Water occupies approximately 70% of the surface of the globe. The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean are the largest water areas. The first of them has long played a crucial role in the existence of human civilization. The waters of the world's oceans are washed inextricably by continents and islands, but have different properties in different areas. Forty latitudes are famous for constant storms raging year-round. Tropical waters are known for the scorching sun, trade winds and rare hurricanes of destructive power.
General characteristics of the Pacific
There is a difference in size between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans; the first of them occupies over 33% of the globe. It also has the greatest depths, lower water temperature and salt concentration. The width of the ocean at the equator is 17 thousand km, the area is 178.7 million km 2 , and the average depth is 3940 m. The distinguishing features of the ocean are also that the crust below it is extremely mobile, the bottom is rich in volcanoes, and the water is representative animal and plant worlds.
The second name of the Pacific Ocean is Great. Its waters are washed by five continents. The eastern shores are fairly simple, with several bays and peninsulas. On the western edge of its many seas. These include shelf, which are located in the shallow water of the continent, the depths do not exceed 100 m. Some of the seas are located at the junction of lithospheric plates. Groups of islands separate them from the ocean. The coastline is very dissected.
General characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean
The differences between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean are not only in size, but also in shape. The latter is extended in the north-south direction and resembles a winding ribbon. Its width is about 5 thousand km, the surface area is 91.6 million km 2 , and the average depth is 3597 m. The Atlantic Ocean is the place of flow of a large number of large rivers. If we take the total stock of the Congo and the Amazon, it will be only a quarter.
The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean have different salinity of the waters. In the first, it is larger and ranges from 34 to 37.3 ‰. The average for the oceans is 34.71 ‰. It has the warmest water, its temperature is 3.99 ºC (the World average is 3.51 ºC). This phenomenon has a simple explanation: the ocean actively exchanges waters with coastal seas and bays, which are warm and high salinity.
Research
The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean have been explored for a long time. The latter was mastered by the indigenous population long before the advent of Europeans, who fell into its waters only during the Great Geographical Discoveries. A group of ships led by F. Magellan crossed the Pacific Ocean in a westerly direction. For several months the waters were calm, so the name was given to him accordingly. Since that time, the ocean has been explored by many expeditions led by domestic and foreign mariners.
The development of the Atlantic Ocean was carried out by the ancient Greeks and the peoples of Scandinavia. Centers of navigation appeared on its shores. Since the time of the great geographical discoveries, the main waterways have passed through it. In the XIX and XX centuries, expeditionary vessels conducted a comprehensive study of the Atlantic. Until now, scientists are exploring the nature of the main currents, the mutual influence of the atmosphere and the ocean.
Bottom relief
A comparison of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in terms of bottom topography gives reason to say that the former is much more complicated. The latter has a lower age, if you look at the theory of motion of lithospheric plates. A huge ridge runs along the Atlantic Ocean in the meridional direction, which, coming to the surface, forms about. Iceland. This underwater mountain range divides the water into two almost identical parts. There are large shelves off the European and North American shores.
The shallows in the Pacific are significant off the coast of Asia and Australia. The slope of the mainland is steep, often in the form of steps. At the bottom there are many ridges, uplifts and hollows, as well as over 10 thousand volcanic mountains. The waters of the ocean are also known for the presence of the Ring of Fire and the Mariana Trench, which has a record depth of 11.022 km.
Climate
The similarity between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans lies in the fact that they lie in several climatic zones. The air masses above the first of them contain a lot of moisture, which falls in the form of rains. Their annual number above the equator reaches 3000 mm. The Arctic Ocean is separated from the Pacific by a plot of land and seamounts, which protects the latter from cold waters.
The trade winds are constantly blowing in the central regions of the Pacific Ocean, and monsoons in the western regions. Dry, cold air from the mainland leads to icing of some seas. Western areas are often dominated by typhoons. In the temperate zone, winter is accompanied by storms. The northern and southern regions of the Pacific Ocean are known for high waves reaching a 30-meter mark. The average temperature of the surface water layer varies between -1 ... + 29 ºC. The prevalence of precipitation over evaporation led to the fact that the salinity of the water is below the global average.
The widest region of the Atlantic is in a temperate and tropical climate, and not in the equatorial as in the Pacific. There are frequent trade winds and winds from the west. Storms in waters south of the equator occur year-round. In the temperate zone, they occur mainly in the winter.
Surface water in the Atlantic is somewhat colder than in the Pacific. The reasons for this are as follows: icebergs, cold water from the poles, active vertical mixing. Strong differences in ambient air and water temperatures lead to thick fogs. The high salinity of the Atlantic is explained by the fact that the evaporated moisture is transported towards the continents, because the width of the ocean is relatively small.
Currents
The Pacific and Atlantic oceans connect the continents by water. The flows of the latter are predominantly meridional in nature. They have greater speed and the ability to transfer cold and heat between different latitudes. The Atlantic is known for a large number of icebergs.
In the Pacific Ocean, currents prevail along latitudes. In the north and south, currents have formed that have a closed oval contour.
Organic world
The flora and fauna in the Pacific Ocean is extremely diverse. All conditions have been created for this: age, various climatic zones, sizes. It contains ½ of the total mass of the organic world. The richness of flora and fauna is especially great at the equator and the tropics near coral reefs. The northern part has large stocks of salmon fish. The ichthyofauna is also rich off the coast of the South American continent. Following the fish, birds gathered here, eating them. The Pacific Ocean is home to many species of mammals (whales, fur seals, etc.), invertebrates (mollusks, corals, etc.).
The flora and fauna of the Atlantic Ocean has less species diversity than the Pacific. The reason for this phenomenon lies in the fact that the first is much younger, but managed to survive a severe cooling during the ice age. The number of representatives of the organic world is large, despite their poor species composition.
Islands and seas of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean
The Pacific Ocean includes the following seas: Okhotsk, East China, Bering, Japan, and others. The islands that make up it: the Kuril, Japanese, New Guinea, and New Zealand and others.
Seas that make up the Atlantic Ocean: Black, Mediterranean, Baltic and others. Famous islands: Iceland, British, Canary and others.
It should be noted that the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean have more differences than common features. No wonder they are on opposite sides of the globe, have different formation times, bottom structures and other factors that have affected their characteristics.