Water, Water, EverywhereThe Earth’s Oceans and Seas

Jamel ThomasEarth Science 203

Major Bodies of Water

• Four Oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic– Pacific is largest and deepest• 64,186,300 square miles• 12,925 feet average depth

• Fifth ocean delimited in 2000– Southern Ocean north of Antarctica

Coral Reefs

• Form in shallow, warm seas• Made of coral polyps’ skeletons– Grow on top of old skeletons

• Spend adult lives fixed to same spot• Coral diseases increasing dramatically past 10

years– Responding to onset of bacteria, fungi, viruses

Ocean Zones

• Sunlit (down to 650 feet)• Sea plants and many animals

• Twilight (down to 3,300 feet)• Many different fish

• Sunless (down to 13,100 feet)• Animals feed on dead food from above