Portal:Oceans
Wikipedia portal for content related to Oceans / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Oceans Portal
A portal dedicated to oceans, seas, oceanography and related topics
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Introduction
The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approx. 70.8% of Earth. In English, the term ocean also refers to any of the large bodies of water into which the world ocean is conventionally divided. The following names describe five different areas of the ocean: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic/Southern, and Arctic. The ocean contains 97% of Earth's water and is the primary component of Earth's hydrosphere, thus the ocean is essential to life on Earth. The ocean influences climate and weather patterns, the carbon cycle, and the water cycle by acting as a huge heat reservoir. (Full article...)
A sea is a large body of salty water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly refers to the ocean, the wider body of seawater. Particular seas are either marginal seas, second-order sections of the oceanic sea (e.g. the Mediterranean Sea), or certain large, nearly landlocked bodies of water. (Full article...)
Oceanography (from Ancient Greek ὠκεανός (ōkeanós) 'ocean', and γραφή (graphḗ) 'writing'), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics and seabed geology; and fluxes of various chemical substances and physical properties within the ocean and across its boundaries. These diverse topics reflect multiple disciplines that oceanographers utilize to glean further knowledge of the world ocean, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, geography, geology, hydrology, meteorology and physics. Paleoceanography studies the history of the oceans in the geologic past. An oceanographer is a person who studies many matters concerned with oceans, including marine geology, physics, chemistry, and biology. (Full article...)
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Rogue waves (also known as freak waves, monster waves, episodic waves, killer waves, extreme waves, and abnormal waves) are unusually large and unpredictable surface waves that can be extremely dangerous to ships and isolated structures such as lighthouses. They are distinct from tsunamis, which are often almost unnoticeable in deep waters and are caused by the displacement of water due to other phenomena (such as earthquakes). A rogue wave at the shore is sometimes called a sneaker wave.
In oceanography, rogue waves are more precisely defined as waves whose height is more than twice the significant wave height (Hs or SWH), itself defined as the mean of the largest third of waves in a wave record. Rogue waves do not appear to have a single distinct cause but occur where physical factors such as high winds and strong currents cause waves to merge to create a single exceptionally large wave. A study based on AI prediction methods suggested a different possible cause, the authors identifying “linear superposition” as the main contributing factor. (Full article...)Interesting facts - show different entries
- The European Maritime Safety Agency was founded in 2002 to help prevent maritime accidents and marine pollution, in response to the Estonia, Erika and Prestige sea disasters.
- The Oceanography Society gives out the Jerlov Award "in Recognition of Contribution Made to the Advancement of Our Knowledge of the Nature and Consequences of Light in the Ocean".
- The voyages of the Otter crossing the Pacific Ocean from Australia and becoming the first vessel of the United States to enter a Californian port in 1796 were chronicled by French traveler Pierre François Péron.
Selected list articles and Marine habitat topics
- List of oceans
- List of ancient oceans
- List of seas
- List of circumnavigations
- List of cruise lines
- List of largest lakes and seas in the Solar System
- List of marine biologists
- List of marine ecoregions
- List of maritime explorers
- List of naval battles
- List of ocean liners
- List of oceanographic institutions and programs
- List of oldest surviving ships
- List of rogue waves
- List of seafood dishes
- List of submarine topographical features
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General images - show new batch
- Image 1Frank Hurley: As time wore on it became more and more evident that the ship was doomed (Endurance trapped in pack ice), National Library of Australia. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 5During summer, warm continental masses draw moist air from the Indian Ocean hence producing heavy rainfall. The process is reversed during winter, resulting in dry conditions. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 6For most of the 16th century, the Portuguese dominated the Indian Ocean trade. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 7A map of Australia's official interpretation of the names and limits of oceans and seas around Australia (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 9Iceberg A22A in the South Atlantic Ocean (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 10Malé's population has increased from 20,000 people in 1987 to more than 220,000 people in 2020. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 11Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) are the most southerly of Antarctic mammals. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 12Regional Working Group zones for SOOS (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 13The island geography of the Pacific Ocean Basin (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 14USS Vincennes at Disappointment Bay, Antarctica in early 1840 (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 17Pacific Ocean currents have created three islands of debris. (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 18A Ring of Fire; the Pacific is ringed by many volcanoes and oceanic trenches. This map does not show the Cascadia Subduction Zone along part of the west coast of North America, whose trench is completely buried in sediments. (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 19Density structure of the upper 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in the Arctic Ocean. Profiles of temperature and salinity for the Amundsen Basin, the Canadian Basin and the Greenland Sea are sketched. (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 20Distribution of the major water mass in the Arctic Ocean. The section sketches the different water masses along a vertical section from Bering Strait over the geographic North Pole to Fram Strait. As the stratification is stable, deeper water masses are denser than the layers above. (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 211928 delineation (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 22The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the strongest current system in the world oceans, linking the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific basins. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 23Thule archaeological site (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 25In 2020, Japanese Prime Minister Suga declined to drink the bottle of Fukushima's treated radioactive water that he was holding, which would otherwise be discharged to the Pacific. (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 26The International Hydrographic Organization's delineation of the "Southern Ocean" has moved steadily southwards since the original 1928 edition of its Limits of Oceans and Seas. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 27Air pollution in South Asia spread over the Bay of Bengal and beyond. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 281937 delineation (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 29Admiral von Bellingshausen (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 31Model of a Fijian drua, an example of an Austronesian vessel with a double-canoe (catamaran) hull and a crab claw sail (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 32A Chagossian on Diego Garcia in 1971, before the British expelled the islanders. He spoke a French-based creole language and his ancestors were likely brought as slaves in the 19th century. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 33Based on the medieval Íslendingasögur sagas, including the Grœnlendinga saga, this interpretative map of the "Norse World" shows that Norse knowledge of the Americas and the Atlantic remained limited. (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 34The Arctic Ocean, with borders as delineated by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), including Hudson Bay (some of which is south of 57°N latitude, off the map) and all other marginal seas. (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 36Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are a keystone species of the food web. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 37The 1564 Typus Orbis Terrarum, a map by Abraham Ortelius, showed the imagined link between the proposed continent of Antarctica and South America. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 38The economically important Silk Road was blocked from Europe by the Ottoman Empire in c. 1453 with the fall of the Byzantine Empire. This spurred exploration, and a new sea route around Africa was found, triggering the Age of Discovery. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 39On the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean temporary logistic stations may be installed, Here, a Twin Otter is refueled on the pack ice at 86°N, 76°43‘W. (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 40Map of the Pacific Ocean during European Exploration, circa 1754. (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 41Walruses on Arctic ice floe (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 42A stratovolcano in Ulawun on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 43An adult and sub-adult Minke whale are dragged aboard the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 45Sea cover in the Arctic Ocean, showing the median, 2005 and 2007 coverage (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 46Banks of the northeast Atlantic (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 47The Austronesian maritime trade network was the first trade routes in the Indian Ocean. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 49Severe cracks in an ice pier in use for four seasons at McMurdo Station slowed cargo operations in 1983 and proved a safety hazard. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 50The three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands: Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 51An exclusive economic zone map of the Pacific which excludes non-tropical islands. (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 52The Pacific Ocean, photograph taken from space by the GOES-18 spacecraft in September 2023 (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 53Made in 1529, the Diogo Ribeiro map was the first to show the Pacific at about its proper size (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 54Waves in the trade winds in the Atlantic Ocean – areas of converging winds that move along the same track as the prevailing wind – create instabilities in the atmosphere that may lead to the formation of hurricanes.
- Image 55The Arctic region; of note, the region's southerly border on this map is depicted by a red isotherm, with all territory to the north having an average temperature of less than 10 °C (50 °F) in July. (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 57A general delineation of the Antarctic Convergence, sometimes used by scientists as the demarcation of the Southern Ocean (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 58Aldabra giant tortoise from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 59An iceberg being pushed out of a shipping lane by (L to R) USS Burton Island, USS Atka, and USS Glacier near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 1965 (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 60The bathyscaphe Trieste before her record dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, 23 January 1960 (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 61Marine debris strewn over the beaches of the South Atlantic Inaccessible Island (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 63Universalis Cosmographia, also known as the Waldseemüller map, dated 1507, was the first map to show the Americas separating two distinct oceans. South America was generally considered the New World and shows the name "America" for the first time, after Amerigo Vespucci (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 64Famous official portrait of Captain James Cook who proved that waters encompassed the southern latitudes of the globe. "He holds his own chart of the Southern Ocean on the table and his right hand points to the east coast of Australia on it." (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 65British invasion of Mauritius during the Napoleonic Wars on 29 November 1810 (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 66In the subpolar gyre of the North Atlantic warm subtropical waters are transformed into colder subpolar and polar waters. In the Labrador Sea this water flows back to the subtropical gyre. (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 67The Andaman Negritos are thought to be the first inhabitants of the Andaman Islands, having emigrated from the mainland tens of thousands of years ago. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 70The Arctic region showing the Northeast Passage, the Northern Sea Route within it, and the Northwest Passage. (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 72Major ocean trade routes in the world include the northern Indian Ocean. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 74The Atlantic Gyres influenced the Portuguese discoveries and trading port routes, here shown in the India Run ("Carreira da Índia"), which would be developed in subsequent years. (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 75MS Explorer in Antarctica in January 1999. She sank on 23 November 2007 after hitting an iceberg. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 761911 South Polar Regions exploration map (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 78Manganese nodule (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 79Capture of Atlantic northwest cod in million tons (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 80James Weddell's second expedition in 1823, depicting the brig Jane and the cutter Beaufroy (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 81The Antarctic Ocean, as delineated by the draft 4th edition of the International Hydrographic Organization's Limits of Oceans and Seas (2002) (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 83Map of the Pacific Ocean during European Exploration, circa 1702–1707 (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 84Seas that are parts of the Southern Ocean (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 85Fish of the Notothenioidei suborder, such as this young icefish, are mostly restricted to the Antarctic and Subantarctic. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 86Embarked and disembarked slaves in the Atlantic slave trade 1525–1863 (first and last slave voyages) (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 88According to the Coastal hypothesis, modern humans spread from Africa along the northern rim of the Indian Ocean. (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 89Banks of the northwest Atlantic (from Atlantic Ocean)
- Image 91Continents and islands of the Southern Ocean (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 92Location of the Southern Ocean gyres (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 93A bathymetric/topographic map of the Arctic Ocean and the surrounding lands. (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 94Madagascar's Elephant bird, Mauritius's Dodo bird and ostrich (from left to right) (from Indian Ocean)
- Image 97Decrease of old Arctic Sea ice 1982–2007 (from Arctic Ocean)
- Image 98Path of the thermohaline circulation. Purple paths represent deep-water currents, while blue paths represent surface currents.
- Image 100As the Gulf Stream meanders across the North Atlantic from the North American east coast to Western Europe its temperature drops by 20 °C (36 °F).
- Image 101Sunset over the Pacific Ocean as seen from the International Space Station. Tops of thunderclouds are also visible. (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 103Area inside the black line indicates the area constituting the Pacific Ocean prior to 2002; darker blue areas are its informal current borders following the recreation of the Southern Ocean and the reinclusion of marginal seas. (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 104Maris Pacifici by Ortelius (1589). One of the first printed maps to show the Pacific Ocean (from Pacific Ocean)
- Image 106"Terres Australes" [sic] label without any charted landmass (from Southern Ocean)
- Image 107Greco-Roman trade with ancient India according to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea 1st century CE (from Indian Ocean)
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In the news
- 9 May 2024 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Red Sea crisis
- 29 April 2024 – Israel–Hamas war
- Red Sea crisis
- Houthi forces strike four ships in the Red Sea and damage the Malta-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier Cyclades. (The Jerusalem Post) (AP)
- 12 April 2024 – Iran–Israel proxy conflict
- Germany tells its citizens to leave Iran immediately, saying that "air, land and sea transport routes" will likely be affected by military action in the region. (Reuters)
- 8 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Ukraine claims to have damaged the Russian Navy missile ship Serpukhov [ru] in the Baltic Sea near Kaliningrad. (Kyiv Independent)
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External media
- World Ocean Database and World Ocean Atlas Series – from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Includes the World Ocean Atlas.
- European Atlas of the Seas – the European Atlas of the Seas, from the European Commission
- NOAA Research – NOAA research news, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
- Ocean Research – from The World Ocean Observatory
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System – "a global open-access data and information clearing-house on marine biodiversity for science, conservation and sustainable development"