Ocean

The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately
70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water.[1] Another definition is "any of the
large bodies of water into which the great ocean is divided".[2] Separate names are used to identify
five different areas of the ocean: Pacific (the largest), Atlantic, Indian, Southern (Antarctic),
and Arctic (the smallest).[3][4] Seawater covers approximately 361,000,000 km2 (139,000,000 sq mi) of
the planet. The ocean is the principal component of Earth's hydrosphere, and therefore integral
to life on Earth. Acting as a huge heat reservoir, the ocean influences climate and weather patterns,
the carbon cycle, and the water cycle.

The ocean covers ~70% of the Earth, sometimes called the "blue planet"

Oceanographers divide the ocean into different vertical and horizontal zones based on physical and
biological conditions. The pelagic zone consists of the water column from surface to ocean floor
throughout the open ocean. The water column is further categorized in other zones depending on
depth and on how much light is present. The photic zone includes water from the surface to a depth
of 1% of the surface light (about 200 m in the open ocean), where photosynthesis can occur. This
makes the photic zone the most biodiverse. Photosynthesis by plants and microscopic algae (free
floating phytoplankton) creates organic matter using light, water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients.
Ocean photosynthesis creates 50% of the oxygen in earth's atmosphere.[5] This upper sunlit zone is
the origin of the food supply which sustains most of the ocean ecosystem. Light only penetrates to a
depth of a few hundred meters; the remaining ocean below is cold and dark. The continental
shelf where the ocean approaches dry land is more shallow, with a depth of a few hundred meters or
less. Human activity has a greater impact on the continental shelf.  
Ocean temperatures depend on the amount of solar radiation reaching the ocean surface. In the
tropics, surface temperatures can rise to over 30 °C (86 °F). Near the poles where sea ice forms, the
temperature in equilibrium is about −2 °C (28 °F). Deep seawater temperature is between −2 °C
(28 °F) and 5 °C (41 °F) in all parts of the ocean.[6] Water continuously circulates in the oceans
creating ocean currents. These directed movements of seawater are generated by forces acting
upon the water, including temperature differences, atmospheric circulation (wind), the Coriolis
effect and differences in salinity.[7] Tidal currents originate from tides, while surface currents are
caused by wind and waves. Major ocean currents include the Gulf Stream, Kuroshio
current, Agulhas current and Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Collectively, currents move enormous
amounts of water and heat around the globe. This circulation significantly impacts global climate and
the uptake and redistribution of pollutants such as carbon dioxide by moving these contaminants
from the surface into the deep ocean.
Ocean water contains large quantities of dissolved gases, including oxygen, carbon
dioxide and nitrogen. This gas exchange takes place at the ocean surface and solubility depends on
the temperature and salinity of the water.[8] The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere due to fossil fuel combustion leads to higher concentrations in ocean water, resulting
in ocean acidification.[9] The ocean provides society with important environmental services, including
climate regulation. It also offers a means of trade and transport and access to food and
other resources. Known to be the habitat of over 230,000 species, it may contain far more – perhaps
over two million species.[10] However, the ocean is subject to numerous environmental threats,
including marine pollution, overfishing, ocean acidification and other effects of climate change. The
continental shelf and coastal waters that are most influenced by human activity are especially
vulnerable.

Terminology

The Atlantic, one component of the system, makes up 23% of the "global ocean".

Surface view of the Atlantic Ocean

Ocean and sea

The terms "the ocean" or "the sea" used without specification refer to the interconnected body of salt
water covering the majority of the Earth's surface.[3][4] It includes
the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern and Arctic Oceans.[11] As a general term, "the ocean" is mostly
interchangeable with "the sea" in American English, but not in British English.[12] Strictly speaking, a
"sea" is a body of water (generally a division of the world ocean) partly or fully enclosed by land.
[13]
 The word "sea" can also be used for many specific, much smaller bodies of seawater, such as
the North Sea or the Red Sea. There is no sharp distinction between seas and oceans, though
generally seas are smaller, and are often partly (as marginal seas) or wholly (as inland seas)
bordered by land.[14]

World ocean
Further information: Ocean current, Thermohaline circulation, and Ocean general circulation model
The contemporary concept of the World Ocean was coined in the early 20th century by
the Russian oceanographer Yuly Shokalsky to refer to the continuous ocean that covers and
encircles most of Earth.[15] The global, interconnected body of salt water is sometimes referred to as
the world ocean or global ocean.[16][17] The concept of a continuous body of water with relatively free
interchange among its parts is of fundamental importance to oceanography.[18]

Etymology
The word ocean comes from the figure in classical antiquity, Oceanus (/oʊ
ˈsiːənəs/; Greek: Ὠκεανός Ōkeanós,[19] pronounced [ɔːkeanós]), the elder of the Titans in
classical Greek mythology. Oceanus was believed by the ancient Greeks and Romans to be the
divine personification of an enormous river encircling the world.
The concept of Ōkeanós has an Indo-European connection. Greek Ōkeanós has been compared to
the Vedic epithet ā-śáyāna-, predicated of the dragon Vṛtra-, who captured the cows/rivers. Related
to this notion, the Okeanos is represented with a dragon-tail on some early Greek vases.[20]