20 Amazing Facts of Ocean You Need to Know

Happy World Oceans Day everyone!

When we say Ocean, the first thing which come to our mind are the blue waters. These vast bodies contain 97% of water and are the lifelines of our planet. Nowadays, these massive water bodies have become the dumping places for many countries. Plastic waste and e-waste are the primary threats towards these oceans. Although many ngo’s and organisations are working towards it, a significant amount is still present. Studies show that there will be more plastic in the oceans compared to fish by 2050. That is scary!

We need these oceans and the water in a clean appropriate condition. Not only for the sake of life within the oceans, but also for the life around these oceans. Today, more life is present in the oceans than anywhere on earth. Algae, microscopic animals, fungus, plants, corals, around 33,000 species of fish and many more vertebrates and invertebrates are just a part of this marine life!

Here are 20 reasons to love our Oceans!

  1. The Pacific Ocean is surrounded by the Pacific Ring of Fire, a large number of active volcanoes.
  2. The Atlantic Ocean’s name refers to Atlas of Greek mythology.
  3. The third largest ocean on Earth is the Indian Ocean. It covers around 14% of the Earth’s surface.
  4. During winter the Arctic Ocean is almost completely covered in sea ice.
  5. The Pacific Ocean contains around 25,000 different islands, many more than are found in Earth’s other oceans.
  6. The average ocean depth is 2.5 miles (4 km).
  7. The world’s oceans contain nearly 20 million tons of gold.​
  8. In Newfoundland, Canada, the Atlantic Ocean sometimes freezes and people play hockey on it.
  9. 70% of the oxygen we breathe are produced by the oceans.
  10. 95% of the underwater world remains unexplored.
  11. Jellyfish are the ocean’s most efficient swimmers, consuming 48% less oxygen than any other swimming animal.
  12. There’s up to $60 billion in sunken treasure sitting at the bottom of the world’s oceans.
  13. 94% of life on Earth is aquatic. That makes us land-dwellers a very small minority.
  14. We have only explored less than 5 percent of the Earth’s oceans. In fact, we have better maps of Mars than we do of the ocean floor.
  15. The longest mountain range in the world is under water. Called the Mid-Oceanic Ridge.
  16. If you’ve ever swallowed a milliliter of ocean water, know that you also gulped 1 million bacteria and 10 million viruses.
  17. The average temperature of the oceans is 2ºC, about 39ºF.
  18. The Great Barrier Reef, measuring 1,243 miles, is the largest living structure on Earth.
  19. Although there are some treaties that protect ocean-going species such as whales, as well as some fisheries agreements, there are no protected areas in the High Seas.​
  20. There are about 4,000 coral reef fish species.

​Comment below to share your thoughts about our oceans!

Image inputs from Wikipedia.

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