Pacific Oceans
By Sara Martin
Facts: |
| The Pacific Ocean, from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", is the largest of the earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia on the west and the Americas on the east. At 169.2 million square kilometers (65.3 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean– and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about 32% of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the pacific and the world reaching a depth of 11,700m. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. |
Water Temperature: |
| Water temperatures in the Pacific vary from freezing in the pole ward areas to about 25-30 °C Celsius 84 °F Fahrenheit near the equator. Water near the equator is less salty than that found in the mid-latitudes because of abundant equatorial precipitation throughout the year. Pole ward of the temperate latitudes salinity is also low, because little evaporation of seawater takes place in these frigid areas. The Pacific ocean is generally warmer than the Atlantic ocean. |
Volcanoes: |
| The Pacific is ringed by many volcanoes and oceanic trenches. The Pacific Ring of Fire is the world's foremost belt of explosive volcanism. The Ring of Fire is named after the several hundred active volcanoes that sit above the various subduction zones. |
Last Updated on July 31, 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific