Explore The Incredible Secrets Lurking In The Depths Of The Oceans Today.

The oceans cover about 71% of the Earth’s surface. Together, they hold 96.5% of all water on the planet, that’s about 1.2 billion cubic kilometers (320 million cubic miles).

37 of the 50 minerals critical to the United States, like rare earth elements, Cobalt, and Manganese, can be found in the oceans. Currently, there are multiple marine organizations trying to explore the feasibility of mining these elements. However, they have received severe pushback from environmental organizations that believe further mining in the oceans pose a critical risk to life.

The oceans influence and regulate the Earth’s climate. They are responsible for storing heat from solar radiation and transferring it all across the planet. Also, their role in circulating wind currents make them vital for meteorologist who try to detect anomalies that could lead to severe conditions like hurricanes.

There is enough salt in the ocean to cover the whole surface of the Earth. If all the salt in the oceans were removed and spread across the planet, they’d form a layer that’s than 500 feet (166 meters) thick, about the height of 4 long school buses.

The number of species that live in the ocean is unknown. However, some estimates place the number of fishes at 3,500,000,000,000 (3.5 trillion). Many fish species are going extinct due to severe over-fishing by humans but new environmental initiatives like the Blue Marine Foundation are working hard to reduce humanity’s devastation of the oceans.

The Pacific Ocean is so large that if you were to stand at one point and another person travels exactly half the circumference of the planet, they’d still be in the Pacific Ocean; this feature is called an antipode. In fact, the Pacific is so large, that it alone takes up over 50% of all water on the planet.

If we were to take every single country on the planet and fit them into the Pacific Ocean there’d still be enough room for more land.

The Atlantic Ocean covers about 23% of the Earth’s total surface. It’s the second largest ocean after the Pacific. Even though it’s almost twice as small, the Atlantic Ocean is still a behemoth.

The Atlantic Ocean is incredibly deep. The deepest portion of the ocean is the Milwaukee Deep which is located off the coast of Puerto Rico. Parts of the ocean in this region can reach depth of 27,200-feet (8300 meters).

The Atlantic Ocean was formed during the Jurassic Period about 150 million years ago during the massive separation of the supercontinent Pangaea.

The Southern Ocean is the youngest of the planet’s oceans. It was formed about 30 million years ago when Antarctica split from South America and Modern Australia. It is also the second smallest ocean after the Arctic Ocean.

The Arctic Ocean is the least saltiest on the planet; this is because of numerous factors like it being closed off from other oceans, the presence of fresh water rivers and streams pouring in, and melting ice.

The Southern Ocean is the most dangerous on the planet; this is because of the wild currents that converge in the region. For many centuries, sailors hated the Southern Ocean. According to tales from people who battled the storms in the region, the ocean can produce waves so high they block out light from the moon.

The Arctic Ocean is the shallowest on Earth. It has an average depth of 3,953 feet (1204 metersI and its deepest point sits at 18,264 feet (5566 meters). Though the shallowest, it is the coldest on the planet.

The Indian Ocean is the warmest of the Earth’s great water bodies. Surface temperatures on it can reach a whooping 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit).

There is a large land mass under the Indian Ocean called the Kerguelen Plateau. It’s three times the size of California and is believed to have sunk into the ocean about 20 million years ago.

The Ring of Fire is a horse-shoe-shaped volcanically active region in the Pacific Ocean. It’s home to a staggering 450 volcanoes and stretches for almost 25,000 miles (40,250 kilometers). More than 350 of the Ring of Fire’s volcanoes have been observed to be active throughout history, and the four greatest volcanic eruptions in human history occurred there.

The Mariana Trench is the deepest ocean point on Earth. It reaches a mind-blowing 36,037 feet (10,984 meters). The Mariana Trench has been the subject of many documentaries and films over the years. If placed besides Mount. Everest, it’ll tower the mountain by more than 2000 meters.

The pressure in the Mariana Trench is unbelievably high. It’s about 1086 bars of pressure; this is enough to destroy almost anything. For more context, if you take a creature adapted to the Mariana Trench to the Earth’s surface, it’ll explode.

Only six people have been to the Mariana Trench. Among them is James Cameron, the exceptional filmmaker known for the creation of the Titanic, Avatar, Terminator, and Ghosts of the Abyss.