Marine Science Australia
Oceans of the world
The World Ocean
There is only one World (or global) Ocean however the vast body of water that covers 71 percent of the Earth is geographically divided into distinct named regions.
The boundaries between these regions have evolved over time for a variety of historical, cultural, geographical, and scientific reasons.
How many oceans are there?
Historically, there are four named oceans:
(1) the Atlantic ocean
(2) the Pacific ocean
(3) the Indian ocean
(4) the Arctic ocean
However, most countries - including the United States - now recognize the Southern (Antarctic) as the fifth ocean.
The Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian are known as the three major oceans.
The Seas of the World
Arctic Ocean:
Barents Sea
Beaufort Sea
Chukchi Sea
East Siberian Sea
Greenland Sea
Kara Sea
Laptev Sea
Lincoln Sea
Pacific Ocean:
Arafura Sea
Banda Sea
Bering Sea
Bismarck Sea
Celebes Sea
Chilean Sea
Coral Sea
East China Sea
Gulf of Alaska
Sea of Japan
Molucca Sea
Sea of Okhotsk
Philippine Sea
Solomon Sea
South China Sea
Sulu Sea
Tasman Sea
Yellow Sea
This is not a complete list.
Atlantic Ocean:
Black Sea
Caribbean Sea
Greenland Sea
Gulf of Guinea
Labrador Sea
Mediterranean Sea
North Sea
Norwegian Sea
Sargasso Sea
Indian Ocean:
Arabian Sea
Bay of Bengal
Timor Sea
Southern Ocean:
Amundsen Sea
Ross Sea
Scotia Sea
Weddell Sea
The Global Continental Shelf
The continental shelf is an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea.
The continental margin, between the continental shelf and the abyssal plain, comprises a steep continental slope followed by the flatter continental rise.
![The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan, defines the extent of coastal habitats, and occupies 5% of the total world area. Tap to view in full size. Source: By GEBCO world map 2014 (public domain) - [1] doi:10.3389/fmars.2019.00241, CC0, https:/](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=478x10000:format=jpg/path/s6ecaf51f4042b407/image/i106834cf746e5d03/version/1629628412/the-global-continental-shelf-highlighted-in-cyan-defines-the-extent-of-coastal-habitats-and-occupies-5-of-the-total-world-area-tap-to-view-in-full-size-source-by-gebco-world-map-2014-public-domain-1-doi-10-3389-fmars-2019-00241-cc0-https.jpg)
Resources:
The World Ocean modified from: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/howmanyoceans.html
The global continental shelf modified from :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_shelf
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Marine Science facts
The vampire squid gets its name not because it has a taste for blood but from the dark skin on its arms that makes it look like it’s wearing a Dracula-esque cape?
The oceans provide 99% of the living space on the planet containing 50-80% of all life.
The Oceans cover 70% of the earths suface
The deepest part of the ocean is called the Mariana Trench, which is around 7 miles deep and is located in the South Pacific Ocean.
The water pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is eight tons per square inch. This means the pressure there is enough to crush you.
The largest mountain range is found underwater and is called the Mid-Oceanic Ridge that is around 65,000 kilometres long.
Sponges are older than dinosaurs.
Half the Oxygen we breath is produced in the Ocean.
Irukandji jelly fish, with just a brush of venom leaves almost no mark. But after about a half hour you develop Irukandji syndrome, a debilitating mix of nausea, vomiting, severe pain, difficulty breathing, drenching sweating and sense of impending doom. You get so sick that your biggest worry is that you’re not going to die.
The most remote point in the oceans is called Point Nemo.
The Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans are known as the three major oceans.