50 fascinating facts about the ocean

With over 71% of the world’s surface covered in ‘global ocean,’ there is a huge amount still to learn about this vast watery desert. It is strange to think that we already know quite a lot about the waters that cover our planet, however scientists and marine biologists have only really explored 5% of the oceans. Seeing as the ‘global ocean’ is so large, it has been divided into 5 separate oceans, all of which are connected.

The largest ocean out of the 5 is the Pacific. The pacific is roughly the same size as all of the land on earth, put together. The Pacific Ocean is home to the deepest depths on earth, which is situated in the ‘Marina Trench’, which sits at approximately 11Km (6.8miles) below sea level. The Pacific is also home to the highest mountain on earth, which sits at 10Km (6.2miles) above sea level. Mount Everest is only 8.8Km above sea level.

The smallest ocean on earth is the Arctic Ocean and is home to the majority of sea ice on the planet. Did you know that nearly 7% of the ocean is covered with sea ice?

We have so much to thank the oceans for, not only do they act like an enormous sponge to absorb the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which is helping to reduce global warming, they also produce over 50% of the oxygen we breathe and provide over 96% of the worlds water supply. In addition, the oceans are home to some of the most magnificent creatures and plants on earth. Some of which have be known to be used as medication that can reduce inflammation, help reduce pain and have even been known to fight against certain types of cancer.

Did you know that there are 28 major groups of animals in the ocean whereas on earth, there are only 11? There is so much to learn about our oceans and if you want to know more, then take a look at the fascinating infographic below, created by the amazing folks at divein.com

Guest blogger Torben Lonne.

Lonne is the co-founder and chief-editor at DIVE.in and a top skilled PADI MSDT instructor. He worked several years scuba diving in Indonesia and Thailand – and has dived in many places around the world. You can contact him at torben@dive.in