The main distinguishing feature of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth. What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean. The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean - description and general characteristics of the Pacific Ocean

Sections: Geography

Goals:

To acquaint students with the physical and geographical features of the Pacific Ocean, the features of nature, and human economic activity in the ocean.
To develop the ability to work in a group, analyze, summarize and systematize the material, the ability to work independently. Systematize the ability to work with a map, develop speech, thinking of students.
Cultivate a sense of responsibility, independence, the ability to hear others. To instill love for the beauty of the nature of the ocean, the ability to see it.

Equipment:

Texts with assignments for students, markers, drawing paper.
Atlases, wall map of the world.
Tasks for each group, questionnaires for students.

During the classes

Org. moment.

Guys, do you like when guests come to your house? So today we have guests. Today at the lesson we will all work in interest groups. Each group will have their own assignment, and our guests also have an assignment to work on during today's lesson.

Call stage

Today we will study a geographical object, and which one, try to determine for yourself. slide 1.

Part of this geographical feature is the dirtiest sea on Earth - the Yellow.
This geographical feature also includes the deepest sea on Earth - the Philippine.
Only in this geographical feature can you see the Great Barrier Reef, built by small animals, and it is so huge that it can even be seen from the moon.
It is here that you can observe the most gigantic destructive waves - the tsunami.
This geographical object is so huge in area that it can fit all the land on itself, and there will still be a place.

Many of you have probably guessed what geographical object we are talking about. Pacific Ocean.

Slide 2. Picture of the Pacific Ocean, the sound of the sea, the teacher reads the text: Colorful ocean! In calm, the mirror-like surface of the water, flooded with bright sunlight, looks whitish, especially near the horizon, which is perceived as fuzzy and blurry. But as soon as a weak breeze pulls the ocean with light ripples, a juicy blue will immediately appear and play on it. A cloud will run into the sun, and the water will darken. Heavy rain clouds will close the sky - and the ocean will become like the sky - gray and gloomy. In the evening, when the sun begins to set, the water lights up with a crimson flame.

Problematic question of the lesson:

Often this ocean is also called the Great. And today in the lesson we will try to correlate the characteristic features of this ocean with its names, and also agree or disagree with the names of this ocean. Since we have already explored some of the oceans, propose a plan for exploring the ocean based on the data you already know.

Slide 3 (FGP Cluster)

Pacific Ocean:

What continents washes.
What oceans is it connected to?
Located relative to:

equator;
zero meridian;
tropics;
polar circles;

Climatic zones
Research history.
Relief.
Climate.
organic world.
Types of economic activity.

What information can be obtained using only a geographical map? (The student answers at the blackboard with a map.)

Slide 4:

What continents does it wash?

Eurasia
North America
South America
Australia
Antarctica

Slide 5.

What oceans is it associated with?

Arctic
Indian
Atlantic

slide 6.

Located relative to:

Equator - S.p. and Yu.p.;
zero meridian - Z. p., V. p.;
tropics - cross S.t., Yu.t.;
polar circles - crosses S.p.k.;

Slide 7.

Climatic zones:

S.P. - everything except the arctic
Yu.P. - all.

Slide 8 (general branched cluster)

Outcome:

See how much we've already said about the Pacific by being able to read a map. What good fellows we are! Why do you think the study of any object begins with its geographical location? Why can't we expand the cluster further? (Lack of knowledge.)

The stage of realization of the meaning (comprehension of the content)

Work in interest groups.

Yes, precisely because you still do not have enough knowledge on this topic, you will extract them yourself. It was for this purpose that in the last lesson you were divided into interest groups, and some of you chose an additional task of a leading nature. And today in the lesson you will have the opportunity to demonstrate the result of your work to the class.

Distribution of roles in the group:

Please note that the roles are written on your table on a yellow sheet, distribute them among themselves within 30 seconds.

Speaker: Speaks on behalf of the group, Presents the result of your joint work.
Coordinator: ensures equal participation of group members, monitors working hours, so that everyone participates in the work.
Secretary: writes down ideas expressed and decisions made.
SOS - director: asks the teacher for help.
Invigorates: inspires the members of the group, encourages, encourages all the ideas expressed in the group and the efforts made by the members of the group.

Task explanation: (written on a piece of paper for each group)

So, the task of each group is as follows:

Everyone in the group gets acquainted with the text proposed to your group, in the course of reading makes some notes for themselves.
Together with the group, they try to draw up their own cluster or plan on a drawing paper using markers.
Present the results of your work.

Working time is limited to 10 minutes. The coordinator must keep track of the time.

Have questions? Get to work.

Texts for the group:

1 group: Composes a cluster on the topic: “Research history.”

Many peoples inhabiting the Pacific shores and islands from ancient times made voyages on the ocean, mastered its riches. The beginning of the penetration of Europeans into the Pacific Ocean coincided with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. The ships of F. Magellan for several months of navigation crossed a huge body of water from east to west. All this time, the sea was surprisingly calm, which gave Magellan reason to call it the Pacific Ocean.

Much information about the nature of the ocean was obtained during the voyages of J. Cook. A great contribution to the study of the ocean and islands in it was made by Russian expeditions led by I.F. Kruzenshtern, M.P. Lazareva, V. M. Golovnina, Yu.F. Lisyansky. In the same 19th century comprehensive studies were carried out by S.O. Makarov on the ship "Vityaz". Regular scientific voyages since 1949 were made by Soviet expeditionary ships. A special international organization is engaged in the study of the Pacific Ocean.

2 group: Composes a cluster on the topic: “The relief of the Pacific Ocean.”

The relief of the ocean floor is complex. The continental shelf (shelf) is well developed only off the coast of Asia and Australia. Continental slopes are steep, often stepped. Large uplifts and ridges divide the ocean floor into basins. Near America is the East Pacific Rise, which is part of the system of mid-ocean ridges. At the bottom of the ocean there are more than 10 thousand individual seamounts, mostly of volcanic origin.

3rd group: Makes a cluster on the topic: “Climate of the Pacific Ocean.”

The climate of the ocean is varied. The Pacific Ocean is located in all climatic zones except the Arctic. Above its vast expanses, the air is saturated with moisture. Up to 2000 mm of precipitation falls in the equator region. The Pacific is protected from the cold Arctic Ocean by land and underwater ridges, so its northern part is warmer than the southern.

The Pacific Ocean is the most restless and formidable among the oceans of the planet. Trade winds blow in its central parts. In the western - monsoons are developed. In winter, a cold and dry monsoon comes from the mainland, which has a significant impact on the climate of the ocean; some of the seas are covered with ice. Often devastating tropical hurricanes - typhoons ("typhoon" means "strong wind") sweep over the western part of the ocean. In temperate latitudes, storms rage throughout the cold half of the year. Westerly transport of air prevails here. The highest waves up to 30 m high were noted in the north and south of the Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes raise entire water mountains in it.

The properties of water masses are determined by the characteristics of the climate. Due to the large extent of the ocean from north to south, the average annual water temperature on the surface varies from -1 to +29 °C. In general, precipitation in the ocean prevails over evaporation, so the salinity of surface waters in it is somewhat lower than in other oceans.

4th group: Makes a complex plan on the topic “Ocean economic activities.”

More than 50 coastal countries are located on the shores and islands of the Pacific Ocean, in which approximately half of humanity lives.

The use of the natural resources of the ocean began in antiquity. Several centers of navigation arose here - in China, in Oceania, in South America, on the Aleutian Islands.

The Pacific Ocean plays an important role in the life of many nations. Half of the world's fish catch comes from this ocean . Except fish part of the catch is made up of various shellfish, crabs, shrimps, krill. In Japan, algae and mollusks are grown on the seabed. In some countries, salt and other chemicals are extracted from sea water and desalinated. Metal placers are being developed on the shelf. Oil is being produced off the coast of California and Australia. Ferromanganese ores have been found at the bottom of the ocean. Important sea routes pass through the greatest ocean of our planet, the length of these routes is very large. Navigation is well developed, mainly along the coasts of the mainland.

Human economic activity in the Pacific Ocean has led to the pollution of its waters, to the depletion of certain types of biological wealth. So, by the end of the XVIII century. mammals were exterminated - sea cows (a type of pinnipeds), discovered by one of the participants in the expedition of V. Bering. On the verge of extinction at the beginning of the 20th century. there were seals, the number of whales decreased. Currently, their fishery is limited. A great danger in the ocean is water pollution by oil, some heavy metals and waste from the nuclear industry. Harmful substances are carried by currents throughout the ocean. Even off the coast of Antarctica, these substances have been found in the composition of marine organisms.

Presentation by each group of their work,

Before the groups start their presentations, I want to remind you that the purpose of our lesson is to: Match the characteristics of this ocean with its names, and also try to agree or disagree with the names of this ocean.

And for this, each group has a sheet, which is divided into sectors “+” and “-”. As you listen to your comrades talk about the ocean, you write arguments for or against the name. You can also ask questions to clarify or clarify the material.

Stage of reflection and reflection.

Summary of work: The climax of our work with you has come: Let's hear your arguments for or against the names “Quiet” and “Great”. Which band is ready to start their performance?

There are guys in our class who have chosen an individual task of a leading nature and now they will present to your attention the result of their work, and at the same time we will consolidate the material we have already studied.

Working with the reference outline “Pacific Ocean.”

Teacher question:

What are the features of the Pacific Ocean?
What was the most interesting part of today's lesson? Struck?
What else would you like to know about the Pacific Ocean?

Reflection. (anonymous profile)

I invite you to analyze your work in groups. To do this, each of you has orange sheets with questions, answer them. The questionnaire is anonymous, so it is not necessary to sign the sheets. Underline your answer

Did you enjoy working in groups?

Do not know

Did you enjoy your role in the group?

I don't know (yes and no)

How did your group cope with the task?

Fully.
Partially not done.
Failed to complete the task.

Evaluate your activity in the work of the group.

He was active (tried to participate everywhere).
Was active most of the time.
Not very active.
Passive.

Thank you for the lesson.

When you leave the lesson, attach the sheet that matches your mood in the lesson today to the mood tree.

Features of the geological structure and topography of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean

In the relief of the Pacific shelf, there are:

transgressive plains with subaerial relict relief (river valleys of the Bering Sea shelf and on the Yavan shelf);
ridge landforms (East China Sea, Korean shelf);
coral buildings (equatorial-tropical region);
Antarctic shelf - the surface of the shelf is strongly dissected, underwater heights alternate with grabens;
The continental slope is dissected by submarine canyons (North America, New Zealand, Australia, the continental slope in the Bering Sea, Antarctica).

Transitional areas of the ocean have different stages of development and levels of structural complexity. Transitional regions are located in a continuous strip along the western margin of the ocean, they include the following regions: Kurile-Kamchatka, Aleutian, Japanese, Indonesian-Philippine, East China, Melanesian, Bonin-Marian, Vityazev, Macquarie, Tonga-Kermadek. Here is the deepest trench - the Mariana Trench (11 thousand 022 m).

Ready-made works on a similar topic

Coursework 410 rubles.
abstract Natural features of the Pacific Ocean 270 rub.
Test Natural features of the Pacific Ocean 200 rub.

The eastern part of the ocean contains the Central American and Peru-Chile transition regions.

Remark 1

All transitional regions are characterized by modern volcanism, they are seismic, and together they form the marginal Pacific belt of earthquakes and volcanism.

About 11% of the bottom area falls on mid-ocean ridges: South Pacific Rise; East Pacific Rise; Chilean uplift; Galapagos Rift Zone; the ridges of Juan de Fuca, Gorda, Explorer, Sala y Gomez, Nazca, Cocos, Carnegie.

The most significant ridges of the central and western parts of the Pacific Ocean floor have a common pattern: they form a system of arched uplifts that originate in the west and end in the southeast.

A striking feature of the tectonic structure and relief is the zones of oceanic faults, manifested in the relief in the form of complexes of consistently oriented linear depressions, grabens, and blocky ridges (horsts).

The basins and uplifts of the ocean floor are characterized by the earth's crust of the oceanic type.

A distinctive feature of bottom sediments is the presence of red clays. Only in the Pacific Ocean there are belts of siliceous diatomaceous oozes. A belt of siliceous radiolarian deposits is pronounced. In the southern and western parts of the ocean, coral-algal biogenic deposits are found. The Pacific Ocean contains foraminiferal silts, pteropod deposits, and iron-manganese nodules.

Climate conditions of the Pacific Ocean

The climate of the Pacific Ocean is determined by the circulation of the atmosphere, the patterns of zonal distribution of solar radiation, and the seasonal influence of the Asian continent.

Wind fields are formed in accordance with the distribution of baric centers. In the northern hemisphere, in temperate latitudes, strong westerly winds (in winter) and weak southerly (summer) winds are common; in the subtropics and tropics, northeast trade winds prevail. The equatorial zone is characterized by calm weather.

In the northwest of the ocean in the northern hemisphere, northeast and north monsoon winds (in winter), south monsoons (in summer) are established.

In the southern hemisphere, in the subtropics and tropics, the southeast trade wind dominates.

In the tropics, cyclonic activity causes the formation of tropical hurricanes. They originate more often in summer, east of the Philippines and move north and northwest through Taiwan and Japan. When approaching the Bering Sea, they fade.

Hurricanes originate in the coastal regions of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to Central America.

In the tropical and equatorial zones, the average annual temperature ranges from 25.5 to 27.5ºС. In the western part of the ocean, the climate is warmer than in the eastern part.

In the equatorial zone, there are bands of maximum precipitation; a relatively arid zone stretches along the equator.

To the east, in the tropical zone, aridity increases, and in the equatorial zone, the amount of precipitation decreases. The driest areas are adjacent to California, located in the Chilean and Peruvian basins.

The patterns of general air circulation determine the pattern of currents in the Pacific Ocean. The main streams are:

Northeast Current,
North Pacific Current,
equatorial countercurrent,
Kuroshio Current,
alaska current,
california current,
trade wind,
Southern Equatorial and Northern Equatorial currents,
East Australian Current,
the course of the West winds,
peru current,
currents of Cape Horn.

Remark 2

A large amount of precipitation falls on the surface of the Pacific Ocean, which reduces the salinity of the waters, especially at the equator, the western parts of temperate and subpolar latitudes.

The maximum salinity - 35.5-35.6% - is observed in tropical areas, where relatively small amounts of precipitation are combined with intensive water evaporation.

Ice formation occurs in the Antarctic regions. In the north, ice forms in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Sea of Japan. The glaciers of South Alaska dump some of the ice into the ocean in the form of icebergs. Icebergs spread far to the north.

The water masses of the Pacific Ocean

In the Pacific Ocean, the following water masses are distinguished:

Surface - depth 35-100 m, relative evenness of temperature, density and salinity.
Subsurface - the border with intermediate waters ranges from 220 to 600 m. They are distinguished by increased density and salinity.
Intermediate - the lower limit is at a depth of 900-1700 m. They have a relatively low temperature - 3-5ºС and salinity 33.8-34.7%.
Deep - are formed due to the immersion of chilled waters in the Antarctic waters and spreading through the basins.
Bottom - are at a depth of 2500-3000 m. Low temperature is characteristic - 1-2 ºС and salinity 34.6-34.7%. They form on the Antarctic shelf under conditions of strong cooling.

Flora and fauna of the Pacific Ocean

The flora and fauna of the Pacific Ocean is diverse and plentiful.

Phytoplankton consists mainly of microscopic unicellular algae - peridine and diatoms. The main part of the vegetation is concentrated in shallow water areas and upwelling zones.

In temperate and cold zones of the ocean, brown algae (kelp) are massively distributed. In the tropics, ficus, calcareous red algae are found, which, together with coral polyps, are reef-forming organisms.

The waters of the Pacific Ocean are rich in wildlife diversity. An important feature is the antiquity of most systematic groups and endemism. Many ancient sea urchins, horseshoe crabs, fish (Gilbertidium, Jordan). Only here live representatives of pogonophores.

Endemic species are also found among mammals: fur seal, dugong, sea lion, sea beaver.

Answer:

Pacific Ocean- the largest in area, the deepest and most ancient of the oceans. Its main features are great depths, frequent movements of the earth's crust, many volcanoes at the bottom, a huge supply of heat in its waters, and an exceptional diversity of the organic world. Geographic position of the ocean. The Pacific Ocean, also called the Great Ocean, occupies 1/3 of the surface of the planet and almost 1/2 of the area of the World Ocean. It is located on both sides of the equator and 180° meridian. This ocean separates and simultaneously connects the coasts of five continents. The Pacific Ocean is especially wide near the equator, so it is the warmest on the surface. In the east of the ocean, the coastline is poorly dissected; several peninsulas and bays stand out. In the west, the coasts are strongly indented. There are many seas here. Among them there are shelf ones, located on the continental shelf, with depths of no more than 100 m. Some seas lie in the zone of interaction of lithospheric plates. They are deep and separated from the ocean by island arcs. From the history of ocean exploration. Many peoples inhabiting the Pacific shores and islands from ancient times made voyages on the ocean, mastered its riches. The beginning of the penetration of Europeans into the Pacific Ocean coincided with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. The ships of F. Magellan for several months of navigation crossed a huge body of water from east to west. All this time, the sea was surprisingly calm, which gave Magellan reason to call it the Pacific Ocean. Much information about the nature of the ocean was obtained during the voyages of J. Cook. A great contribution to the study of the ocean and its islands was made by Russian expeditions led by I. F. Kruzenshtern, M. P. Lazarev, V. M. Golovnin, and Yu. F. Lisyanskii. In the same 19th century complex studies were carried out by S. O. Makarov on the ship "Vityaz". Regular scientific voyages since 1949 were made by Soviet expeditionary ships. A special international organization is engaged in the study of the Pacific Ocean.

Features of nature. The relief of the ocean floor is complex. The continental shelf (shelf) is well developed only off the coast of Asia and Australia. Continental slopes are steep, often stepped. Large uplifts and ridges divide the ocean floor into basins. Near America is the East Pacific Rise, which is part of the system of mid-ocean ridges. At the bottom of the ocean there are more than 10 thousand individual seamounts, mostly of volcanic origin.

The lithospheric plate, on which the Pacific Ocean lies, interacts with other plates at its boundaries. The edges of the Pacific Plate plunge into a tight space of trenches that encircle the ocean. These movements give rise to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Here lies the famous "Ring of Fire" of the planet and the deepest Mariana Trench (11022 m). The climate of the ocean is varied. The Pacific Ocean is located in all climatic zones, except for the northern polar one. Above its vast expanses, the air is saturated with moisture. Up to 2000 mm of precipitation falls in the equator region. The Pacific is protected from the cold Arctic Ocean by land and underwater ridges, so its northern part is warmer than the southern. The Pacific Ocean is the most restless and formidable among the oceans of the planet. Trade winds blow in its central parts. In the western - monsoons are developed. In winter, a cold and dry monsoon comes from the mainland, which has a significant impact on the climate of the ocean; some of the seas are covered with ice. Often, devastating tropical hurricanes - typhoons ("typhoon" means "strong wind") sweep over the western part of the ocean. In temperate latitudes, storms rage throughout the cold half of the year. Westerly transport of air prevails here. The highest waves up to 30 m high were noted in the north and south of the Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes raise entire water mountains in it. The properties of water masses are determined by the characteristics of the climate. Due to the large extent of the ocean from north to south, the average annual water temperature on the surface varies from -1 to +29°C. In general, precipitation in the ocean prevails over evaporation, so the salinity of surface waters in it is somewhat lower than in other oceans. The currents in the Pacific Ocean are consistent with their general scheme in the World Ocean, which you already know. Since the Pacific Ocean is strongly elongated from west to east, it is dominated by latitudinal water flows. Both in the northern and southern parts of the ocean, ring-shaped movements of surface waters are formed. The organic world of the Pacific Ocean is distinguished by an extraordinary richness and diversity of plant and animal species. Half of the total mass of living organisms of the oceans lives in it. This feature of the ocean is explained by its size, variety of natural conditions and age. Life is especially rich in tropical and equatorial latitudes near coral reefs. There are many salmon fish in the northern part of the ocean. In the southeast of the ocean near the coast of South America, huge accumulations of fish are formed. The water masses here are very fertile, they develop a lot of plant and animal plankton, which feed on anchovies (herring-like fish up to 16 cm long), horse mackerel, mackerel and other fish species. Birds eat a lot of fish here: cormorants, pelicans, penguins. Whales, fur seals, sea beavers live in the ocean (these pinnipeds live only in the Pacific Ocean). There are also many invertebrates - corals, sea urchins, mollusks (octopuses, squids). The largest mollusk lives here - tridacna, weighing up to 250 kg. In the Pacific Ocean there are all natural belts, except for the north polar one. Each of them has its own characteristics. The northern subpolar belt occupies a small part of the Bering and Okhotsk seas. The temperature of the water masses here is low (down to -1°C). In these seas, there is an active mixing of waters, and therefore they are rich in fish (pollock, flounder, herring). There are a lot of salmon fish and crabs in the Sea of Okhotsk. Vast territories cover the northern temperate zone. It is strongly influenced by westerly winds, storms are frequent here. In the west of this belt lies the Sea of Japan - one of the richest in diverse species of organisms. In the equatorial belt at the boundaries of currents, where the rise of deep waters to the surface increases and their biological productivity increases, many fish live (sharks, tuna, sailboats, etc.). In the southern tropical zone of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Australia, there is a unique natural complex of the Great Barrier Reef. This is the largest "mountain range" on Earth created by living organisms. It is comparable in size to the Ural Range. Under the protection of islands and reefs in warm waters, coral colonies develop in the form of bushes and trees, columns, castles, bouquets of flowers, mushrooms; corals are light green, yellow, red, blue, purple. Many mollusks, echinoderms, crustaceans, and various fish live here. Types of economic activity in the ocean. More than 50 coastal countries are located on the shores and islands of the Pacific Ocean, in which approximately half of humanity lives.

Rice. 43. The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. What are the structural features of the bottom topography?

The use of the natural resources of the ocean began in antiquity. Several centers of navigation arose here - in China, in Oceania, in South America, on the Aleutian Islands. The Pacific Ocean plays an important role in the life of many nations. Half of the world's fish catch comes from this ocean (see Figure 26). In addition to fish, various shellfish, crabs, shrimp, and krill make up part of the catch. In Japan, algae and mollusks are grown on the seabed. In some countries, salt and other chemicals are extracted from sea water and desalinated. Metal placers are being developed on the shelf. Oil is being produced off the coast of California and Australia. Ferromanganese ores have been found at the bottom of the ocean. Important sea routes pass through the greatest ocean of our planet, the length of these routes is very large. Navigation is well developed, mainly along the coasts of the mainland. Human economic activity in the Pacific Ocean has led to the pollution of its waters, to the depletion of certain types of biological wealth. So, by the end of the XVIII century. mammals were exterminated - sea cows (a type of pinnipeds), discovered by one of the participants in the expedition of V. Bering. On the verge of extinction at the beginning of the 20th century. there were seals, the number of whales decreased. Currently, their fishery is limited. A great danger in the ocean is water pollution by oil, some heavy metals and waste from the nuclear industry. Harmful substances are carried by currents throughout the ocean. Even off the coast of Antarctica, these substances have been found in the composition of marine organisms.

Page 2 of 13

What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean.

What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics of the Pacific Ocean. Table.

ocean name	Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean area:
- with the seas	178.684 million km²
- no seas	165.2 million km²
Average depth of the Pacific Ocean:
- with the seas	3984 m
- no seas	4282 m
Greatest depth	10,994 m (Marian Trench)
The volume of water in the Pacific Ocean:
- with the seas	710.36 million km3
- no seas	707.6 million km3
average temperature	19.37°С
Salinity	35-36‰
Width from west to east - from Panama to the east coast of Mindanao	17,200 km
Length from north to south, from the Bering Strait to Antarctica	15,450 km
Number of islands	OK. 10,000
Animals (number of species)	over 100,000
— incl. fish species	3800
— incl. shellfish species	over 6000
seaweed species	over 850

What is the Pacific Ocean? Description of the Pacific.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on our planet occupying almost a third of it. It accounts for 49.5% of the surface area of the World Ocean and 53% of its water volume. The width of the ocean from west to east is 17,200 km, and the length from north to south is 15,450 km. The area of the Pacific Ocean is 30 million square kilometers larger than the entire land area of the Earth.

The Pacific Ocean is the deepest ocean on our planet.. Its average depth is 3984 meters, and the greatest is 10,994 km (the Mariana Trench or the "Challenger Abyss").

The Pacific Ocean is the warmest ocean on our planet. Most of the ocean lies in warm latitudes, so the average temperature of its waters (19.37 ° C) is two degrees higher than the temperature of other oceans (with the exception of the Arctic Ocean).

Pacific Coast- the most densely populated territory of the Earth, here in 50 states lives about half of the population of our planet.

The Pacific Ocean has the greatest commercial value of all the water bodies of the planet - about 60% of the world's fish catch is produced here.

The Pacific Ocean has the largest reserves of hydrocarbons in the entire World Ocean - about 40% of all potential oil and gas reserves are located here.

The Pacific Ocean has the richest flora and fauna- almost 50% of all living organisms of the World Ocean live here.

The Pacific Ocean is the most "violent" ocean on the planet- more than 80% of the tsunami is "born" here. The reason for this is the large number of underwater volcanoes.

The Pacific Ocean is of great transport importance- the most important transport routes pass here.

The opening of the Pacific. Why is the ocean "Pacific"?

Why is the Pacific Ocean called "Pacific"? After all, this is the most formidable of all the oceans of the Earth: 80% of the tsunami originates here, the ocean is replete with underwater volcanoes, and is famous for catastrophic hurricanes and storms. Just ironically, the first European explorer and discoverer of the Pacific Ocean, Ferdinand Magellan, during his three-month voyage, never got into a storm. The ocean was quiet and gentle, for which it received its current name - "Quiet".

By the way, Magellan was not the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. The first was the Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who explored the New World. He crossed the American continent and came out on the coast as he thought of the sea. He did not yet know that before him was the greatest ocean of the Earth and gave it the name of the South Sea.

Borders and climate of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

With land:

Western border of the Pacific Ocean: off the eastern coasts of Australia and Eurasia.

Eastern border of the Pacific Ocean: off the western coasts of South and North America.

Northern border of the Pacific Ocean: almost completely enclosed by land - Russian Chukotka and American Alaska.

South Pacific Ocean: off the northern coast of Antarctica.

Pacific borders. Map.

With other oceans:

Border of the Pacific Ocean with the Arctic Ocean: the border is drawn in the Bering Strait from Cape Dezhnev to Cape Prince of Wales.

The border of the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean: the boundary is drawn from Cape Horn along the meridian 68°04’ (67?) W. or the shortest distance from South America to the Antarctic Peninsula through the Drake Passage, from Ost Island to Cape Sternek.

The border of the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean:

- South of Australia- along the eastern border of the Bass Strait to the island of Tasmania, then along the meridian 146 ° 55 'E. to Antarctica;

- North of Australia- between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca, further along the southwestern coast of the island of Sumatra, the Sunda Strait, the southern coast of the island of Java, the southern borders of the Bali and Savu seas, the northern border of the Arafura Sea, the southwestern coast of New Guinea and the western border of the Torres Strait.

Climate of the Pacific. General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean.

The climate of the Pacific Ocean in parts.

The South Pacific Ocean is the coldest, as the water comes close to the shores of Antarctica. Here, in winter, the water is covered with ice.

The climate of the North Pacific Ocean is much milder. This is influenced by the fact that the Pacific Ocean from the north has practically no contact with the cold Arctic Ocean, but is limited by land.

The western part of the Pacific Ocean is warmer than the eastern part.

In the tropical latitudes of the ocean, powerful hurricanes - typhoons - are born.

There are two zones of typhoon origin:

east of the Philippines - the typhoon is moving northwest and north through Taiwan, Japan and almost reaches the Bering Strait.
off the coast of Central America.

The amount of precipitation is uneven over the surface of the planet's largest ocean.

The greatest amount of precipitation (more than 2000 mm per year) is characteristic of the equatorial belt,
The least amount of precipitation (less than 50 mm per year) is in the northern hemisphere off the coast of California, in the southern hemisphere off the coast of Chile and Peru.

Precipitation in the ocean, in general, prevails over evaporation, so the salinity of the water is somewhat lower than in other oceans.

Read more about the climate of the Pacific Ocean in the articles:

Climate of the Pacific. Cyclones and anticyclones. baric centers.

Flora, fauna and economic importance of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

The flora and fauna of the Pacific Ocean is extremely diverse. About half of the living organisms of the entire oceans live here. This is due to the huge size of the largest ocean on the planet and the variety of natural conditions.

The largest number of species lives in tropical and equatorial latitudes, in the northern and temperate latitudes the species diversity is poorer, but here the number of individuals of each species is greater. For example, about 50 species of seaweed are found in the cold waters of the Bering Sea, and about 800 species are found in the warm waters of the Malay Archipelago. But the mass of algae in the Bering Sea is much larger than the total mass of aquatic plants in the Malay Archipelago.

The depths of the Pacific Ocean are also not lifeless. The animals that live here have an unusual body structure, many of them fluoresce, emitting light as a result of chemical reactions. This device is used to scare off predators and attract prey.

In the Pacific Ocean lives:

more than 850 types of algae;
more than 100 thousand species of animals (of which over 3800 species of fish);
more than 6 thousand species of mollusks;
about 200 species of animals living at a depth of more than 7 thousand km;
20 species of animals living at a depth of more than 10 thousand km.

The economic importance of the Pacific Ocean - a general characteristic and description of the Pacific Ocean.

The coast of the Pacific Ocean, its islands and seas are developed extremely unevenly. The most developed industrial centers are coast of the USA, Japan and South Korea. The economy of Australia and New Zealand is also largely associated with the development of the largest ocean on the planet.

The Pacific Ocean plays an important role in human life. as food. It accounts for up to 60% of the world's fish catch. Commercial fishing is especially developed in tropical and temperate latitudes.

Across the Pacific important sea and air communications run between the countries of the Pacific basin and transit routes between the countries of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Great economic importance of the Pacific Ocean and in terms of mining. Up to 40% of the potential oil and gas reserves of the World Ocean are located here. Hydrocarbons are currently being produced offshore in China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the United States of America (Alaska), Ecuador (Guayaquil Bay), Australia (Bass Strait) and New Zealand.

The Pacific Ocean also plays a very specific role in the modern world: here in the southern part of the ocean there is a "cemetery" of failed spaceships.

The relief of the bottom, the sea and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean - a description and general characteristics of the Pacific Ocean.

The bottom of the planet's largest ocean also has the most difficult terrain.. At the base of the ocean is the Pacific Plate. The plates adjoin it: Nazca, Cocos, Juan de Fuca, Philippine, in the south - the Antarctic plate, and in the north - the North American. Such a large number of lithospheric plates leads to strong tectonic activity in the region.

At the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, along the edges of the Pacific Plate, is the so-called "ring of fire" of the planet. Earthquakes constantly occur here, volcanoes erupt, tsunamis are born.

"Ring of Fire" of the planet.

The bottom of the Pacific Ocean is literally strewn single mountains volcanic origin. At the moment there are about 10,000 of them.

In addition, there is a complex submarine mountain range system, the longest of which is located in the south and east of the ocean - this is the East Pacific Rise, which passes in the south into the South Pacific Ridge. This underwater ridge divides the Pacific Ocean into two asymmetrical parts - a vast western part, dominated by warm currents, and a small eastern part, dominated by the cold Peruvian Current.

Countless islands and archipelagos, formed as a result of volcanic activity, are combined into a separate part of the world - Oceania.

The largest basins of the Pacific Ocean are: Chilean, Peruvian, Northwestern, Southern, Eastern, Central.

Pacific Ocean seas and coastline. What is the Pacific Ocean?

Almost all the seas of the Pacific Ocean are located on its northern and western outskirts - off the coast of Asia, Australia, the Malay Archipelago. In the east of the ocean there are neither large islands nor gulfs protruding deep into the land - the coastline is smooth. The exception is the Gulf of California, a semi-enclosed sea of the Pacific Ocean. Off the coast of Antarctica is the only southern marginal sea of this ocean - the Ross Sea.

Islands of the Pacific.

In this article, we reviewed the description and general characteristics of the Pacific Ocean, gave an answer to the question: What is the Pacific Ocean? Read further: Pacific Ocean waters: ocean water masses, ocean temperature, ocean salinity, ice formation and Pacific water color.

Introduction

The Pacific Ocean is a unique natural object of our planet in terms of size and features of nature. The ocean is located in all hemispheres of the Earth, between the continents of Eurasia and Australia in the west, North and South America in the east and Antarctica in the south.

The Pacific Ocean occupies more than 1/3 of the planet's surface and almost half of the World Ocean. It has an oval outline, is somewhat elongated from the northwest to the southeast, and is widest between the tropics. The coastline is relatively straight off the coasts of North and South America and is highly indented off the coasts of Eurasia. The Pacific Ocean includes a number of marginal seas of East and Southeast Asia. There are a large number of archipelagos and individual islands in the ocean, which are studied as part of Oceania.

The first scientific information about the Pacific Ocean was obtained at the beginning of the 16th century by the Spanish conquistador V. Nunez de Balboa. In 1520-21 F. Magellan crossed the ocean for the first time from the strait named after him to the Philippine Islands. During the 16-18 centuries. the ocean has been studied in numerous voyages by naturalists. The Russian navigators S. I. Dezhnev, V. V. Atlasov, V. Bering, A. I. Chirikov, and others made a significant contribution to the study of the Pacific Ocean. (geographic expeditions of I. F. Kruzenshtern, Yu. F. Lisyansky on the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva", O. E. Kotzebue on the "Rurik" and then "Enterprise", F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev on "Mirny"). A major event in the history of ocean exploration was Charles Darwin's voyage on the Beagle (1831-36). The first actual oceanographic expedition was a round-the-world voyage on the English ship Challenger (1872-76), in which extensive information was obtained on the physical, chemical, biological and geological features of the Pacific Ocean. The greatest contribution to the study of the Pacific Ocean at the end of the 19th century was made by scientific expeditions on ships: "Vityaz" (1886-89, 1894-96) - Russia, "Albatross" (1888-1905) - USA; in the 20th century: on the ships "Carnegie" (1928-29) - USA, "Snellius" (1929-30) - the Netherlands, "Discovery II" (1930) - Great Britain, "Galatea" (1950-52) - Denmark and "Vityaz" (since 1949 it has made over 40 flights) - USSR. A new stage in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean began in 1968, when deep-water drilling was started from the American ship Glomar Challenger.

General characteristics of the ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest in the world. Its area, together with the seas, is 178.7 million, and the volume of water is 707 million. They account for 49 and 53% of the area and volume of the waters of the entire oceans, respectively. The Pacific Ocean is the deepest in both average (4282 m) and maximum depth (11022 m).

The Pacific Ocean has the greatest extent in the equatorial-tropical zone - 17.2 thousand km, which determines its role as a giant accumulator of solar energy on the planet. Its waters are located mostly in the southern latitudes, less - in the northern ones. From the south, the Pacific Ocean is widely open to the influence of the Antarctic region, and the water exchange with the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait is negligible. Water exchange with the Indian Ocean is carried out through a wide strait between about. Tasmania and Antarctica, as well as through the straits of the Sunda Archipelago; with the Atlantic - through the narrow Drake Strait. The presence of very warm (above 25°C) waters in the upper hundred-meter layer in the central and western parts of the ocean determines the wide distribution of corals that form numerous islands and reefs. An exceptional phenomenon is the Great Barrier Reef to the northeast and east of Australia, which stretches for 2 thousand km from the Gulf of Papua to about. Fraser. Coral reefs surround the archipelagos of the Caroline, Marshall Islands, Line, Fiji, Tonga and many others.

On the northern and western margins, the Pacific Ocean includes the Bering, Okhotsk, Japanese, East China and South China, Arafura and small seas of the Indonesian islands. These seas occupy about 8% of the ocean area. Seas stand out directly in the ocean itself: the Philippine, New Guinea, Coral, Fiji, Tasmanovo in the west, Ross, Amundsen, Bellingshausen in the south. In the northeast, the Gulf of Alaska stands out. Island arcs and underwater ridges separate the ocean from the marginal seas and divide the ocean floor into a large number of large and small basins, many of which have troughs with deep-water depressions over 6 km deep. A characteristic feature of the Pacific Ocean compared to others is the large number of islands, especially in its central and western parts. In total there are about 10 thousand of them with a total area of 1.26 million and a population of over 8.3 million people.

ocean borders

With its eastern edge, the ocean washes the western coasts of North and South America, with its western edge it washes the eastern coasts of Australia and Eurasia, and from the south it washes Antarctica.

The border with the Arctic Ocean is the line in the Bering Strait from Cape Dezhnev to Cape Prince of Wales.

The border with the Atlantic Ocean is drawn from Cape Horn along the meridian 68 ° 04 "W or along the shortest distance from South America to the Antarctic Peninsula through the Drake Passage, from Oste Island to Cape Sternek.

The border with the Indian Ocean runs: south of Australia - along the eastern border of the Bass Strait to the island of Tasmania, then along the meridian 146 ° 55 "E to Antarctica; north of Australia - between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca, further along the southwestern coast Sumatra Island, Sunda Strait, southern coast of Java Island, southern borders of the Bali and Savu seas, northern border of the Arafura Sea, southwestern coast of New Guinea and western border of the Torres Strait.Sometimes the southern part of the ocean, with a northern border from 35 ° S. lat. (on the basis of water and atmosphere circulation) up to 60° S. (on the basis of the nature of the bottom topography) are attributed to the Southern Ocean, which is not officially distinguished (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. The boundaries of the Pacific Ocean

Geological structure and bottom topography

Underwater margins of the continents

The underwater margins of the continents, which occupy less than 10% of the area of the Pacific Ocean floor (Fig. 2), are characterized by almost all the features of the relief and geological structure that are typical of the underwater margins of the continents in general. In the relief of the shelf, if it occupies relatively large areas, transgressive plains with a subaerial relict relief are expressed (for example, underwater river valleys on the Yavan shelf and on the shelf of the Bering Sea). Ridge landforms formed by tidal currents are common on the Korean shelf and in the East China Sea. In equatorial-tropical waters, various coral structures are widespread on the shelf.

The Antarctic shelf has peculiar features. Most of it lies at depths of more than 200 m, the shelf surface is very dissected, along with underwater elevations of a tectonic nature, deep depressions - grabens stand out. The continental slope in the Pacific Ocean is heavily dissected by submarine canyons. A large group of submarine canyons on the continental slope of North America has been studied most thoroughly. The continental slope is very clearly defined off the coast of Australia and New Zealand, where it is also dissected by submarine canyons. Large submarine canyons are known on the continental slope in the Bering Sea. The structure of the continental slope to the west of the state of California (USA) is peculiar. The bottom relief is large-block, typical "borderland". This is a special type of morphostructure, characterized by a combination of horst underwater heights and depressions-grabens between them. The continental slope of Antarctica is characterized by a large width, a variety of relief and dissection by underwater canyons.

Rice. 2. Structural-geomorphological scheme of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean:

1 - underwater margins of the continents, 2 - transitional zone (basins of the marginal seas with island arcs and deep-water trenches), 3 - bottom of the basins of the ocean floor; 4 - heights and mountain ranges of the ocean floor; 5 - mid-ocean ridges; 6 - zones of the largest faults

The continental foot is most fully expressed on the North American submarine margin. It is distinguished by very large fans of turbidity flows, merging into a single sloping plain, bordering the continental slope with a wide strip.

A peculiar continental structure is the underwater margin of New Zealand. Its area is 10 times the area of the islands of New Zealand. This is an underwater New Zealand plateau, consisting of two flat-topped uplifts (Campbell and Chatham) and a depression between them (Bounty). From all sides it is bounded by a continental slope, bordered on the outer side by the continental foot. The Late Mesozoic submarine Lord Howe Ridge should also be attributed to this underwater macrostructure.

transition zone

Along the western margin of the Pacific Ocean, there are a continuous strip of transitional regions: the Aleutian, Kuril-Kamchatka, Japanese, East China, Indonesian-Philippine, Bonin-Marian, Melanesian, Vityazev, Tonga-Kermadek, Macquarie. Here is the deepest deep-sea trench - Mariana (depth 11,022 m). On the eastern edge of the ocean there are two transitional regions - Central American and Peru-Chile. They differ in that the transitional regions are expressed only by deep-sea trenches, marginal seas are absent here, and instead of island arcs, young folded mountains of Central and South America stretch along deep-sea trenches.

The transitional regions of the Pacific Ocean are at different stages of development and have varying degrees of structural complexity. In the most general form, these differences are shown in Table. 1. The table also includes the Mediterranean type of the transitional region, which is not represented in the Pacific Ocean, but logically completes the single genetic series that these types form. It follows from the data in the table that modern volcanism is inherent in all transitional areas. All of them are seismic and together form the marginal Pacific belt of earthquakes and modern volcanism. As the transition from one stage of development to another (i.e., from one type to another) increases, the degree of participation of the continental crust in the structure of the transition region increases.

It is also noteworthy that the transitional regions on the western margin of the Pacific Ocean are located in the form of two echelons, with the youngest regions in terms of the stage of development located “in the second echelon”, on the border with the ocean floor (Bonin-Marianskaya, Vityazevskaya, Tonga-Kermadekskaya ), while the more mature ones either constitute the “first echelon” or are separated from the ocean floor by sufficiently developed island arcs (Kurilo-Kamchatka, Aleutian) and island land masses with continental crust (Japanese).

Transitional regions	Characteristic hollows	Characteristic island arcs	Characteristic deep sea	Involvement of the mainland or Subcontinental howl crust in the structure of transitional regions	Volcanism	seismicity
1. Vityazevsky	Missing	Missing	The gutter is embedded in ocean crust, depth average		Young, basalt
2.Marian	Very deep, oceanic type of crust, rainfall intensity less than 1 km	Predominantly underwater uplifts basalt crust, small volcanic islands	The deepest (9.5-11 km), low power		Young, modern, basalt
3.Kuril	Deep, suboceanic crust, precipitation thickness 1--3	Subcontinental crust, partly continental, volcanic islands, relatively large	Deep (8-9.5 km), rainfall intensity several km	Noticeable	Maximum but in intense, young and modern, andesite-basalt	Very high
4.Japanese	Deep, suboceanic crust, precipitation thickness 3--5	Significant land masses with continental crust	Deep (6-8 km), rainfall intensity several km	Significant	Intensive, young and modern, andesite, dacitoliparite	Very high
5.Mediterranean cue	Residual windows with suboceanic crust, siege power cove 5--15 km	Mountain ranges with continental crust	Residual, shallow (5--6 km)	Continental crust type predominates	Residual postgeosin clinal, andesi- tovy, dacito- vyy, liparito-vyy

Table 1. Comparative characteristics of various types of transition regions

Mid-ocean ridges and ocean floor

Mid-ocean ridges occupy 11% of the area of the Pacific Ocean floor and have their own specific structural features. The South Pacific and East Pacific Rise are broad and relatively weakly dissected uplands. Large forms of deep dissection are associated with the zones of secant transverse faults - transverse narrow depressions or "oceanic troughs". The flank zones of the mid-ocean ridges are very wide; the rift zone only in some areas reaches such expressiveness as in the ridges of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. A distinctive feature of the mid-ocean ridges in the Pacific Ocean are also lateral branches from the main system in the form of the so-called Chilean Rise and the Galapagos Rift Zone. The system of mid-ocean ridges in the Pacific Ocean also includes the underwater ridges of Gorda, Juan de Fuca and Explorer in the northeast Pacific Ocean.

The mid-ocean ridges of the Pacific Ocean are seismic belts, but unlike the transition zones, earthquakes are only surface.

Active volcanic activity is carried out mainly in the rift zone. Fresh lavas (during underwater photography), metal-bearing sediments, usually associated with hydrothermal vents, inherent in areas of modern Pacific Ocean volcanism, were found.

The system of the South Pacific and East Pacific Rise divides the bed of the Pacific Ocean into two parts that are unequal and differ greatly in structure. The eastern part is shallower and less complex built. The lateral branches of the system of mid-ocean ridges - the Chilean and Galapagos - are located in this part. In addition to the Chilean Rise, the Nazca, Sala y Gomez, Carnegie and Coconut ridges stand out here. These underwater ridges divide the southeastern part of the bed into the Guatemalan, Panama, Peruvian and Chilean basins. All of them are characterized by a complexly dissected mountainous and hilly bottom topography.

In the area of the Galapagos Islands, a rift zone is also distinguished.

The rest of the ocean floor, which lies to the west of the East Pacific Rise and from the submarine margin of North America and occupies approximately the area of the bed, has a very complex relief structure. Dozens of underwater ridges and hills divide the ocean floor into a large number of basins. The most significant ridges of the western and central parts of the Pacific Ocean floor have one common pattern: they form a system of arched uplifts in plan, starting in the west and ending in the southeast. The Hawaiian Ridge forms the first such arc. Approximately parallel to it, the next, largest "arc" stretches, starting with the Cartographers Mountains and further including the Marcus Necker Mountains, the underwater ridge of the Line Islands and ending with the underwater base of the Tuamotu Islands.

The next arc consists of the submerged bases of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Tuvalu. Perhaps the islands of Samoa are also connected with it. The fourth arc is much shorter than the previous ones; it includes the Caroline Islands and the submarine swell or Kapingamaranga Upland. The fifth arc consists of the southern group of the Caroline Islands and the Eauriapic swell. There are several more underwater ridges, which are also the bases of numerous islands, parallel to this system, but not included in it (for example, Phoenix, Tahiti, Tubuai). Some ridges and uplands stand out sharply along their strike. This is the Imperial, or Northwestern, ridge, the uplands of Shatsky, Magellan, Hess, Manihiki. The latter are distinguished by leveled summit surfaces and usually carry "caps" of carbonate deposits of increased thickness.

There are active volcanoes in Hawaii and Samoa, which differ significantly in the composition of volcanic products from volcanoes in transitional areas. Along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean within its bed, a huge number of individual seamounts are scattered, mainly also of volcanic origin. Many of them have flattened tops - these are the so-called guyots.

The tops of some guyots are at depths of 2–2.5 thousand m, the average depth above them is about 1.3 thousand m. or denudation alignment turned out to be submerged to the depths at which they are now.

The vast majority of the western and central Pacific islands are coral. If these are purely volcanic islands, then they are almost always bordered by coral structures. The large thickness of coral limestones on modern coral atolls also indicates significant negative movements of the earth's crust within the Pacific Ocean floor during the Cenozoic. The oldest coral limestones discovered by drilling on the atolls are of Eocene age. They occur at depths close to 1300 m from the surface, while reef-building corals can only live at depths of no more than 50 m.

A very striking feature of the relief and tectonic structure within the ocean floor and mid-ocean ridges are the zones of oceanic faults, usually expressed in the relief as complexes of linearly and according to oriented tectonic depressions (grabens) and blocky ridges (horsts). All known fault zones have their own names. For example, in the northern part of the ocean, the most significant fault zones are the Surveyor, Mendocino, Murray, Clarion, and Clipperton fault zones.

The basins and uplifts of the Pacific Ocean bed are characterized by an oceanic-type crust, but it is quite different. For example, in the northeastern part of the ocean floor, the “second” and “basalt” layers of the oceanic crust of low thickness are less than 1 and less than 5 km, respectively, with average values of 1 and 7 km. On the Shatsky upland, the maximum thicknesses of the “second” layer were noted along with the sedimentary layer up to 3 km and the basalt layer up to 13 km.

The mid-ocean ridges in the Pacific Ocean have a rift-type crust, characterized by an overall increased density (compared to the oceanic one). Dredging, as in other mid-ocean ridges, has unearthed ultramafic rocks, and schists have been uplifted in the Eltanin Fault Zone.

The transitional regions have a very variegated, mosaic structure of the earth's crust. Along with the suboceanic and even oceanic crust, which is characteristic of deep sea basins and the bottoms of deep-sea trenches, subcontinental (Kuril Islands) and even continental crust (Japanese Islands) have been found under island arcs. It is this mosaic structure of the earth's crust in the transitional regions that makes it necessary to distinguish the earth's crust developed here into a special geosynclinal type of the earth's crust (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean

Characteristics of the waters of the Pacific Ocean

Average temperatures

The Pacific Ocean is considered the warmest of the oceans on Earth. The average annual temperature of its surface waters is 19.1°C (1.8°C higher than the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean and 1.5°C higher than the temperature of the Indian Ocean). This is explained by the huge volume of the water basin - the heat accumulator, the large water area in the most heated equatorial-tropical regions (more than 50% of the total), the isolation of the Pacific Ocean from the cold Arctic basin. The influence of Antarctica in the Pacific Ocean is also weaker compared to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans due to its vast area.

The temperature distribution of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean is determined mainly by heat exchange with the atmosphere and circulation of water masses. In the open ocean, isotherms usually have a latitudinal course, with the exception of areas with meridional (or submeridional) water transport by currents. Particularly strong deviations from latitudinal zonality in the temperature distribution of the surface waters of the ocean are noted near the western and eastern coasts, where meridional (submeridional) flows close the main circuits of the Pacific Ocean water circulation.

In the equatorial-tropical latitudes, the highest seasonal and annual water temperatures are observed - 25-29 ° C, and their maximum values \u200b\u200b(31-32 ° C) belong to the western regions of the equatorial latitudes. At low latitudes, the western part of the ocean is warmer than the eastern part by 2-5°C. In areas of the California and Peruvian currents, the water temperature can be 12-15°C lower than in coastal waters located at the same latitudes in the western part of the ocean. In the temperate and subpolar waters of the Northern Hemisphere, the western sector of the ocean, on the contrary, is colder than the eastern one by 3-7°C throughout the year. In summer, the water temperature in the Bering Strait is 5-6°C. In winter, the zero isotherm passes through the middle part of the Bering Sea. The minimum temperature here is up to -1.7-1.8°C. In Antarctic waters, in areas of floating ice, the water temperature rarely rises to 2-3°C. In winter, negative temperatures are noted south of 60-62 ° S. sh. In the temperate and subpolar latitudes of the southern part of the ocean, the isotherms have a smooth sublatitudinal course; there is no significant difference in water temperatures between the western and eastern parts of the ocean.

Salinity and Density

The distribution of salinity in the Pacific Ocean follows general patterns. In general, this indicator at all depths is lower than in other oceans of the world, which is explained by the size of the ocean and the significant remoteness of the central parts of the ocean from the arid regions of the continents (Fig. 4).

The water balance of the ocean is characterized by a significant excess of the amount of atmospheric precipitation together with river runoff over the amount of evaporation. In addition, in the Pacific Ocean, in contrast to the Atlantic and Indian, at intermediate depths there is no entry of especially saline waters of the Mediterranean and Red Sea types. The centers of formation of highly saline waters on the surface of the Pacific Ocean are the subtropical regions of both hemispheres, since evaporation here significantly exceeds the amount of precipitation.

Both high-salinity zones (35.5‰ in the north and 36.5‰ in the south) are above 20° latitude in both hemispheres. North of 40° N. sh. salinity decreases especially rapidly. At the head of the Gulf of Alaska, it is 30-31 ‰. In the Southern Hemisphere, the decrease in salinity from the subtropics to the south slows down due to the influence of the current of the West Winds: up to 60 ° S. sh. it remains more than 34%o, and off the coast of Antarctica it decreases to 33%o. Water desalination is also observed in equatorial-tropical regions with a large amount of precipitation. Between the centers of salinization and freshening of waters, the distribution of salinity is strongly influenced by currents. Along the shores of the current, in the east of the ocean, freshened waters are carried from high latitudes to lower latitudes, and in the west - saline waters in the opposite direction.

Rice. 4. Average annual salinity at the ocean surface

The most general pattern of changes in the density of waters in the Pacific Ocean is an increase in its values from the equatorial-tropical zones to high latitudes. Consequently, the decrease in temperature from the equator to the poles completely covers the decrease in salinity throughout the space from the tropics to high latitudes.

The Pacific Ocean is quite strongly elongated from west to east and therefore latitudinal water flows predominate in it. Two huge rings of water movement are formed in the ocean: northern and southern. The northern ring includes the Alaska, Kuril, Kuroshio, North Pacific, California and Northern trade wind currents. The southern ring is made up of the South Equatorial, East Australian, South Pacific, Peruvian, and Antarctic Circumpolar Currents (Fig. 5). Currents have a significant impact on the redistribution of heat in the ocean and on the nature of adjacent continents. Thus, trade wind currents drive warm waters from the western tropical coasts of the continents to the eastern ones, therefore, at low latitudes, the western part of the ocean is much warmer than the eastern one. In middle high latitudes, on the contrary, the eastern parts of the ocean are warmer than the western ones.

Rice. 5. Currents of the Pacific Ocean

The Alaska Current is a warm current in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, the northern branch of the North Pacific Current.

The current enters the Gulf of Alaska from the south, passes to the north, and then, at the head of the bay, turns to the southwest; increases significantly after rotation. Through the eastern straits of the Aleutian Islands it enters the Bering Sea. It spreads to great depths, down to the bottom, as evidenced by deviations in the direction of the current caused by uneven bottom topography. The flow velocity is in the range from 0.2 to 0.5 m/s. The waters of the current are characterized by an increased temperature, which on the surface is from 2 to 7 ° C in February, and from 10 to 15 ° C in August. The salinity of the water is 32.5 ‰.

The Kuril current, or Oyashio, is a cold current in the northwest Pacific Ocean, which originates in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. It reaches the east coast of Japan to the south, where it collides with the warm Kuroshio Current, resulting in the formation of the powerful North Pacific Current. The Kuril current has a serious impact on the climate of the Far East, especially Kamchatka and Chukotka, where the northern limit of forest distribution is shifted to the south than at similar latitudes in Siberia. It flows along Kamchatka, the Kuriles and the Japanese islands. The speed of the Kuril Current ranges from 0.25-0.35 m/s in summer to 0.5-1.0 m/s in winter. The width of the Kuril current at the tip of the island of Honshu is about 55.5 km.

Kuroshio, sometimes the Japan Current, is a warm current off the southern and eastern coasts of Japan in the Pacific Ocean. Kuroshio carries the warm and salty waters of the South China and East China Seas to more northern latitudes, significantly softening their climate. Although the main stream of the Kuroshio does not enter the Sea of Japan, three of its branches (the East Korean Current, the Tsushima Current, and the unnamed branch between them) penetrate into its water area through the Tsushima Strait, and their remnants enter further into the Sea of Okhotsk in the form of the Soya Current. The branches of the warm Kuroshio Current penetrate on average up to 40°N. sh. and further north. The current speed is approximately 6 km/h in the south, up to 1-2 km/h in the north. The water temperature in August in the south is from 28 °C to 25 °C in the north, in February, respectively, from 18 °C to 12 °C.

In general, the eastern edge of the current is less defined than the western one. On the western edge, there is a sharp difference in surface temperatures as one moves from the waters of the current to the west, similar to the "cold wall" of the Gulf Stream, although not to the same extent. The Kuroshio Current is in many ways similar to the Gulf Stream. The current has a significant impact on the climate of the islands of Shikoku, Honshu and Kyushu.

The North Pacific Current is a warm ocean current in the North Pacific Ocean. The continuation of the Kuroshio Current east of Japan is called the Kuroshio Drift and later the North Pacific Current. It moves from west to east towards the coast of North America at a speed of 25-50 cm/s.

In the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, the North Pacific Current north of the 40th parallel reaches 170°N. sh., where it branches into the warm Alaska, heading to the shores of South Alaska to the north, and some of the water even enters the Bering Sea, and the second branch, called the California Current, deviates to the south, further merging into the Northern Trade Wind Current.

The California Current is a cold surface current in the North Pacific Ocean. It moves from north to southwest along California as the southern branch of the North Pacific Current, in the south it passes into the North Trade Wind Current. Speed about 1-2 km/h, width 550-650 km, water temperature from 15 to 26 °C. Salinity in the north is 33-34 ‰.

The north trade wind current arises as a result of the diversion of the California current and flows between 10° and 20° north latitude in a westerly direction until it is deflected before the east coast of the Philippines and passes into the warm Kuroshio Current.

Equatorial (intertrade) countercurrent - a powerful countercurrent in the interval between the North trade wind current and the South trade wind current, observed in the equatorial region around the entire globe in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Surface inter-trade countercurrents in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans have been known since the 19th century. These currents are directed to the east against the prevailing winds and against the movement of the main surface currents. Intertrade countercurrents are caused by the transverse unevenness of the prevailing winds (trade winds), so their speed and flow fluctuate significantly, up to disappearance, depending on the strength and uniformity of the winds.

The South Equatorial Current (Southern Equatorial Current) - named after the prevailing winds in the area - the trade winds blowing from east to west - a warm current in the World Ocean, passing through the southern tropical latitudes.

In the Pacific Ocean, it begins not far from the coast of South America - approximately in the region of the Galapagos Islands, and goes west to the shores of New Guinea and Australia. The northern boundary of the current ranges from 1° north latitude in summer to 3° south latitude in winter. Near the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, the current is divided into branches - part of the current turns to the east, joining the Equatorial Countercurrent. Another major branch of the current is the East Australian Current, which begins off the coast of Australia. The speed of the current ranges from 24 to 80 miles per day. The average speed is about 40 miles per day. Water temperature - ?32?^°С.

The East Australian Current is a warm current in the Pacific Ocean that branches off from the South Equatorial Current, deviating south along the coast of Australia. It is the largest ocean current off the Australian coast, peaking at some shallow depths along the Australian continental shelf. It originates in the tropical Coral Sea, passes through the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

The East Australian current makes the climate of New Zealand and the east coast of Australia warmer and more humid, tropical instead of subtropical; contributes to the spread of tropical marine life to subtropical areas along the southeast coast of Australia. The current speed reaches 7 knots, but mostly it is 2-3 knots. The water temperature is about 25 °C.

The Peru Current (Humboldt Current) is a cold surface current in the Pacific Ocean, which is a branch of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Moves from south to north between 45° and 4° south latitude along the western coasts of Peru and Chile. The speed is about 0.9 km / h, the water flow is 15-20 million m³ per second, the water temperature is from 15 to 20 °C.

Some researchers identify coastal and ocean currents in the Peruvian current, between which the South Peru-Chile countercurrent passes. At 4° south latitude, the Peruvian Current moves west and merges with the South Tradewind Current.

Antarctic Circumpolar (or West Wind Current) - encircles the entire globe between 40° and 50°S. Speed 0.4-0.9 km/h, temperature 12-15 °С. This current is often referred to as the "roaring forties" because powerful storms rage here. The Peruvian current branches off from it in the Pacific Ocean.

Climate in the Pacific

The Pacific Ocean is located in almost all climatic zones. Most of it lies in the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical zones.

The climate of the Pacific Ocean is formed due to the zonal distribution of solar radiation and atmospheric circulation, as well as the powerful seasonal influence of the Asian continent. Almost all climatic zones can be distinguished in the ocean. In the northern temperate zone in winter, the baric center is the Aleutian minimum of pressure, which is weakly expressed in summer. To the south is the North Pacific High. Along the equator, the Equatorial depression (an area of low pressure) is noted, which is replaced to the south by the South Pacific anticyclone. Further south, the pressure decreases again and then again gives way to a high pressure area over Antarctica. The direction of the wind is formed in accordance with the location of baric centers. In the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere, strong westerly winds prevail in winter, and weak southerly winds in summer. In the northwest of the ocean, north and northeast monsoon winds are established in winter, which are replaced by south monsoons in summer. Cyclones that occur on the polar fronts determine the high frequency of storm winds in the temperate and circumpolar zones (especially in the southern hemisphere). In the subtropics and tropics of the northern hemisphere, the northeast trade winds dominate. In the equatorial zone, mostly calm weather is observed all year round. In the tropical and subtropical zones of the southern hemisphere, a steady southeast trade wind dominates, strong in winter and weak in summer. Violent tropical hurricanes, here called typhoons, are born in the tropics (mainly in summer). They usually arise east of the Philippines, from where they move northwest and north through Taiwan, Japan and fade on the approaches to the Bering Sea. Another area where typhoons originate is the coastal regions of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to Central America. In the fortieth latitudes of the southern hemisphere, strong and constant westerly winds are observed. In the high latitudes of the southern hemisphere, the winds are subject to the general cyclonic circulation characteristic of the sub-Antarctic region of low pressure.

The distribution of air temperature over the ocean is subordinated to the general latitudinal zonality, but the western part has a warmer climate than the eastern part. In the tropical and equatorial zones, average air temperatures from 27.5 °C to 25.5 °C prevail. During the summer, the 25°C isotherm widens northward in the western part of the ocean and only slightly in the eastern, and strongly shifts northward in the southern hemisphere. Passing over the vast expanses of the ocean, the air masses are intensively saturated with moisture. On both sides of the equator in the near-equatorial zone, two narrow bands of maximum precipitation are noted, outlined by an isohyet of 2000 mm, and a relatively arid zone is expressed along the equator. In the Pacific Ocean, there is no zone of convergence of the northern trade winds with the southern ones. There are two independent zones with excessive moisture and a relatively dry zone separating them. To the east, in the equatorial and tropical zones, the amount of precipitation decreases. The most arid regions in the northern hemisphere are adjacent to California, in the southern - to the Peruvian and Chilean basins (coastal regions receive less than 50 mm of precipitation per year).

life in the ocean

The life of the Pacific Ocean is abundant and varied. It accounts for more than 50% of the total biomass of the oceans.

Vegetation. The phytoplankton of the Pacific Ocean consists mainly of microscopic unicellular algae, numbering about 1300 species. About half of the species belong to the peridineans and somewhat less to the diatoms. Most of the vegetation is concentrated in shallow water areas and in upwelling zones. The bottom vegetation of the Pacific Ocean has about 4 thousand species of algae and up to 29 species of flowering plants (“sea grass”). In the cold and temperate zones of the Pacific Ocean, the mass development of brown algae, especially from the kelp group, is characteristic, and in the southern hemisphere a giant from the world of algae up to 200 m long grows. green and especially calcareous red algae from the coralline family, which, along with coral polyps, are reef-forming organisms.

Animal world. The fauna of the Pacific Ocean is 3-4 times richer in species composition than in other oceans. The fauna of tropical waters is especially rich in the number of species. Thus, in the seas of the Indonesian archipelago, more than 2 thousand species of fish are known, while in the northern seas - the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea - there are only about 300 of them. But even in these seas, the number of fish species is twice as large as in seas with the same climatic conditions. conditions, but related to the basins of other oceans. The mollusk fauna in the tropical zone of the Pacific Ocean includes more than 6 thousand species, and in the Barents Sea, for example, there are about 200 of them. The Pacific Ocean is also characterized by a rich fauna of corals.

Important features of the fauna of the Pacific Ocean are the antiquity of many systematic groups and endemism. A large number of ancient species of sea urchins live in the Pacific Ocean, primitive genera of horseshoe crabs, some very ancient fish that have not been preserved in other oceans, for example, Jordan, Gilbertidia; 95% of all salmon species live in the Pacific Ocean. Only in the Pacific Ocean do representatives of the Pogonophora class live. Endemic forms are also characteristic of mammals inhabiting the Pacific Ocean. Such are the dugong, the fur seal, the sea lion, the sea beaver, which are absent in other oceans.

Gigantism is characteristic of many representatives of the fauna of the Pacific Ocean. Giant mussels and oysters are known in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, the largest bivalve mollusk tridacna lives in the equatorial zone, the mass of which reaches 300 kg.

In the Pacific Ocean, the ultra-abyssal fauna is most clearly represented. Huge pressure, low water temperatures determine the sharp limitation of not only lower, but also higher taxonomic groups capable of living in the ultra-abyssal zone. So, at depths of more than 8.5 km, only 45 species live, of which more than 70% are endemic. These species are dominated by holothurians, which lead a very sedentary lifestyle, are distinguished by the ability to pass through the digestive tract a huge amount of soil, essentially the only source of food at these depths. pacific ocean bottom

Minerals

The bottom of the Pacific Ocean hides rich deposits of various minerals. Oil and gas are produced on the shelves of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the United States of America (Alaska), Ecuador (Guayaquil Bay), Australia (Bass Strait), and New Zealand. According to existing estimates, the subsoil of the Pacific Ocean contains up to 30-40% of all potential oil and gas reserves of the World Ocean. The largest producer of tin concentrates in the world is Malaysia, and Australia is the largest producer of zircon, ilmenite and others. The ocean is rich in ferromanganese nodules, with total reserves on the surface up to 7 * 1012 tons. The most extensive reserves are observed in the northern deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, as well as in the Southern and Peruvian basins. In terms of the main ore elements, the nodules of the ocean contain manganese 7.1 * 1010 tons, nickel 2.3 * 109 tons, copper 1.5 * 109 tons, cobalt 1 * 109 tons. Rich deep-sea deposits of gas hydrates have been discovered in the Pacific Ocean: in the Oregon depression, the Kuril ridge and the Sakhalin shelf in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Nankai trench in the Sea of Japan and around the coast of Japan, in the Peru depression. In 2013, Japan intends to begin pilot drilling to extract natural gas from methane hydrate deposits on the Pacific Ocean floor northeast of Tokyo.

Conclusion

Due to the impact of destructive human activity, the map of the Pacific Ocean allows you to mark several areas of water that are completely polluted and cause great harm to people, and also threaten the lives of animal species such as fur seals and whales. The main pollution is oil and all kinds of waste. Because of them, the ocean is overloaded with metals, radioactive substances, which simply should not be in the water. A complete characterization of the Pacific Ocean showed that all substances that enter it are carried throughout its entire water area.

The ecology of the Pacific Ocean is under threat for a variety of reasons. The Great Barrier Reef and other corals are steadily deteriorating. The coral is also in danger due to atmospheric pollution and the harmful effects of tourism. Tourism has a negative impact on the fragile ecology of reefs and islands. Although nuclear research is almost at a standstill now, the Pacific has suffered from the use of ocean waters by Britain, the US and France for nuclear testing.

There is a so-called "garbage island" in the Pacific Ocean. Pollution has been around since the invention of plastic. On the one hand, an irreplaceable thing that has made life incredibly easier for people. Made it lighter until the plastic product is thrown away: Plastic decomposes for more than a hundred years, and thanks to ocean currents, it strays into huge islands. One such island, larger than the US state of Texas, floats between California, Hawaii, and Alaska -- millions of tons of garbage. The island is growing rapidly, with about 2.5 million pieces of plastic and other debris dumped into the ocean every day from all continents. Slowly decomposing, plastic causes serious harm to the environment. Birds, fish and other ocean creatures suffer the most. Plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean kills more than a million seabirds a year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals. Garbage Island has been growing rapidly since about the 1950s due to the peculiarities of the North Pacific current system, the center of which, where all the garbage ends up, is relatively stationary. According to scientists, at present, the mass of the garbage island is more than three and a half million tons, and the area is more than a million square kilometers. The “island” has a number of unofficial names: “Great Pacific Garbage Island”, “East Garbage Island”, “Pacific Garbage Gate”, etc. In 2001, the mass of plastic exceeded the mass of zooplankton in the island zone by six times. This huge pile of floating garbage - in fact, the largest dumping ground on the planet - is held in one place by the influence of undercurrents that have turbulence. The "soup" strip stretches from a point about 500 nautical miles off the coast of California across the North Pacific past Hawaii and narrowly misses distant Japan. Today, the area of all garbage patches exceeds even the territory of the United States. Every 10 years, the area of this colossal landfill increases by an order of magnitude.

Bibliography

Geographic atlas. - M.: GUGK, 1982. - S. 206. - 238 p.

Ivanov V.A., Pokazeev K.V., Shreider A.A. - Fundamentals of oceanology. Lan, 2008. - 576 p.

Leontiev O.K. (ed.) The Pacific Ocean. M.: Thought, 1982. -316 p.

Ryabchikov A.M. (ed.) Physical geography of continents and oceans. M.: Higher. school, 1988.-- 562 p.

The main distinguishing feature of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth. What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean. The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean - description and general characteristics of the Pacific Ocean

During the classes

Ready-made works on a similar topic

Climate conditions of the Pacific Ocean

The water masses of the Pacific Ocean

Flora and fauna of the Pacific Ocean

What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean.

What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics of the Pacific Ocean. Table.

What is the Pacific Ocean? Description of the Pacific.

The opening of the Pacific. Why is the ocean "Pacific"?

Borders and climate of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

Climate of the Pacific. General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean.

Flora, fauna and economic importance of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

The economic importance of the Pacific Ocean - a general characteristic and description of the Pacific Ocean.

The relief of the bottom, the sea and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean - a description and general characteristics of the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Ocean seas and coastline. What is the Pacific Ocean?

Islands of the Pacific.

Similar Documents

Read also:

new entries

During the classes

Ready-made works on a similar topic

Climate conditions of the Pacific Ocean

The water masses of the Pacific Ocean

Flora and fauna of the Pacific Ocean

What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean.

What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics of the Pacific Ocean. Table.

What is the Pacific Ocean? Description of the Pacific.

The opening of the Pacific. Why is the ocean "Pacific"?

Borders and climate of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

Climate of the Pacific. General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean.

Flora, fauna and economic importance of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

The economic importance of the Pacific Ocean - a general characteristic and description of the Pacific Ocean.

The relief of the bottom, the sea and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean - a description and general characteristics of the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Ocean seas and coastline. What is the Pacific Ocean?

Islands of the Pacific.

Similar Documents

Read also:

Amount of movement Amount of movement of a system of material points

Eccentric tension - compression

Examples Determine if a sequence is infinitesimal

new entries