The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth.
In English, the
term ocean also refers to any of the large bodies of water into which the world ocean is
conventionally divided. The following names describe five different areas of the
ocean: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic/Southern, and Arctic. The ocean contains 97%
of Earth's water and is the primary component of Earth's hydrosphere and is thereby essential
to life on Earth. The ocean influences climate and weather patterns, the carbon cycle, and
the water cycle by acting as a huge heat reservoir. (Full article...)
Waves in Pacifica, California
A sea is a large body of salt water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly
refers to the ocean, the interconnected body of seawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular
seas are either marginal seas, second-order sections of the oceanic sea (e.g. the Mediterranean
Sea), or certain large, nearly landlocked bodies of water. (Full article...)
Oceanography (from Ancient Greek ὠκεανός (ōkeanós) 'ocean' and γραφή (graphḗ) 'writing'),
also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific
study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology
See also
[edit]
Oceans portal
Underwater diving portal
Anoxic event – Historic oxygen depletion events in Earth's oceans
Anoxic waters – Areas of sea water, fresh water, or groundwater that are depleted of
dissolved oxygen
Argo (oceanography) – International oceanographic observation program
Astrooceanography – Study of extraterrestrial oceans
Bathymetric chart – Map depicting the submerged terrain of bodies of water
Cabled observatory – Seabed oceanographic research platforms connected to the
surface by undersea cables
Ecological forecasting – forecasting the responses of ecological systems to changing
environment
Biogeochemistry – Study of chemical cycles of the earth that are either driven by
or influence biological activity
Biogeography – Study of distribution of species
Climatology – Scientific study of climate, defined as weather conditions averaged
over a period of time
Coastal geography – Study of the region between the ocean and the land
Environmental science – Study of the environment
Geophysics – Physics of the Earth and its vicinity
Glaciology – Scientific study of ice and natural phenomena involving ice
Hydrography – Measurement of bodies of water
Hydrology – Science of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth
Limnology – Science of inland aquatic ecosystems
Meteorology – Interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere focusing on
weather forecasting
MetOcean – The syllabic abbreviation of meteorology and (physical)
oceanography.