Major basins

Major basins

1

2

3

4

5

Major basins – General Characteristics

Pacific Ocean • average depth 3,940 m • extensive marginal seas, volcanic

island systems, and trenches  • considerable mountain building and

earthquake activity along boundaries (Ring of Fire)

• little freshwater input Atlantic Ocean • average depth 3,310 m • large freshwater input (Amazon,

Congo, Mississippi, Niger, Orinoco Rivers)

Indian Ocean • average depth 3,840 m • large sediment input (Indus and Ganges River Deltas) Arctic Ocean • average depth 1,038 m • centered on the north pole • shallow and land-locked • covered by sea ice • large sediment input from active glaciers Southern Ocean • average depth 4,000 m • continuous ring of water around Antarctica • coldest of all oceans (near freezing) • extensive winter sea ice coverage • most biologically productive ocean

Marginal Seas

Surrounding the Atlantic Ocean is the Sargasso Sea (1), Weddell Sea (2), the Caribbean Sea (3), the North Sea (4), and the Mediterranean Sea (5). Surrounding the Pacific Ocean is the Ross Sea (6), the Coral Sea (7), the South China Sea (8), the Sea of Japan (9), the Sea of Okhotsk (10), the Bering Sea (11), and the Sea of Cortez (12) (also called the Gulf of California). Surrounding the Indian Ocean is the Red Sea (13), the Arabian Sea (14), and the Bay of Bengal (15). Surrounding the Arctic Ocean is the Bering Sea (11), the Laptev Sea (16), the Barents Sea (17), and the Beaufort Sea (18).

Largest, smallest, deepest, saltiest

Pacific Ocean = 1/3 globe (18 x US)1/2 world ocean

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest (area = 9,485,000 sq km, or < 1/10 Pacific)

Top 10 Deepest Trenches1 Mariana 2 Tonga 3 Philippine 4 Kermadec 5 Bonin 6 New Britain 7 Kuril 8 Izu 9 Puerto Rico 10 Yap

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2

3

4

576

8

109

Mariana Trench = 35,802 ft (10,912 m)

Puerto Rico Trench

8,400 m (5.2 miles)

Highest Salinity

Red Sea salinity ranges between 36 and 38 psu

Dead Sea salinity = 360 psu

Ocean basins

Ocean basins

Ocean basins

To “sail the seven seas” (< 1400’s) =

1. Adriatic Sea2. Black Sea3. Caspian Sea4. Mediterranean Sea5. Red Sea6. Persian Gulf7. Indian Ocean

Ocean basin chemical signatures

1. Salinity2. Temperature3. Density

Salinity Pacific Ocean

Salinity Atlantic/Indian Oceans

Meridional Salinity Atlantic

Annual Mean Surface Temperature

Longitude

Annual Mean Temperature 1000 m

Longitude

Density Pacific Ocean

Density Atlantic/Indian Oceans