Getting to know your native planet: what is the ocean?

The man with all his might aimed in space, the science fiction writers are already drawing pictures of the development of other planets, and what we have "underfoot", at times, not everyone knows. And if the land is still more or less studied, then almost nothing is known about the depths of the water. And not everyone can answer a simple question about what an ocean is. Let's "patch" holes in education and deal with concepts and definitions.

What is it, the ocean, than differs from other water bodies

Almost a third of the surface of the planet (seventy one percent) is occupied by water. It forms the World Ocean. It, in turn, is divided into smaller parts. All of them we perfectly know: the seas and bays, rivers and straits are its parts. The oceans are considered to be the largest. According to the definition, this is the mass of water between the continents. There are four in all (although some scholars tend to believe that there are five). The warmest is the Indian Ocean. The greatest is the Quiet. The Arctic Ocean is mostly covered with glaciers. Atlantic - is distinguished by strong currents. The fifth, unrecognized ocean, presumably located in the area of the South Pole. He is not singled out on the globe and maps. To imagine what the ocean is, it will be easier if you look at the image of the planet from orbit. This is a huge space, covered with blue water and white ice. Its signs: the location between the continents, incredible size.

Historical views

In ancient times people had no idea how much water on the planet. Yes, and the development of these spaces was a matter of unrealistic without high technologies and modern equipment. In ancient Greece, the question of what the ocean is, answered - the waters surrounding the known world. More often they were represented in the form of a river flowing around the Earth. Their level of navigation did not allow them to travel between the continents, which means that it was impossible to compile real data on the greatness of the oceanic expanses. The views of mankind began to change gradually with the development of shipbuilding. By the seventeenth century, the first understanding of the real size of the World Ocean had matured. Although there is evidence that the ancient people knew much more about the planet, they just could not keep this information. That proof is the Mercator card, which is over five hundred years old.

Modern views

Scientists believe that the future of mankind is directly connected with the world's oceans. When asked what the ocean is, they lead an endless story about its inexhaustible resources. For example, water itself. It is a source of mineral elements, which it contains more than seventy-five. From it you can identify magnesium and iodine, cadmium and gold, bromine and table salt. Yes, and fresh water will remain. Stocks of liquid are so large that it is difficult to imagine. Every inhabitant of the planet has a volume equal to 270 million cubic meters. This is approximately two Mozhaisk reservoirs, which is near Moscow. The ocean floor is a source of energy. Most of the gas and oil is produced on the continental shelf. The reserves of these substances, according to scientists, are huge. In the last century, stocks of ferromanganese nodules were discovered. This allows you to think about the extraction of thirty kinds of metals. Oceans are also a source of energy. It can be obtained from tides and currents. Scientists have calculated that the planet now has twenty-five places where it is worthwhile to build such stations. The best are the shores of the White, Okhotsk and Barents Seas.

Biodiversity

The incredibly rapid growth of the world's population made scientists think about the need to develop food resources. Many looked at the oceans. There floats and multiplies an incredible variety of all kinds of creatures. The fish account for about 14 percent. The most part is occupied by algae. And their use in food is also possible, although not yet common. Now attention has been shifted to the development of ocean farms. They are trying to breed all kinds of marine useful animals. The direction is considered promising. Currently, artificially grown, mainly oysters and mussels, kelp. Work to develop the direction of mariculture is carried out by all countries. All that is known about the biosphere of the oceans is the coastal regions. Over eighty percent are not researched, which allows humanity to place high hopes on its oceanic future. Constantly there are reports of the discovery of new species of living organisms in the depths, since the development of technology makes possible a more detailed study of the seabed.

Ecology of the World Ocean

Man's technogenic activity affects the state of the oceans. Moreover,
The perniciousness of actions often leads to an irreparable disaster. For example, in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, there is a lot of fuel oil and oil. Effective cleaning technologies do not exist yet. Such disasters ruin all living things, harm the ecosystem. In addition, often the cause of pollution of the World Ocean is the activity of man on land. So, in the Sea of Azov, so many fertilizers from the fields flow, that it is considered the dirtiest on the planet. From oil suffer the Baltic and Mediterranean seas. The Persian Gulf in general for a while turned into a dump of oil waste due to the military conflict unleashed on its territory.

Of particular importance now is the protection of the ocean surface from human activities. This must necessarily be done if we want our descendants also to know what the ocean is!