Oceanography Facts

Deep down in the depths of an ocean, amidst beautiful forms of life and nature lies an exotic treasure chest. A treasure chest ceases to exist on land for we mistake them with monetary gain! What about the bounty of tranquillity vested in the vast expanse of the oceans? Isn’t that something we ought to yearn for? Movie Star drew Barrymore shares her affinity to the ocean saying- “I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and the lows.” Substantial evidence has conveyed that three-fourths of the earth’s surface is essentially water, and this brings the study of oceanography to the forefront. The Ocean is home to marine life. The Ocean is a significant means of transport to voyagers and goods from continent to continent. Oceanography encompasses the study of marine organisms and ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents and waves; plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor; and many pertinent topics that edge us closer to understanding the mysteries of the world. Here are some interesting facts about oceanography that you might enjoy having a look at.

• The earth endures about a hundred earthquakes per day, most of which are fortunately borne by the ocean. Earthquakes are commonly experienced in the unstable seabed near Indonesia where continents floating on magma slide against each other.
• A wide majority of the volcanic activities occur in the oceans. An area as big as New York harbours roughly 1133 active volcanoes, some of which may soon erupt! What may intrigue us at this point is how do sea creatures manage to survive under such frightening circumstances?
• The oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth's surface and contain 97 percent of the Earth's water
• Our body requires water to keep functioning. Plus considering the seas and ocean store an endless supply of water, why not drink it when we might have no other option? Well, we should think twice before we swallow. Less than 1 percent is fresh water. The sun’s glare enables a part of ocean water to evaporate and drop back into the ocean pool as rainwater. Salty rainwater? Not a good idea! However, most of the rainwater gets back to the ocean through rivers and leaves some for us to drink.
• Canada boasts of the longest coastline which is 56,453 miles long.
• It is commonly believed that man is more adept with facts about Mars and the Moon than what really goes on under the surface of the ocean.
• Estimates disclose that if hypothetically, we could mine the gold suspended in the seawater, each of us would be entitled to a share of 4.5 kg if equally distributed!
• Global warming is the culprit behind the event of melting glaciers in Antarctica, thus causing the sea level to rise. If we fail to take remedial measures, cities located in and around islands will be flooded in no time!
• Dangerous Tsunamis are greatly triggered by earthquakes on the ocean bed. Tsunami waves travel at the speed of hundred miles per hour and god forbid the moment they hit land, they tower over it! The biggest tsunami till date was measured 210 feet high above sea level when it reached Siberia's Kamchatka Peninsula in 1737.
• The deepest place on earth is the Mariana trench in the Pacific Ocean which is 11,033 metres deep.
• The highest tides in the world are at the Bay of Fundy, which separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia. In a few cases, the difference between high and low tide is 53 feet 6 inches. That’s as huge as a three-story building!