The Atlantic Ocean, whose geographical position is described below, is a component of the World Ocean. This is one of 4 major reservoirs of the planet. Largest in second place, after the Pacific. The surface of the smooth surface is 92 million km square. It accounts for 25% of all the waters of the planet. In the east, the ocean is bordered by Eurasia and Africa, in the north - South and North America, in the south the surface of the Atlantic reaches Antarctica. The average depth of the ocean is 3,500 km, and the maximum is 8,742 m (we are talking about the Puerto Rico trench).
Atlantic Ocean - geographical location
The water stretches from the northern part of the Earth to the southern region, crossing subarctic and Antarctic latitudes. At extreme points, the ocean is quite wide and deep, while reaching the equator, its length decreases to 2,900 km. Cape Igolny is the border between the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and Cape Gorny shares the territory described and the Pacific Ocean.
The origin of the name and the formation of the ocean
Description of the Atlantic Ocean should begin with its occurrence. It was formed as a result of the split of the ancient mainland Pangea, from the split parts of which modern continents arose. The name of the ocean is most often associated with Atlantis - an ancient mythical island that went under water thousands of years ago, presumably in this ocean. Another variant of the name comes from the Atlas Mountains (Africa).
Ocean floor
The coastline of the Atlantic is very indented, and the total number of rivers flowing into the ocean or sea is much larger than that of other large bodies of water. This is the feature that distinguishes this ocean from others. A unique bottom, which is very complex in morphological factors, is inherent in such an area as the Atlantic Ocean. The geographical location easily explains this fact. Over the entire length of the ocean, over 16,000 km, stretches the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is a seismically active zone with an unstable crust. Sometimes underwater volcanoes of the ridge come to the surface. An example of such formations is the island of Iceland. It is not uncommon for the bottom to be hollows, the average depth of which is about 5-7 thousand meters.The maximum deep similar form of relief is North American, its height is 8,742 meters.However, uplifts, ridges and elevations are also not uncommon for the Atlantic Ocean. The bottom is covered with silts, mainly foraminifera. Closer to the continents, the silty surface gives way to terrigenous deposits: pebbles, gravel and sand. In the deepest basins, the bottom is represented by red clays.
Climate
The variety of climatic conditions of the ocean determines its length from south to east. It covers all climatic zones - from cold Antarctic to hot equatorial. The temperature of the Atlantic Ocean lends itself to strong influence from the Arctic. Off the coast of North America, not far from Florida, the largest warm current, the Gulf Stream, is emerging. Its width is 75 km, the depth of the stream is 700 m. The Gulf Stream carries warm waters, the average temperature is 26 degrees above zero.
Currents
Depending on the territory, the flow rate changes. In the central regions of the ocean, it is 6 m / s. The maximum current velocity is 30 m / s. In the northeast, the Gulf Stream enters the North Atlantic Current, which, in turn, is divided into two streams. One of them reaches the coast of Norway, causing a warm climate, unusual for this zone, in these territories, while the second one “turns off” and passes through the south of Africa by the already cold Canary Current. In the south, it flows into the North Passat, and the latter, in turn, adjoins the Gulf Stream. All of them are included in the basin of the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, it turns out that the currents in the described water area move clockwise, the cold is replaced by the warm and vice versa.
A cold Labrador Current runs along the Atlantic coast of North America, causing the harsh and cold climate of Canada and Greenland. In the place where it collides with the Gulf Stream, the Newfoundland Barrel is formed, in the upper reaches of which there is an ideal place for the propagation of microorganisms. It also developed fishing for the extraction of herring, salmon and cod.
The islands
Such a water area as the Atlantic Ocean does not have a large number of islands. The geographical position, again, explains everything. They are represented mainly singly and differ in a small territory. The only exception is Greenland, which is located on the border between the Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, as well as Iceland. Large Atlantic islands - about. Saint Helena, Fr. Sao Paulo, Fr. Bouvet, about. Ascension, Falkland Islands, etc. In the southern part of the ocean there is a fairly common phenomenon - atolls (coral territories).
Fauna and flora
The fauna is represented by poor species composition, especially in the outskirts of the reservoir. The basin of the Atlantic Ocean boasts a large number of albino pikes. Of the large mammals, whales, seals and fur seals live in the waters. Flora is represented by a large variety of algae - sargassa. They even form the Sargasso Sea off the coast of North America, its shape can be seen from space.