By Will Estell
The oceans are deep with vast waters below, but what’s underneath we really don’t know. Here are some lesser-known facts about these oceans:
1. More than 70% of the entire Earth’s surface is covered with water, mostly ocean waters. With this being the case, it’s no surprise that the health and cleanliness of our oceans is vital to our world as a whole. We can all do our part to keep our beaches, and consequently our oceans, cleaner for coming generations to enjoy as much as we do.
2. Not only does a large part of the planet exist beneath the ocean, but almost 45% of the land controlled by the United States is actually under the various oceans and gulfs that border our country.
3. The majority of life on Earth is aquatic.
Because of this, marine life outnumbers people and all other animals by a whopping 70% of all creatures on Earth.
4. We’ve still only identified a fraction of the marine species in our oceans. New marine life is being discovered every single month. Based on studies by the World Register of Marine Species there are now 240,495 species in our oceans. However, this is a very small amount in relation to the number of marine species believed to really exist in all of the oceans.
5. Fewer than five percent of all the world’s oceans have been explored, even in our modern times. Studies are continuously being undertaken to better study and access our oceans and the creatures that call them home. However, the truth is, we likely will never know all of the creatures within these vast bodies of water around the World.
6. The world’s longest consecutive mountain chain is actually under water. The Mid-Ocean Ridge is almost completely emerged in the ocean, spanning a distance of 40,390 miles.
7. Over 70% of our planet’s oxygen is produced by the ocean.
This means the majority of the oxygen we breathe is actually produced by plants within our oceans, the primary one of these being algae. Yes, you can thank algae for your breath.
8. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of all the oceans on Earth. It’s also home to over 25,000 individual islands.
9. If you’re a fan of ancient artifacts you’ll be interested in knowing that there are more historic artefacts under the sea than in all of the world’s museums combined. And these are just the discovered underwater artifacts that we already know about. With new ones being discovered all the time.
10. Along the coast of the Florida Keys, there are over 1,000 shipwrecks, dating back as far as the 1500s. Imagine what this number would be for all of Florida’s Coast or all of the oceans of the world. As an interesting side note, there are also more planes under our ocean waters than there are boats in the sky. (Okay, this one’s just to see if you’re reading! Haha!!)
11. There are actually lakes, and entire rivers, beneath the oceans’ surfaces around the world. These are caused when saltwater and hydrogen sulphide interact, causing a lake or river that forms and flows beneath the ocean floor. Though not documented, one of these is believed to be longer than the Mississippi or Nile River.
