9. Factoids:
• Average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is 12,000 feet.
• The greatest depth is 28,374 feet (Puerto Rico Trench).

10. Earth’s Oceans
3. Indian Ocean
a. Smaller than
the Atlantic
Ocean
b. Similar depth
as the Atlantic
Ocean
c. Primarily in
the Southern
Hemisphere
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11. • The Mid-Atlantic Ridge divides the sea floor nearly through the center and
stretches from the polar regions of the North to Antarctica in the South.

12. Earth’s Oceans
4. Arctic Ocean
a. Seven percent the size
of the Pacific Ocean
b. Shallowest world
ocean
c. Permanent layer of sea
ice a few meters thick
5. Other…Southern Ocean
or Antarctic Ocean
a. Circumnavigates
Antarctica
b. Is really the parts of
the Pacific, Atlantic,
and Indian Oceans
that lie south of 50 S
latitude © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

13.  Factoid: Centered approximately on the North Pole, the
ARCTIC Ocean is the smallest of the world's oceans.

14. ARCTIC OCEAN
Factoid:
 Maximum depth is 18,050 feet.
 The Arctic Ocean is divided into two nearly equal basins: The Eurasia basin &
the Amerasia basin.

15. The Seven Seas
 Smaller and shallower than oceans
 Salt water
 Usually enclosed by land
 Sargasso Sea defined by surrounding ocean currents
 Directly connected to the ocean
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16. The Seven Seas
 Before the 15th Century, Europeans considered the
seven seas to be the following:
1. Red Sea
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17. 2. Mediterranean Sea

18. Turkey
Cyprus Syria
Mediterranean Sea
Africa

20. 3. Persian Gulf

21. 4. Black Sea

22. 5. Adriatic Sea

23. 6. Caspian Sea

24. 7. Indian Ocean

25. Comparing Oceans to Continents
 Average ocean depth is 3729 meters
(12,234 feet)
 Average continental elevation is 840
meters (2756 feet)
 Deepest ocean trench is the Mariana
Trench at 11,022 meters (36,161 feet)
 Highest continental mountain is
Mt. Everest at 8850 meters (29,935
feet)
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