Nowadays, every child almost from the first conscious days knows what the sea is. We all carry babies to rest on the shore of salty waters, to breathe air filled with iodine ions, and all this for the sake of healing, strengthening immunity and pleasure. But since the children go to school and geography lessons appear in their program, the sea has become not only a vacation destination, but also a separate topic that needs to be learned and passed. What is the sea from a scientific point of view, how it is characterized and how it differs from other water arteries and pools, we will consider right now.
Interpretation of the main term
The sea is a separate part of the entire oceans. As a rule, these waters are separated by a special relief, which is under their thickness, or by land. It is also characteristic that any sea, even if it openly flows into the ocean, lives its own life. Above its surface, weather conditions are not as severe and harsh as above the surface of the latter.
Similarly, things develop under water - life there is more measured, calm, there are no sudden changes in cold and warm currents, deep depressions and large whirlpools. It should be noted that the more closed the sea is by land, the less diverse fauna is observed in it. After all, it would be logical to assume that whale sharks will not be able to get into the Caspian Sea from the waters of the Atlantic.
How to distinguish the seas on the planet
With a general understanding of what the sea is, we figured it out. Now consider what types of water bodies are divided into. First, the seas are open and closed. In the first case, they are connected with other, larger water reservoirs (large sea or ocean). For example, Azov has access to the Black Sea, the second to the Mediterranean, and the latter to the Atlantic Ocean. But the Caspian Sea is, in fact, a salt lake, since not a single strait connects it with a larger water reservoir.
The borders of the seas are also distinguished by the characteristics of the microclimate and the inhabitants in one or another part of the waters. For example, the Aegean Sea on the map is part of the Mediterranean. Between them there is no land, no underground elevation or hollow. However, the fish and animals that live in the waters of these two seas are significantly different from each other.
What else could be the sea?
Often called the sea very large oceanic bays. In some of them, a separate meteorological and hydrological layer is indeed formed over time, while others still remain part of their ocean. For example, the Gulf of Mexico is referred to as the sea by many residents of neighboring countries, while in these waters no features distinguishing from the Atlantic are observed.
Nearby, the Caribbean Sea is separated only by islands from large waters, but its microflora is too different from them. The neighbor of these two natural reservoirs is the Sargasso Sea, the borders of which reach the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in longitude. However, this term was applied only because this region is surrounded by three currents from different directions.
The seas beyond our planet
With the concept of what the sea, astronomers understand. Only areas of their research go beyond the globe. As a rule, this term refers to all kinds of abysses, very large pits, most often formed due to collisions with asteroids, craters. If you start to study the map of the moon or Mars, you will find there is not one "sea" that is devoid of water. This is the name of those dark areas of the surface of cosmic bodies that remind us of our terrestrial seas in their shapes. Perhaps if there was an atmosphere on these planets, these abysses could fill with water and fully justify their names.
Where to relax
The seas listed below are the most popular holiday destinations. Therefore, every child should know their location, features and climate. Among them will also be large bays that have much in common with the seas. So, this is the Black, Azov, Mediterranean, Aegean, Adriatic, Red, Caribbean, Andaman, Yellow Seas, Persian Gulf.