It’s summer, which means it’s time for vacation! It’s also a great time to hit the beach and play in the ocean to cool off. What do you really know about the ocean? Well, there’s a lot to know! Get ready to know all about the ocean.
Oceans cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface and about 97% of the water on Earth is contained in oceans and seas. Unfortunately, the oceans are salty which means we can’t drink their water – but we can get salt from the oceans! Rocks and soil that have been washed from land and carried into the oceans by rivers contain the minerals chloride and sodium, which combine to make salt.
Oceans in warm areas are saltier than oceans in cold climates. The reason is that ocean water in warmer areas evaporates more quickly, which leaves more salt behind. The saltiest water in the world is in the Red Sea. If you look at a map, it is almost entirely surrounded by deserts.
There are five oceans—theAtlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic. They are all connected to form a huge area of water. A sea is a smaller body of water within an ocean.
What causes the waves in the ocean? Wind! The wind blows over the surface of the ocean. As it does this, it pushes on the water and some of its energy is transferred to the water. There is friction between the air molecules and water molecules and this friction creates energy. Even though it make look like waves from from side to side, they don’t! They move up and down like a bobber in the water!
What is a tide? A tide is the regular rise and fall of the sea level in oceans and other bodies of water. They are caused by the Moon’s gravity effect on the Earth. The water on the side of Earth that is closest to the Moon is pulled toward the Moon, creating a “bulge” in the ocean. On the side of Earth away from the moon, the Moon’s gravity pulls actually pulls the Earth away from the water, making another “bulge”. These two “bulges” form high tides. The Earth rotates on its axis, so every point on Earth (except the poles, of course) travels through two high tides and the two low tides everyday.
Plus, oceans are beautiful! Don’t you think?