1. The oceanic environment

The Global Ocean constitutes about 97 per cent of all the water that exists on our planet. It is divided into five regional oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern oceans. ‘The oceanic environment’ looks at the structural features of the oceans, the composition of the water, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mladenov, Philip V.
Format: Book Part
Language:unknown
Published: Oxford University Press 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780198841715.003.0002
Description
Summary:The Global Ocean constitutes about 97 per cent of all the water that exists on our planet. It is divided into five regional oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern oceans. ‘The oceanic environment’ looks at the structural features of the oceans, the composition of the water, the temperature, the light sources, water pressure, gases, and the living environment they contain. It also discusses the movement of the water throughout the oceans: at the surface in a series of five enormous, roughly circular, wind-driven current systems, or gyres, and at deeper levels, which transports oxygen, nutrients, and heat throughout the oceans, moderating the global climate.