Hello, dear readers! Today it's time to pay attention to the waters on Earth. We will specifically mention the Atlantic Ocean. We will learn all the main features of the Atlantic Ocean, its characteristics...
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean (after). Its area with seas is 91.6 million km 2, the average depth is 3600 m, and the volume of water is 329.7 million km, the maximum depth is 8742 m (Puerto Rico Trench). In the Northern Hemisphere there are almost all the large bays (Guinea, Biscay) and seas (Northern, Caribbean, Baltic, Black, Mediterranean).
In the Southern Hemisphere there are the following seas: the Lazarev Sea, about, the Scotia Sea, the Weddell Sea. The main groups of islands in the Atlantic Ocean: Newfoundland, Great Britain, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Ireland, the Cape Verde Islands, the Canary Islands, the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
General characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean.
The meridional Mid-Atlantic Ridge divides the Atlantic Ocean into the Western and Eastern parts (the depth above it in the west is 5000-6000 m, and in the east about 3000 m). The water temperature on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean near the equator is up to 28°C; in high latitudes the water freezes. Water salinity is 34-37.3‰.
Surface currents form a cyclonic gyre in the southern high and northern temperate latitudes, and an anticyclonic gyre in subtropical latitudes. The northern subtropical gyre consists of the warm Northern Trade Wind Current and the Gulf Stream and the cold Canary Current, the Southern - from the warm Southern Front and Brazilian and cold Western Winds and the Bengal Current.
From the Arctic Ocean, the cold Labrador Current heads south along the coast of North America. In the north, the continuation of the Gulf Stream is the warm North Atlantic Current. The highest tides in the Bay of Fundy are 18 m.
Fisheries are developed (cod, hake, herring, sea bass, tuna) - 2/5 of the world catch. Oil in the Atlantic Ocean is produced on the shelves of the North Sea, in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Coastal marine deposits of diamonds (southwest Africa), zircon, ilmenite, rutile (USA, Brazil), sulfur (Gulf of Mexico), manganese iron ore (Canada, USA, Finland).
The Atlantic Ocean also occupies a leading place in world shipping. The most important ports: New York, Rotterdam, Houston, Boston, Hamburg, Marseille, London, Genoa, Havana, Dakar, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Odessa, St. Petersburg.
North Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean is divided into northern and southern parts, the border is conventionally drawn along the equator. But, if you look from an oceanographic point of view, then the equatorial countercurrent, located at 5-8° north latitude, must be attributed to the southern part. For the most part, the northern border follows the Arctic Circle. This boundary is marked in places by underwater ridges. The coastline of the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere is very cut up. Its relatively narrow northern part is connected to the Arctic Ocean by three narrow channels.
Davis Strait, 360 km wide, in the northeast connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Baffin Sea, which belong to the Arctic Ocean. The Denmark Strait (at its narrowest point, its width is 287 km) is located in the central part between Iceland and Greenland. The Norwegian Sea is located in the northeast between Norway and Iceland, its width is about 1220 km.
In the east, 2 deep water areas are separated from the Atlantic Ocean and enter the land. The more northern of these waters begins with the Northern Sea, which in the east passes into the Baltic Sea with the Gulf of Bothnich and the Gulf of Finland. To the south there is a system of inland seas - the Mediterranean and the Black - with a total length of about 4000 km. The ocean is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Strait of Gibraltar, in which there are two oppositely directed currents. The lower position is occupied by the current that goes from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, since Mediterranean waters are characterized by greater salinity, and therefore greater density. In the tropical zone in the southeast in the North Atlantic are the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, which is connected to the ocean by the Strait of Florida.
The coast of North America is cut by small bays (Barnegat, Palmico, Delaware, Chesapeake Bay, and Long Island Sound). In the northwest are the Gulfs of St. Lawrence and Fundy, the Strait of Belle Isle, Hudson Bay and the Hudson Strait.
Western part of the Atlantic The ocean is surrounded by a shelf, the width of which varies. The shelf is cut through by deep gorges, so-called submarine canyons. Their origin still causes scientific debate. According to one theory, the canyons were cut by rivers when the sea level was lower than today. Another theory connects their formation with the activity of kalamut currents. It has been suggested that these currents are responsible for the deposition of sediment on the ocean floor and carve underwater canyons.
The bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean has a complex topography formed by a combination of underwater ridges, elevated basins and gorges. Much of the ocean floor, with depths of approximately 60 m and up to several kilometers, is covered by a thin sea, a dark blue or bluish-green sediment. A relatively small area is occupied by rocky outcrops and areas of gravel, pebble and sand deposits, as well as deep-sea red clays on the shelf. Telephone and telegraph cables were laid in the North Atlantic Ocean to connect North America with northwestern Europe. Here, the area of the North Atlantic shelf is home to industrial fishing areas that are among the most productive in the world. In the central part of the Atlantic Ocean there is a huge underwater mountain range about 16 thousand kilometers long, known as .
This ridge divides the ocean into two approximately equal parts. A significant part of the peaks of this underwater ridge does not reach the surface of the ocean and is located at a depth of at least 1.5 km. Some of the highest peaks rise above sea level and form the islands of the Azores in the North Atlantic and Tristan da Cunha in the South. In the south, the ridge overtakes the coast of Africa and continues further north into the Indian Ocean. The rift zone extends along the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Surface currents in the North Atlantic Ocean move clockwise. The main elements of this large system are the northward warm Gulf Stream, as well as North Atlantic, Canary and Northern trade wind currents. The Gulf Stream flows from the Straits of Florida and the island of Cuba northward along the coast of the United States and deviates to the northeast at about forty degrees north latitude, changing its name to the North Atlantic Current. This current is divided into two branches, one of which goes northeast along the coast of Norway and further into the Arctic Ocean. It is thanks to it that the climate of Norway and all of northwestern Europe is much warmer than would be expected in northern latitudes. The second branch turns south and further southwest along the coast of Africa, forming the cold Canary Current. This current moves southwest and joins the North Trade Wind Current, which heads west towards the West Indies, where it merges with the Gulf Stream. To the north of the North Trade Wind Current there is an area of stagnant waters rich in algae and known as the Sargasso Sea.
Cold weather passes along the North Atlantic coast of North America from north to south. Labrador Current, which emerges from Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea and cools the shores of New England. (There is the Labrador Current in the picture, it is not in the top picture with the currents of the North Atlantic Ocean. All the currents of the Atlantic Ocean are here).
South Atlantic Ocean.
Some experts refer to the Atlantic Ocean in the south all the water space up to the Antarctic ice sheet; others take the imaginary line connecting Cape Horn in South America to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa as the southern border of the Atlantic. The coastline in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean is less indented than in the northern part. There are also no inland seas here.
The only large bay on the African coast is the Gulf of Guinea. On the coast of South America, large bays are also few in number. The southernmost edge of this continent, Tierra del Fuego, has an indented coastline surrounded by numerous small islands.
In addition to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, there are two main submarine mountain ranges in the South Atlantic.
The Whale Ridge extends from the southwestern edge of Angola to the island of Tristan da Cunha, where it joins the Mid-Atlantic. The Rio de Janeiro Strand stretches from the Tristan da Cunha Islands to the city of Rio de Janeiro and consists of groups of individual seamounts.
The major current systems in the South Atlantic Ocean move counterclockwise. The South Trade Wind Current is directed to the west. Near the protrusion of the eastern coast of Brazil, it divides into two branches: the northern one carries water along the northern coast of South America to the Caribbean, and the southern warm Brazilian Current, moves along the coast of Brazil and joins the current Western Winds or Antarctic o which heads east and then northeast. Part of this cold current separates and carries its waters north along the African coast, forming the cold Benguela Current; the latter eventually joins the Northern Trade Wind Current. The warm Guinea Current heads south along the coast of Northwest Africa into the Gulf of Guinea.
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Atlantic Ocean part of the World Ocean bounded by Europe and Africa to the east and North and South America to the west. The name comes from the name of the Titan Atlas (Atlas) in Greek mythology.
The Atlantic Ocean is second in size only to the Pacific; its area is approximately 91.56 million km 2. The length of the Atlantic Ocean from north to south is about 15 thousand km, the smallest width is about 2830 km (in the equatorial part of the Atlantic Ocean). The average depth is 3332 m, the average volume of water is 337541 thousand km 3 (without seas, respectively: 82441.5 thousand km 2, 3926 m and 323 613 thousand km 3). It is distinguished from other oceans by the strongly rugged coastline, forming numerous seas and bays, especially in the northern part. In addition, the total area of river basins flowing into this ocean or its marginal seas is significantly larger than that of rivers flowing into any other ocean. Another difference of the Atlantic Ocean is the relatively small number of islands and the complex bottom topography, which, thanks to underwater ridges and rises, forms many separate basins.
Atlantic coast states - 49 countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Great Britain, Venezuela, Gabon, Haiti, Guyana, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Grenada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Canada, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal , Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, USA, Sierra Leone, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, France, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa.
Climate
The climate of the Atlantic Ocean is varied, the predominant part of the ocean area is between 40 degrees N. w. and 40 degrees south. w. located in equatorial, tropical and subtropical climate zones. In the north and south of the ocean, areas of strong cooling and high atmospheric pressure are formed. The circulation of the atmosphere over the ocean causes the action of trade winds, and in temperate latitudes - westerly winds, which often turn into storms. Climate features affect the properties of water masses.
Conventionally, it is carried out along the equator. From an oceanographic point of view, however, the southern part of the ocean should include the equatorial countercurrent, located at 5–8° N latitude. The northern border is usually drawn along the Arctic Circle. In some places this boundary is marked by underwater ridges.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Atlantic Ocean has a highly indented coastline. Its narrow northern part is connected to the Arctic Ocean by three narrow straits. In the northeast, the 360 km wide Davis Strait connects it to the Baffin Sea, which belongs to the Arctic Ocean. In the central part, between Greenland and Iceland, there is the Denmark Strait, at its narrowest point only 287 km wide. Finally, in the northeast, between Iceland and Norway, there is the Norwegian Sea, approx. 1220 km. In the east, two water areas protruding deeply into the land are separated from the Atlantic Ocean. The more northern of them begins with the North Sea, which to the east passes into the Baltic Sea with the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland. To the south there is a system of inland seas - the Mediterranean and the Black - with a total length of approx. 4000 km.
In the tropical zone in the southwest of the North Atlantic are the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, connected to the ocean by the Strait of Florida. The coast of North America is indented by small bays (Pamlico, Barnegat, Chesapeake, Delaware and Long Island Sound); to the northwest are the Bays of Fundy and St. Lawrence, the Strait of Belle Isle, Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay.
Surface currents in the North Atlantic Ocean move clockwise. The main elements of this large system are the northward warm Gulf Stream, as well as the North Atlantic, Canary and North Trade Wind (Equatorial) Currents. The Gulf Stream follows from the Strait of Florida and Cuba in a northerly direction along the coast of the United States and approximately 40° N latitude. deviates to the northeast, changing its name to the North Atlantic Current. This current is divided into two branches, one of which follows northeast along the coast of Norway and further into the Arctic Ocean. The second branch turns south and further southwest along the coast of Africa, forming the cold Canary Current. This current moves southwest and joins the North Trade Wind Current, which heads west towards the West Indies, where it merges with the Gulf Stream. To the north of the North Trade Wind Current there is an area of stagnant waters, teeming with algae, known as the Sargasso Sea. The cold Labrador Current runs along the North Atlantic coast of North America from north to south, coming from Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea and cooling the shores of New England.
South Atlantic Ocean
Some experts refer to the Atlantic Ocean in the south all the water space up to the Antarctic ice sheet; others take the southern limit of the Atlantic to be an imaginary line connecting Cape Horn in South America with the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. The coastline in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean is much less indented than in the northern part; there are also no inland seas through which the influence of the ocean could penetrate deep into the continents of Africa and South America. The only large bay on the African coast is the Gulf of Guinea. On the coast of South America, large bays are also few in number. The southernmost tip of this continent - Tierra del Fuego - has an indented coastline bordered by numerous small islands.
There are no large islands in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, but there are isolated isolated islands, such as Fernando de Noronha, Ascension, Sao Paulo, St. Helena, the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, and in the extreme south - Bouvet, South Georgia , South Sandwich, South Orkney, Falkland Islands.
In addition to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, there are two main submarine mountain ranges in the South Atlantic. The whale ridge extends from the southwestern tip of Angola to the island. Tristan da Cunha, where it joins the Mid-Atlantic. The Rio de Janeiro Ridge stretches from the Tristan da Cunha Islands to the city of Rio de Janeiro and consists of groups of individual underwater hills.
The major current systems in the South Atlantic Ocean move counterclockwise. The South Trade Wind Current is directed to the west. At the protrusion of the eastern coast of Brazil, it splits into two branches: the northern one carries water along the northern coast of South America to the Caribbean, and the southern one, the warm Brazil Current, moves south along the coast of Brazil and joins the Western Winds Current, or Antarctic Current, which heads east , and then to the northeast. Part of this cold current separates and carries its waters north along the African coast, forming the cold Benguela Current; the latter eventually joins the South Trade Wind Current. The warm Guinea Current moves south along the coast of Northwest Africa into the Gulf of Guinea.
Atlantic Ocean Currents
Between the currents of the Atlantic Ocean one should distinguish between permanent and surface ones. The latter are completely flat, shallow, purely surface currents, occurring wherever a continuous, not too weak wind blows. These currents are therefore for the most part very changeable; however, the current, maintained on both sides of the equator by the trade winds, is quite uniform and reaches a speed of 15-18 km per day. But even constant currents, especially if they are weaker, are subject to the influence of continuous winds regarding direction and strength. The main difference between constant currents is equatorial a current crossing the entire width of the A. ocean from E. to W. It begins at approx. near the Guinea Islands and has an initial width of 300-350 km between 1° north. lat. and 2 - 2 ½° south. lat. In the west it gradually expands, so that on the meridian of Cape Palma it already extends between 2° north. lat. (even further north) and 5° south. wide, and approx. 10° west duty. reaches a width of 8° - 9° (800-900 km). A little west of the Ferro meridian, a rather significant branch in the northwestern direction, traced to 20°, in places to 30° north, is separated from the main current. lat. The equatorial current itself near the Brazilian coast in front of Cape San Roc is divided into the Guiana Current (north) and the Brazilian Coastal Current (south). The initial speed of this current is 40-50 km per day, to the southwest. from Cape Palma in summer it sometimes increases to 80-120 km, and even further west, approx. at 10° west latitude, it reaches an average of 60 km, but can rise to 110 km. The temperature of the equatorial current is everywhere several degrees lower than the temperature of the neighboring parts of the sea, and this proves that the water of this current is delivered by polar currents. Challenger's studies showed that the equatorial current does not reach a significant depth, since already at a depth of 100 m the current speed was found to be half that on the surface, and at 150 m depth almost no movement was noticeable at all. Southern branch - Brazilian Current, extends approx. at a distance of 400 km from the coast, has a daily speed of 35 km and, gradually expanding, reaches the mouth of La Plata. Here it is divided: the weaker branch continues in the south almost to Cape Horn, while the main branch turns to the east and, connecting with the current from the Pacific Ocean, which goes around the southern tip of America, forms a large South Atlantic current. This latter accumulates its waters off the southern part of the western coast of Africa, so that only with a southern wind does the Agulhas current, which goes around the southern tip of the continent, deliver its warmer waters to the north, while with western or northern winds it turns completely to B. Off the coast of Lower Guiana, a northern current dominates, carrying the accumulating waters back into the equatorial current. The northern branch of this current called Guiana- is directed along the coast of South America at a distance of 20 km from it, strengthened on one side by the northern trade wind current, on the other by the waters of the Amazon River, forming a current towards the north and north west. The speed of the Guiana Current ranges from 36 to 160 km per day. Between Trinidad and Martinique it enters the Caribbean Sea, which it crosses with a gradually decreasing speed in a large arc, generally parallel to the coast, until it flows through the Yucatan Strait into the Gulf of Mexico. Here it divides into two branches: the weaker one along the northern coast of the island of Cuba goes straight to the Strait of Florida, while the main branch describes a large arc parallel to the coast and joins the first branch at the southern tip of Florida. The speed gradually increases to 50-100 km per day. Through the Straits of Florida (Beminin Gorge) it again enters the open ocean called Golfstroma, the ocean dominating the northern part of Africa; Golfstrom's significance extends far beyond the borders of the ocean; he had the greatest influence on the entire development of modern international relations (see. Golfstrom). Crossing A. ocean approx. at 40° north lat., it is divided into several branches: one goes between Iceland and the Faroe Islands to the northeast; the other has an eastern direction, at Cape Ortegala it enters the Bay of Biscay and then turns to the north and north-west. called the Rennel Current, separating from itself a small side branch into the Irish Sea, meanwhile the main current with reduced speed goes to the northern shores of Norway and is even noticed off our Murmansk coast. The Rennel Current is dangerous for sailors, as it often drives ships heading to the Pas de Calais towards the cliffs of the Scillian Islands. Two currents emerging from the Arctic Ocean are also of outstanding importance for navigation and climate: one of them (East Greenland) is directed along the eastern coast of Greenland to the south, maintaining this direction for the main mass of its waters up to 50° north. wide, separating only the branch going past Cape Farewell into the Davis Strait; the second current, often unfairly called the Hudson Bay Current, leaves Baffin Bay through Davis Strait and joins the East Greenland Current at New Foundland. Meeting an obstacle there in the Gulf Stream, this current turns west and runs along the coast of the United States to Cape Hatteras and is noticeable even off Florida. Part of the waters of this current apparently passes under the Gulfstrom. Since the water of this current is 10° sometimes even 17° colder than the Gulf Stream, it has a strong cooling effect on the climate of the eastern coast of America. Shipping should especially take this current into account because of the mass of ice it brings from the polar countries. These ice floes take the form of either ice mountains originating from Greenland glaciers, or ice fields torn from ice jams Arctic Ocean. In the area of North Atlantic shipping lines, these floating ice masses appear in March and threaten ships sailing there until August.
Flora and fauna of the Atlantic Ocean
The flora of the Atlantic Ocean is very diverse. Bottom vegetation (phytobenthos), which occupies the coastal zone to a depth of 100 m (about 2% of the total area of the ocean floor), includes brown, green and red algae, as well as flowering plants living in salt water (philospadix, zoster, poseidonia).
There are similarities between the bottom vegetation of the northern and southern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, but the leading forms are represented by different species, and sometimes genera. The similarities between the vegetation of the western and eastern coasts are more clearly expressed.
There is a clear geographic change in the main forms of phytobenthos along latitude. In the high Arctic latitudes of the Atlantic Ocean, where the surface is covered with ice for a long time, the littoral zone is devoid of vegetation. The bulk of phytobenthos in the sublittoral zone consists of kelp with an admixture of red algae. In the temperate zone along the American and European coasts of the North Atlantic, rapid development of phytobenthos is characteristic. Brown algae (fucus and ascophyllum) predominate in the littoral zone. In the sublittoral zone they are replaced by species of kelp, alaria, desmarestia and red algae (furcelaria, ahnfeltia, lithothamnion, rhodomenia, etc.). Zostera is common on soft soils. In the temperate and cold zones of the Southern Hemisphere, brown algae, in particular kelp, predominate. In the tropical zone, in the littoral zone and in the upper horizons of the sublittoral zone, due to strong heating and intense insolation, vegetation is almost absent.
Between 20 and 40° N. w. and 30 and 60° W. in the Atlantic Ocean is located the so-called. The Sargasso Sea, characterized by the constant presence of a mass of floating brown algae - sargassum.
Phytoplankton, unlike phytobenthos, develops throughout the entire ocean area in the upper 100-meter layer, but reaches its highest concentration in the upper 40-50-meter layer.
Phytoplankton consists of small unicellular algae (diatoms, peridines, blue-greens, flint-flagellates, coccolithines). The mass of phytoplankton ranges from 1 to 100 mg/m3, and in high latitudes (50-60°) of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres during the period of mass development (“blooming”) reaches 10 g/m3 or more.
In the cold and temperate zones of the northern and southern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, diatoms predominate, making up the bulk of phytoplankton. The coastal areas of the North Atlantic are characterized by the massive development of pheocystis (from golden algae) in the spring. Various species of coccolithina and the blue-green algae Trichodesmium are widespread in the tropics.
The greatest quantitative development of phytoplankton in the high latitudes of the Atlantic Ocean is observed in the summer during the period of the most intense insolation. The temperate region is characterized by two peaks in the development of phytoplankton. Spring “blooming” is characterized by maximum biomass. During the autumn “blooming” the biomass is significantly lower than in the spring. In the tropical region, phytoplankton development occurs all year round, but the biomass is low throughout the year.
The flora of the tropical region of the Atlantic Ocean is characterized by greater qualitative diversity, but less quantitative development than the flora of the temperate and cold zones.
Animal organisms inhabit the entire water column of the Atlantic Ocean. The diversity of fauna increases in the direction of the tropics. In cold and temperate zones it numbers thousands of species, in tropical zones - tens of thousands. Cold and temperate zones are characterized by: mammals - whales and pinnipeds, fish - herring, cod, perch and flounder; in zooplankton there is a sharp predominance of copepods and sometimes pteropods. There is great similarity between the faunas of the temperate zones of both hemispheres. At least 100 species of animals are bipolar, that is, they are characteristic of cold and temperate zones and are absent in the tropics. These include seals, fur seals, whales, sprat, sardines, anchovies, and many invertebrates, including mussels. The tropical zones of the Atlantic Ocean are characterized by: sperm whales, sea turtles, crustaceans, sharks, flying fish, crabs, coral polyps, scyphoid jellyfish, siphonophores, radiolarians. The fauna of the Sargasso Sea is unique. Both free-swimming animals (mackerel, flying fish, pipefish, crabs, etc.) and those attached to algae (anemones, bryozoans) live here.
Deep-sea fauna The Atlantic Ocean is richly represented by sponges, corals, echinoderms, crustaceans, fish, etc. This fauna is classified as an independent Atlantic deep-sea region. For information on commercial fish, see the section Fisheries and Marine Fisheries.
Seas and bays
Most of the seas Atlantic Ocean according to physical and geographical conditions, they are Mediterranean - the Baltic, Black, Mediterranean, Caribbean Seas, Gulf of Mexico, etc. and marginal - the North, Gulf of Guinea.
Islands
The largest islands are concentrated in the northern part of the ocean; these are the British Isles, Iceland, Newfoundland, Cuba, Haiti (Hispaniola) and Puerto Rico. On the eastern edge of the Atlantic Ocean there are several groups of small islands - the Azores, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde. Similar groups exist in the western part of the ocean. Examples include the Bahamas, Florida Keys and Lesser Antilles. The Greater and Lesser Antilles archipelagos form an island arc surrounding the eastern Caribbean Sea. In the Pacific Ocean, such island arcs are characteristic of areas of crustal deformation. Deep-sea trenches are located along the convex side of the arc.
There are no large islands in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, but there are isolated isolated islands, such as Fernando de Noronha, Ascension, Sao Paulo, St. Helena, the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, and in the extreme south - Bouvet, South Georgia , South Sandwich, South Orkney, Falkland Islands.
The Atlantic Ocean is considered one of the largest and most voluminous in size, namely the second in size after the Pacific Ocean. This ocean is the most studied and developed when compared with other water areas. Its location is as follows: in the east it is framed by the shores of North and South America, and in the west its borders end in Europe and Africa. In the South it passes into the Southern Ocean. And on the northern side it borders with Greenland. The ocean is distinguished by the fact that there are very few islands in it, and the topography of its bottom is all dotted and has a complex structure. The coastline is broken.
Characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean
If we talk about the area of the ocean, it occupies 91.66 million square meters. km. We can say that part of its territory is not the ocean itself, but existing seas and bays. The volume of the ocean is 329.66 million square meters. km, and its average depth is 3736 m. Where the Puerto Rico Trench is located, the ocean is considered to have the greatest depth, which is 8742 m. There are two currents - Northern and Southern.
Atlantic Ocean from the north
The ocean boundary from the north is marked in some places by ridges located under water. In this hemisphere, the Atlantic is framed by an indented coastline. Its small northern part is connected to the Arctic Ocean by several narrow straits. Davis Strait is located in the northeast and connects the ocean with the Baffin Sea, which is also considered to belong to the Arctic Ocean. Closer to the center, the Denmark Strait is less wide than the Davis Strait. Between Norway and Iceland, closer to the northeast, is the Norwegian Sea.
In the southwest of the Northern Current of the ocean are the Gulf of Mexico, which is connected by the Strait of Florida. And also the Caribbean Sea. There are many bays to note here, such as Barnegat, Delaware, Hudson Bay and others. It is in the northern side of the ocean that you can see the largest and largest islands, which are famous for their fame. These are Puerto Rico, the world famous Cuba and Haiti, as well as the British Isles and Newfoundland. Closer to the east you can find small groups of islands. These are the Canary Islands, the Azores and Cape Verde. Closer to the west are the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles.
South Atlantic Ocean
Some geographers believe that the southern part is the entire space up to Antarctica. Someone is defining the border at Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope between two continents. The coastline in the south of the Atlantic Ocean is not as indented as in the north, and there are no seas. There is one large bay near Africa - Guinea. The farthest point in the south is Tierra del Fuego, which is framed by small islands in large numbers. Also, you cannot find large islands here, but there are separate islands, like. Ascension, St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha. In the far south you can find the Southern Islands, Bouvet, Falkland and others.
As for the current in the southern ocean, here all systems flow counterclockwise. Near eastern Brazil, the South Trade Wind Current branches. One branch goes north, flows near the northern coast of South America, filling the Caribbean. And the second is considered southern, very warm, moves near Brazil and soon connects with the Antarctic Current, then heads to the east. Partially separates and turns into the Benguela Current, which is distinguished by its cold waters.
Attractions of the Atlantic Ocean
There is a special underwater cave in the Belize Barrier Reef. It was called the Blue Hole. It is very deep, and inside it there is a whole series of caves that are connected to each other by tunnels. The depth of the cave reaches 120 m and is considered unique of its kind.
There is no person who does not know about the Bermuda Triangle. But it is located in the Atlantic Ocean and excites the imagination of many superstitious travelers. Bermuda attracts with its mystery, but at the same time frightens with the unknown.
It is in the Atlantic that you can see an unusual sea that has no shores. And all because it is located in the middle of a body of water, and its boundaries cannot be framed by land, only currents show the boundaries of this sea. This is the only sea in the world that has such unique data and is called the Sargasso Sea.
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Some sources provide data characterizing the area of the Atlantic Ocean without taking into account the marginal and inland seas of this basin. But more often it is necessary to operate with indicators relating to the entire water area. Let's consider several possible answers to the question posed in the title of the article. Additionally, we will compare the area of the Atlantic Basin with other parts of the World Ocean (MO). We will also touch upon the topic of a possible rise in water levels, which threatens to flood vast coastal areas that are densely populated and have complex infrastructure.
Problems of determining the area and boundaries of water areas
Calculating the size and comparing the territories of individual parts of the Moscow Region makes it difficult to have different views on their number. It is generally recognized that it is divided into 4 oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic. There is another point of view, when the North and South Atlantic are separated, or the southern parts of the basins are combined into one part of the Moscow Region. The characteristics on which the division is based are the nature of the bottom topography, atmospheric and water circulation, temperature and other indicators. Complicating the situation is the fact that some sources classify the Arctic Ocean as the Atlantic, considering the entire territory near 90° N to be one of the seas. w. This point of view has not found official recognition.
General characteristics of the Atlantic (briefly)
The ocean occupies a huge territory, elongated in the meridional direction. The length of the Atlantic from north to south is 16 thousand km, which leads to significant differences in the natural and climatic conditions of the basin. The smallest width of the water area is near the equator, where the influence of the continents is more strongly felt. Taking into account the seas, the area of the Atlantic Ocean is 91.66 million km2 (according to other sources - 106.46 million km2).
In the bottom topography, two powerful mid-ocean ridges stand out - the Northern and Southern ones. The Atlantic Ocean reaches its maximum depth in the area of the Puerto Rican Trench - 8742 m. The average distance from the surface to the bottom is 3736 m. The total volume of water in the basin is 329.66 million km 3.
The considerable length and vast area of the Atlantic Ocean influence the diversity of climate. As you move away from the equator to the poles, significant fluctuations in air and water temperatures and the content of dissolved substances are observed. The lowest salinity was found in (8%), in tropical latitudes this figure increases to 37%.
Large rivers flow into the seas and bays of the Atlantic: Amazon, Congo, Mississippi, Orinoco, Niger, Loire, Rhine, Elbe and others. The Mediterranean Sea communicates with the ocean through a narrow (13 km).
Atlantic Shape
The configuration of the ocean on the map resembles the letter S. The widest parts are located between 25 and 35° N. latitude, 35 and 65° S. w. The size of these water areas has a significant impact on the total area of the Atlantic Ocean. Its basin is characterized by significant dissection in the Northern Hemisphere. This is where the largest seas, bays and archipelagos are located. Tropical latitudes abound with coral buildings and islands. If you do not take into account the marginal and inland seas, then the area of the Atlantic Ocean (million km 2) is 82.44. The width of this water basin varies significantly from north to south (km):
- between the islands of Ireland and Newfoundland - 3320;
- at latitude the water area expands - 4800;
- from the Brazilian Cape of San Roque to the coast of Liberia - 2850;
- between Cape Horn in South America and Cape Good Hope in Africa - 6500.
Borders of the Atlantic in the west and east
The natural boundaries of the ocean are the shores of North and South America. Previously, these continents were connected by the Isthmus of Panama, through which a shipping canal of the same name was built about 100 years ago. It connected a small Pacific bay with the Caribbean, simultaneously dividing the two American continents. In this part of the basin there are many archipelagos and islands (Great and Lesser Antilles, Bahamas and others).
The shortest distance between South America and Antarctica is located at This is where the southern border with the Pacific Basin lies. One of the delimitation options is along the meridian 68°04 W. from the South American Cape Horn to the nearest point on the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The easiest place to find is the border with the Indian Ocean. It is laid exactly 20° east. d. - from the coast of Antarctica to the South African Cape Agulhas. In southern latitudes, the area of the Atlantic Ocean reaches its greatest values.
Borders in the north
It is more difficult to separate the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans on a map. The border runs in the area and south of the island. Greenland. The waters of the Atlantic reach the Arctic Circle, in the area of \u200b\u200b. The Iceland border drops a little further south. The western coast of Scandinavia is almost completely washed by the Atlantic Ocean; here the borderline is 70° N. w. Large marginal and inland seas in the east: North, Baltic, Mediterranean, Black.
What is the area of the Atlantic Ocean (compared to other parts of Moscow Region)
The Pacific Basin is the largest on Earth. The Atlantic ranks second in terms of water area and depth, covering 21% of the surface of our planet, and first in terms of drainage area. Together with the seas, the area of the Atlantic Ocean (million km2) ranges from 106.46 to 91.66. The smaller figure is almost half that of the Pacific basin. The Atlantic Ocean is approximately 15 million km2 larger than the Indian Ocean.
In addition to calculations related to the present time, experts determine possible increases and decreases in sea level and flooding of coastal areas. So far no one can say when this will happen and how. The area of the Atlantic Ocean may change if ice melts in the north and south with climate warming. Level fluctuations occur constantly, but a general trend of reduction in ice area in the Arctic and Antarctic is also noticeable. As a result of rising water in the Atlantic Ocean, large areas on the east coast of Canada and the United States, in the west and north of Europe, including the shores of the Baltic Sea, may be flooded.
Atlantic Ocean- this is a “plot” of the water area of the World Ocean, which is limited on the southern side by Europe and Africa, on the western side by South and North America. A huge mass of salt water, beautiful views, rich flora and fauna, hundreds of beautiful islands - this is all called the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean is considered the second largest component of our planet (in first place is ). The coastline is clearly divided into water areas: seas, bays. Total area of the Atlantic Ocean, the river basins that flow into it are about 329.7 million km³ (this is 25% of the waters of the World Ocean).
The name of the ocean - Atlantis - was first found in the works of Herodotus (5th century BC). Then the prototype of the modern name was recorded in the works of Pliny the Elder (1st century AD). It sounds like Oceanus Atlanticus, translated from ancient Greek as the Atlantic Ocean.
There are several versions of the etymology of the name of the ocean:
- in honor of the mythological titan Atlas (Atlas, which holds the entire vault of heaven);
- from the name of the Atlas Mountains (they are located in northern Africa);
- in honor of the mysterious and legendary continent of Atlantis. I immediately offer you the most interesting video - the film “Battle of Civilizations - Find Atlantis”
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These are the versions and assumptions put forward about Atlantis and the mysterious Atlantean race.
As for the history of the formation of the ocean, scientists are sure that it arose due to the breakup of the missing supercontinent Pangea. It included 90% of the continental crust of our planet.
Atlantic Ocean on the world map
Every 600 million years, continental blocks unite, only to split apart again over time. It was as a result of this process that 160 thousand years ago arose Atlantic Ocean. Map currents shows that ocean waters move under the influence of cold and warm currents. 
These are all the main currents of the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantic Ocean Islands
The largest islands in the Atlantic Ocean are Ireland, Great Britain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Newfoundland. They are located in the northern sector of the ocean. Their total area is 700 t. km 2. Several groups of smaller islands are located in the eastern part of the ocean: the Canary Islands, . On the western side are the groups of the Lesser Antilles. Their archipelago creates a unique arc of land that surrounds the eastern sector of the waters.
One cannot fail to mention one of the most beautiful islands of the Atlantic -.
Atlantic Ocean water temperature
The waters of the Atlantic Ocean are colder than the Pacific Ocean (due to the large extent of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge). The average surface water temperature is +16.9, but it varies depending on the season. In February, in the northern part of the water area and in August in the southern part, the lowest temperature is recorded, and the highest is observed in other months.
Atlantic ocean depth
What is the depth of the Atlantic Ocean? The maximum depth of the Atlantic Ocean reaches 8742 m (recorded in the Puerto Rico Trench at 8742 m), and the average depth is 3736 m. The Puerto Rico Trench is located on the border of the ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Its length along the slopes of the Antilles range is 1200 km.
The area of the Atlantic Ocean is 91.66 million km². And a quarter of this territory falls on its seas. Here .
Atlantic Ocean: sharks and more
The underwater world of the Atlantic Ocean will amaze the imagination of any person with its richness and diversity. It is a unique ecosystem that unites many species of plants and animals.
The flora of the Atlantic Ocean is represented mainly by bottom vegetation (phytobenthos): green, red, brown algae, kelp, flowering plants such as poseidonia, philospadix.
Without exaggeration, the Sargasso Sea, located in the Atlantic Ocean between 20° and 40° north latitude and 60° west longitude, can be called a unique natural miracle. On the surface of 70% of its water surface there are always brown algae - sargassum.
But most of the surface of the Atlantic Ocean is covered with phytoplankton (these are single-celled algae). Its mass, depending on the area, varies from 1 to 100 mg/m3.
Inhabitants of the Atlantic Ocean beautiful and mysterious, because many of their species have not been fully studied. Cold and temperate waters are home to a large number of different representatives of underwater fauna. For example, pinnipeds, whales, perch, flounder, cod, herring, shrimp, crustaceans, mollusks. Many animals are bipolar, that is, they have adapted to a comfortable existence in both cold and temperate zones (turtles, crabs, jellyfish, fur seals, whales, seals, mussels).
A special class consists of the inhabitants of the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Corals, sponges, and echinoderm fish species amaze and impress the human eye.
What sharks are in the Atlantic Ocean Can they pay a visit to an unwary tourist? The number of species that live in the Atlantic exceeds a dozen. The most common are white, soup, blue, reef, basking, and sand sharks. But cases of attacks on people do not happen very often, and if they do happen, it is more often due to the provocations of the people themselves.
The first officially recorded shark attack on a human occurred on July 1, 1916, to Charles Van Sant on a New Jersey beach. But even then, residents of the resort town perceived this incident as an accident. Such tragedies began to be registered only in 1935. But shark scientists Nichols, Murphy and Lucas did not take the attacks lightly and began to intensively search for their specific causes. As a result, they created their “Year of the Shark” theory. She claimed that the attacks were motivated by a large migration of sharks. Since the beginning of 2013, according to the International Register of Shark Attacks, 55 cases of predator attacks on humans have been recorded in the world, 10 of which were fatal.
Bermuda Triangle
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