denise
08-12-2008, 05:12 PM
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/sunsetbahamas.jpg
Sunset over the Bahamas
This forum is an ongoing collection of info and pictures of just a few of the many ocean’s inhabitants.
The Earths ocean covers 71% of the Earths surface. This global ocean is composed of 5 main oceans: the Pacific (largest and deepest ocean in the world), the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern and the Arctic (the smallest and shallowest ocean in the world). Oceans are broken up into seas, bays, inlets and archipelagos. Earths ocean's are very unique, as no other planet (that we know of yet) in the solar system has liquid water!
Life on our planet originated in the oceans, and to this day, our oceans continue to host an amazing diversity of life. More than 80% of all life on earth is found under the ocean surface, not surprising as oceans provide 99% of the living space on the planet.
In addition to providing homes to countless animals and plants, oceans also have other important functions in the Earths weather and climate. Oceans help to moderate the Earths temperature, by absorbing solar radiation, and transporting this heat energy via currents all around the globe. Currents carry warm water from the tropics, and cold water from the north and south poles.The top ten feet of the ocean hold as much heat as our entire atmosphere!! Oceans also have a big impact on our weather and climate, evaporation from the ocean causes most of our rain, and their temperature determines our climate and wind patterns.
Some other facts about our Oceans:
· The seabed floor is as varied as land is, with many mountains, volcanoes, and deep trenches hidden within its depths.
· Mangroves, coral reefs and rocky shores only consist a tiny portion of ocean habitats, 85% of the oceans by area and 90% of its volume constitute the dark, cold environment we call the deep sea.
· The average depth of the oceans is about 2.3 miles.
· The average temperature of all ocean water is about 39 degrees F.
· Less than 10% of the oceans have been explored by humans; we barely know this resource….yet we use and abuse it like many others:
· Marine fish supply the greatest percentage of the world's protein consumed by humans, but most of the world's major fisheries are being fished at levels above their maximum sustainable yield; many regions are severely overfished.
· And every year, three times as much rubbish is dumped into the world's oceans as the weight of fish we take from it!!!
On this forum we plan to detail a different ocean habitat every month, and we also have a sightings guide of fish and other wildlife seen in the ocean around Florida. There is a separate thread for each animal group, which includes a brief description of the family, interesting facts on the critters, and where each of them were photographed.
Feel free to register and upload your own photos and articles, the more we have the better!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/oceanscene.jpg
The vast wilderness that are the worlds oceans support 80% of all life on Earth!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/keyssunset123.jpg
Where the oceans meet land is the greatest diversity of habitats; ranging from rocky shores, sandy beaches, rockpools, mudflats to estuaries, all hosting an incredible array of life.
Sunset over the Bahamas
This forum is an ongoing collection of info and pictures of just a few of the many ocean’s inhabitants.
The Earths ocean covers 71% of the Earths surface. This global ocean is composed of 5 main oceans: the Pacific (largest and deepest ocean in the world), the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern and the Arctic (the smallest and shallowest ocean in the world). Oceans are broken up into seas, bays, inlets and archipelagos. Earths ocean's are very unique, as no other planet (that we know of yet) in the solar system has liquid water!
Life on our planet originated in the oceans, and to this day, our oceans continue to host an amazing diversity of life. More than 80% of all life on earth is found under the ocean surface, not surprising as oceans provide 99% of the living space on the planet.
In addition to providing homes to countless animals and plants, oceans also have other important functions in the Earths weather and climate. Oceans help to moderate the Earths temperature, by absorbing solar radiation, and transporting this heat energy via currents all around the globe. Currents carry warm water from the tropics, and cold water from the north and south poles.The top ten feet of the ocean hold as much heat as our entire atmosphere!! Oceans also have a big impact on our weather and climate, evaporation from the ocean causes most of our rain, and their temperature determines our climate and wind patterns.
Some other facts about our Oceans:
· The seabed floor is as varied as land is, with many mountains, volcanoes, and deep trenches hidden within its depths.
· Mangroves, coral reefs and rocky shores only consist a tiny portion of ocean habitats, 85% of the oceans by area and 90% of its volume constitute the dark, cold environment we call the deep sea.
· The average depth of the oceans is about 2.3 miles.
· The average temperature of all ocean water is about 39 degrees F.
· Less than 10% of the oceans have been explored by humans; we barely know this resource….yet we use and abuse it like many others:
· Marine fish supply the greatest percentage of the world's protein consumed by humans, but most of the world's major fisheries are being fished at levels above their maximum sustainable yield; many regions are severely overfished.
· And every year, three times as much rubbish is dumped into the world's oceans as the weight of fish we take from it!!!
On this forum we plan to detail a different ocean habitat every month, and we also have a sightings guide of fish and other wildlife seen in the ocean around Florida. There is a separate thread for each animal group, which includes a brief description of the family, interesting facts on the critters, and where each of them were photographed.
Feel free to register and upload your own photos and articles, the more we have the better!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/oceanscene.jpg
The vast wilderness that are the worlds oceans support 80% of all life on Earth!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/keyssunset123.jpg
Where the oceans meet land is the greatest diversity of habitats; ranging from rocky shores, sandy beaches, rockpools, mudflats to estuaries, all hosting an incredible array of life.