Rarely, one wonders how the sea differs from the ocean except size. Many of the ponds are located on the same square kilometers. In addition, these terms are often used incorrectly. And this is a common mistake. You need to know the main features of the ocean and the sea. There are certain subtleties that allow you to determine the type of reservoir.
What is the sea?
To understand how the sea differs from the ocean, you should understand what each of the water bodies is. There are several major differences. So, the sea is a certain part of the oceans. As a rule, the boundaries of a given reservoir are separated by land. This may be an underwater terrain. An example is the Sargasso Sea. It can also be separated by a series of islands or by archipelagos. In this case, Baffin or the South China Sea can be given as an example. Often this type of reservoir is separated by the outlines of the continents or the peninsulas. An example is the Mediterranean or the Arabian Sea. But this is not the main symptom.
So, how do seas differ from oceans? Between them there is a restrained connection. Therefore, the sea has several features of the hydrological regime. Here, transparency, salinity and water temperature are often measured. In addition, the sea has its own system of currents, as well as fauna and flora, which differs from the oceanic.
Main groups
What is the difference between the sea and the ocean? Visually, you can determine the difference. After all, the ocean is ten times larger. At the moment, there are 63 seas on the surface of the Earth. Conventionally, they are divided into several groups and are classified according to the degree of isolation from the parent ocean. There are marginal and inland seas . The latter are embedded deep in the continents. An example is the Baltic, Black, Marmara and Mediterranean. They are connected to the ocean only by a system of straits. In addition, these reservoirs have a clear difference. They have their own salinity and endemicity of the living organisms that inhabit them.
As for the marginal seas, they are located along the coast of the mainland. These bodies of water are less isolated from the ocean. At the same time, their waters are regularly and actively mixed. An example is the Tasman Sea, East China Sea and the Norwegian Sea.
An exception
Of course, any rule may have an exception. What is the difference between the sea and the ocean, if it has no coast? This should include Sargassovo. It has no coast. This sea is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. And to be more precise, in tropical latitudes.
There are also ponds that are only called seas. Take at least the Dead and the Caspian. In fact, they are not seas. According to some indicators, they fit the category of "lakes."
In addition, there are historical names. These include the Tyrrhenian or the Ligurian Sea, which are one of the parts of the Mediterranean Sea.
What is the ocean?
Of course, not everyone understands how the seas differ from the oceans and how to determine whether a reservoir belongs to a certain category. So what is the difference? What is the ocean? This is also part of the oceans. At the moment, four such reservoirs have been allocated: the Arctic, Indian, Atlantic and the largest - Pacific. In some foreign schools, the fifth ocean, the South, is also distinguished. It surrounds the coast of Antarctica. Its second border is the course of the West winds. In some countries, the Arctic Ocean does not belong to the oceans at all. It is called the giant sea. Here, the Arctic Ocean is one of the parts of the Atlantic Ocean.
With such a classification, it is very difficult to understand how the sea differs from the ocean. Each of the reservoirs has its own bottom topography, salinity, temperature and current system. However, an active exchange of water masses was noted. If you wish, you can go from one point to another without stepping on land.
The boundaries of the oceans are the slopes of the continents, individual islands, as well as meridians passing through points from Australia, Africa and South America to Antarctica. The system of straits unites them: Magellanova, Drake or Bering.
It is worth noting that all the oceans occupy up to 71% of the planet’s surface. That is why scientists believe that the Earth has the wrong name. It was more logical to call it Aqua or Ocean.
What is the difference between the sea and the ocean?
At the moment, the following differences can be distinguished:
- A sea is a unit of a particular ocean. The ocean is an essential part of the World Ocean, which occupies 2/3 of the planet.
- Sizes of reservoirs.
- On Earth, there are 4 oceans and 63 seas.
- System of currents. The ocean has surface cold and warm water masses. The sea has only one course. It can be surface warm or cold flow.
- The bottom of the ocean is the Earth’s oceanic crust, and by the sea is the mainland plume. The exceptions are the Sargasso and Philippine Seas.