Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean: characteristics, similarities and differences

Water occupies approximately 70% of the surface of the globe. The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean are the largest water areas. The first of these has long played a crucial role in the existence of human civilization. The waters of the world ocean are an inseparable environment around the continents and islands, but they have different properties on different sites. Fortieth latitudes are famous for the constant storms raging all year round. Tropical waters are known for scorching sun, trade winds and rare hurricanes of destructive force.

General characteristics of the Pacific Ocean

Between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean there is a difference in size, the first of which occupies over 33% of the surface of the globe. It also has the greatest depths, lower water temperature and salt concentration. The width of the ocean along the equator is 17 thousand km, the area is 178.7 million km ² , and the average depth is 3940 m. The distinctive features of the ocean are also that the earth's crust under it is extremely mobile, the bottom is rich in volcanoes, and the waters - by representatives Animal and vegetable worlds.

The second name of the Pacific is the Great. Its waters are washed by five continents. The eastern coasts are quite simple, with several bays and peninsulas. On the western outskirts, there are many seas. These include the shelf, which are in the shallow water of the continent, the depth does not exceed 100 m. Some of the seas are located at the point of contact of the lithospheric plates. From the ocean they are separated by groups of islands. The coastline is heavily dissected.

General characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean

The differences of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean are not only in size, but also in form. The latter is stretched in a north-south direction and resembles a winding ribbon. Its width is about 5 thousand km, the surface area is 91.6 million km ² , and the average depth is 3597 m. The Atlantic Ocean is a drainage place for a large number of large rivers. If we take the total flow of the Congo and the Amazon, then it will be only a fourth.

The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean have different salinity of waters. At the first it is more and is from 34 to 37.3 ‰. The average for the oceans is 34.71 . It has the warmest water, its temperature is 3.99 ºC (the average value of the World is 3.51 ºC). This phenomenon has a simple explanation: the ocean actively exchanges waters with coastal seas and bays, which are characterized by warmth and high salinity.

Research

The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean have been studied for a long time. The latter was assimilated by the indigenous population long before the appearance of Europeans, who fell into its waters only in the time of the Great Geographical Discoveries. A group of ships led by F. Magellan crossed the Pacific Ocean in a western direction. For several months the waters were calm, so the name was given to him. Since that time, the ocean has been explored by many expeditions under the guidance of domestic and foreign seafarers.

The ancient Greeks and peoples of Scandinavia were also engaged in the development of the Atlantic Ocean. On its shores there were centers of navigation. Since the time of the Great geographical discoveries, the main waterways pass through it. In the XIX and XX centuries, expedition ships conducted a comprehensive study of the Atlantic. Until now, scientists are exploring the nature of the main currents, the mutual influence of the atmosphere and the ocean.

Bottom relief

Comparison of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in terms of the relief of the bottom gives grounds to say that in the first it is much more complicated. The latter has a smaller age, if you look at the theory of motion of lithospheric plates. Along the Atlantic Ocean in the meridional direction is a huge ridge, which, coming to the surface, forms Fr. Iceland. This underwater mountain mass divides the water into two practically identical parts. The European and North American coasts have large shelves.

Fossils in the Pacific Ocean are significant off the coast of Asia and Australia. The slope of the continent is steep, often in the form of steps. At the bottom there are many ridges, uplifts and depressions, as well as over 10 thousand volcanic mountains. The waters of the ocean are also known for the presence of the "Ring of Fire" and the Mariana Trench, which has a record depth of 11,022 km.

Climate

The similarity of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans lies in the fact that they lie in several climatic zones. The air masses above the first of them contain a lot of moisture, which falls out in the form of rains. Their annual number above the equator is up to 3000 mm. The Arctic Ocean is separated from the Pacific by a section of land and underwater mountains, which protects the latter from cold waters.

In the central regions of the Pacific Ocean trade winds are constantly blowing, in the west - monsoons. Dry cold air from the mainland leads to icing of some seas. The western regions are often in the grip of typhoons. In the temperate zone, winter is accompanied by storms. The northern and southern regions of the Pacific Ocean are known for high waves reaching a 30-meter mark. The average temperature of the surface layer of water varies between -1 ... + 29 ºC. The predominance of precipitation over evaporation has led to the fact that the salinity of water is lower than the world average.

The widest area of the Atlantic is in the temperate and tropical climate, and not in the equatorial as in the Pacific. There are frequent trade winds and winds from the west. Storms in waters south of the equator happen all year round. In the temperate zone, they occur mainly in the winter.

Surface waters in the Atlantic are somewhat colder than in the Pacific Ocean. The reasons for this are the following: icebergs, cold water from the poles, active vertical mixing. Strong differences in the temperatures of atmospheric air and water lead to the appearance of thick fogs. The high salinity of the Atlantic is explained by the fact that evaporated moisture is transported to the continents, because the width of the ocean is relatively small.

Currents

The Pacific and Atlantic oceans connect the continents by waterways. The currents of the latter are predominantly meridional in nature. They have greater speed and ability to carry cold and heat between different latitudes. The Atlantic is known for a large number of icebergs.

Flows along the latitudes predominate in the Pacific Ocean. In the north and south currents have formed, having a closed oval contour.

Organic world

Flora and fauna in the Pacific Ocean is extremely diverse. For this purpose, all conditions have been created: age, various climatic zones, and dimensions. It contains ½ of the total mass of the organic world. The richness of flora and fauna is especially great at the equator and the tropics near coral reefs. The northern part has large salmon stocks. Ichthyofauna is also rich in the coast of the South American continent. After the fishes, birds gathered there, eating them. In the Pacific, there are many species of mammals (whales, fur seals, etc.), invertebrates (mollusks, corals, etc.).

The flora and fauna of the Atlantic Ocean has a smaller species diversity than the Pacific. The reason for this phenomenon lies in the fact that the former is much younger, but managed to survive a serious cooling during the Ice Age. The number of representatives of the organic world is great here, despite their poor species composition.

Islands and the Pacific and Atlantic Seas

The Pacific Ocean includes the following seas: Okhotsk, East China, Bering, Japan, and other islands that make up its composition: Kuril Islands, Japan, New Guinea and New Zealand, and others.

The seas that form part of the Atlantic Ocean are Black, Mediterranean, Baltic, etc. Famous islands: Iceland, British, Canary, etc.

It should be noted that the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean have more differences than common features. No wonder they are on opposite sides of the globe, have different formation times, bottom structure and other factors that have affected their characteristics.