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Did you know that ocean waters represent nothing more and nothing less than 71% of the Earth's surface? At present, various theories have tried to explain how ocean waters originated on the planet, including the possibility that they arose about 4 billion years ago, due to periods of intense volcanic activity and high temperatures, which did It is possible that the original thick layers of ice melted and water was found in a liquid state. This liquid water is currently distributed throughout the planet, separating continents, surrounding islands and guaranteeing the survival of millions of marine species. For this reason, the protection and conservation of each and every one of the world's oceans is vital, avoiding their contamination by dumping of garbage and other toxic substances.
In this Green Ecologist article we will dive into the depths of the oceans to learn about the ocean waters, what are they, characteristics and importance, to better understand this precious and valuable natural asset for the development of life on Earth.
What are ocean waters
The ocean waters They are one of the most important and prominent biological components of planet Earth since its formation millions of years ago. At present they correspond to the larger volume water bodies of the planet, and are formed by the water of the five great oceans that constitute it: the Pacific Ocean (188 million km2 Of surface), the atlantic (area of 94 million km2 ), the Indian (area of 74 million km2 ), the Antarctic (20 million km2 surface) and the arctic ocean (14 million km2 Of surface).
In oceanic waters, three elements are of vital importance for the proper functioning of these incredible and amazing ecosystems:
- Marine currents: They move by action of the wind, following its direction and counting with greater or lesser movement according to the strength of said winds. In addition, the famous Coriolis effect (determined by the direction of the Earth's rotation), establishes that the ocean currents turn clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the south. There are different marine currents, to which names of countries and continental areas in which they are found are attributed, such as the currents of the Canary Islands (Spain-Morocco), the California current (USA) and the East Australian current. All these currents occur near the surface of the oceans and frequently influence the climatic conditions of the continental areas with which they border.
- Waves: The main constituent elements of the marine currents, the waves give life to the waters that reach the coasts, which suffer the constant erosion that the force of the waves generates when shaping the coastal land surfaces. Here below you can see a short video about the waves.
- The tides: Caused by the force of gravity of the Moon and the Sun, the tides mark the rates of rise and fall of the oceanic waters that wash the coasts, beaches and cliffs of coastal regions around the world.
In the next sections we will see in more detail what other characteristics define ocean waters, as well as their importance and the role they play in balancing the planet as a "whole".
Characteristics of ocean waters
The general characteristics of all the world's oceans include elements and specific properties of these waters, such as:
- Average depth of about 3,900 meters, depending on the oceanic relief that defines the area.
- Temperatures ranging between 12 and 30ºC in the surface layers of temperate waters, and between 6 and -1ºC below said layer.
- The salinity of the oceans, represented by the amount of sodium chloride dissolved in the water, constitutes 90% of the chemical components that appear dissolved in oceanic waters. This chemical composition is complemented by some elements such as magnesium, sulfur, potassium and calcium.
- Directly related to its salinity, the density of oceanic waters is greater than that of fresh waters, reaching densities of more than 1,000 kilograms per m3. This high density characteristic of oceanic waters can be easily appreciated with the ability of materials and organisms to float in these dense and saline waters.
- Oceanic waters have a characteristic blue color, due, among other reasons, to the absorption of photons from the spectrum of red light that water molecules carry out when they receive incident solar rays, which they reflect in blue tones.
Importance of ocean waters
Source of innumerable wealth and surprising biodiversity, ocean waters are one of the most important and precious assets for many of the living organisms that inhabit the Earth.
It is the oceanic waters that are responsible for transporting with them the nutrients, both plants and animals, that need different communities and populations of animals in each of the coastal regions of the planet. This fact is possible thanks to the Ocean currents that turn ocean waters into habitats in constant movement and balance.
Another of the main values of these waters is due to the important role they play in the thermoregulation of the planetTherefore, at a global level, oceanic waters self-regulate the amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen present in the atmosphere (by action of phytoplankton), in addition to keep the life cycle in balance of millions of species of animals, plants, invertebrates and all kinds of microorganisms.
Regarding the importance they have within anthropic ecosystems, their function as nexus between the different continents of the planet, facilitating the transport of all kinds of marine goods, ships and boats.
In these other Green Ecologist articles you can learn everything about the biodiversity of the oceans and World Oceans Day and its importance. In addition, precisely due to this great importance for life on the planet, it is vital to learn how to avoid pollution of the seas and oceans and, therefore, here we give you information about it.
If you want to read more articles similar to Ocean waters: what are they, characteristics and importance, we recommend that you enter our Ecosystems category.
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- Paparazzo, E. (2003) Evaluation of inorganic nutrients in oceanic waters and their relationship with phytoplankton biomass. National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Puerto Madryn, Argentina, pp: 4-20.
- Brenes, R; Kwiecinski, B; D'Croz, L. & Chaves, C. (1995) Oceanographic characteristics of the Central American Pacific shelf and adjacent ocean waters. Regional Program to Support the Development of Fisheries in the Central American Isthmus, Panama.
- Guerrero, R. & Piola, A. (1997) Water bodies on the Argentine Continental Shelf. Magazine the Argentine sea and its fishing resources. Volume 1, pp: 107-118.
