12 Amazing Facts About the Ocean

The Earth’s oceans are a world of mystery, wonder and beauty. Here are 12 amazing facts about the ocean that will make you appreciate our blue planet more than ever.

1. 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans.
It’s hard to imagine, but about 97% of the Earth’s water can be found in our ocean. Of the tiny percentage that’s not in the ocean, about 2% is frozen up in glaciers and ice caps. Less than 1% of all the water on Earth is fresh.

2. Marine species outnumber those on land.
95% of life on earth is aquatic and we still only know a fraction of the marine species in our oceans. According to the World Register of Marine Species there are now 240,470 accepted Marine species.

3. The sea level has risen between 10-25 cm over the past 100 years. 
10,000 years ago the ocean level was about 110 m lower than it is now.

4. If all the world’s ice melted, the oceans would rise 66 m.

5. Over 70% of our planet’s oxygen is produced by the ocean.
It’s thought that between 70-80% of the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plants, nearly all of which are marine algae.

6. The deepest known point of the Earth’s oceans is 11KM!
This area is known as the Mariana Trench.

7. The planet’s longest mountain range is underwater and is 10 times longer than the Andes.
The Mid-Oceanic Ridge is a continuous range of underwater volcanoes. It wraps around the globe like seams on a baseball and is 65,000 kilometers long.

8. The speed of sound in water is 1,435 m/sec – nearly five times faster than the speed of sound in air.

9. The record for the deepest free-dive is an astounding 214m!
Held by Austrian freediver Herbert Nitsch “the Deepest Man on Earth”.

10. Most of earth’s volcanic activity happens in the ocean.
The largest known concentration of active volcanoes is in the South Pacific containing a whopping 1,133 volcanoes.

11. The world’s largest living structure is in the ocean.
It’s the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The reef spreads out over an area of 348,700 km² and is so huge it can actually be seen from outer space.

12. There thought to be 3 million shipwrecks in the ocean.
Meaning there are more historic artefacts under the sea than in all of the world’s museums.

Sources: www.trafalgar.com | www.natgeokids.com | marinebio.org | oceanservice.noaa.gov