The Ocean

"Earth" by Kevin M. Gill is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Most of us spend our whole lives on land, but the surface of the Earth is actually 71% covered by oceans! The amount of water that fills the Earth's oceans is huge; more than 97% of all of the water on Earth is ocean water. That leaves just 3% for drinking water, ice, and water in the atmosphere. The oceans cover a large area, but they are deep too. On average, the oceans are 12,500 feet deep. The deepest part is the Marianas Trench at 36,200 feet deep. That is more than 6,500 feet deeper than Mt. Everest is tall!

Oceans are physically vast, but the amount of impact they have is vast as well. They are the habitat for many different types of sea life, and they have an effect on the world's environment. Beaches and tidal regions are critical habitats, and the ocean is a critical component of the water cycle. It is safe to say that without the oceans, our planet would be a very different place!

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Source: Introduction to Oceanography by Paul Webb used under a CC-BY 4.0 international license.