The Pacific Ocean got its name thanks to Ferdinand Magellan, who in 1521 crossed the Pacific Ocean from the western coast of South America to the shores of South Asia, and never got into a storm, which is why he named the ocean "Pacific".

Later, the second after Magellan, the English navigator Francis Drake (1540-1596) crossed the Pacific Ocean, whose journey was accompanied by very unfavorable weather, and who declared that a more appropriate name for this ocean was the “Raging Ocean”. Nowadays, the Pacific Ocean is often called the Great Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean is called the Great Ocean for its size (see Fig. 1). It is the largest body of water on Earth. It is the deepest and warmest ocean in the surface layer. The highest wind waves and the most destructive tropical hurricanes form here. It ranks first in terms of the number of islands and is distinguished by a variety of natural conditions.

The ocean is located on both sides of the equator and the 180th meridian. It occupies almost half the area of ​​the entire World Ocean and washes the shores of the five continents of the Earth.

Rice. 1. Pacific Ocean

The geographical position of the ocean

The Pacific Ocean covers more than 30% of the Earth's surface and is larger than all the continents. It stretches for 16,000 km from north to south and more than 19,000 km from west to east (see Fig. 2).

· From the north, the Pacific Ocean is limited by the entrance to the Bering Strait.

· In the west, its border runs along the shores of Asia to the Strait of Malacca, along the islands of Sumatra, Java, Timor, New Guinea, through the Torres Strait, along the east coast of Australia and the island of Tasmania, further along 1470 E. to Antarctica.

· The coast of Antarctica serves as the southern boundary of the Pacific Ocean.

· The eastern border of the Pacific Ocean is the shores of North and South America, the Drake Passage, to the Antarctic Peninsula of Antarctica.

Rice. 2. Physical map of the Pacific Ocean

Geology of the Pacific

The Pacific Ocean occupies a single ancient Pacific lithospheric plate, which interacts with other plates at its boundaries.

The edges of this lithospheric plate are submerged under the lithospheric plates surrounding the Pacific Ocean, and therefore many deep-sea trenches and narrow deep basins have formed around the Pacific Ocean. These are the deepest places in the ocean and on the whole Earth. Deep-sea trenches and island arcs are areas of the active earth's crust. Earthquakes and sometimes tsunamis occur here regularly.

Volcanoes are much more widespread at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. During the eruption of underwater volcanoes, islands are sometimes formed, many of which are short-lived and eroded by water.

If you look closely at the map, you will notice that a chain of islands stretches along each deep-sea trench. These islands have created active and dormant underwater volcanoes along the boundaries of the lithospheric plates. They surround the Pacific Ocean in a ring and form the famous Pacific "Ring of Fire" (see Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Pacific ring of fire

The relief of the ocean floor

The underwater relief of the vast ocean is diverse (see Fig. 4). At the bottom of the Pacific Ocean there are vast basins, and separate mountains, and elevations, and in the southern part there are two uplifts that form a mid-ocean ridge.

The mid-ocean ridges stretch for 11,700 km. Unlike other oceans, they do not occupy a median position, but are strongly shifted to the southeast, where the boundaries of the lithospheric plates pass.

The bed of the Pacific Ocean is characterized by isolated uplifts and whole chains of seamounts. The tops of many underwater ridges and uplifts form islands, of which there are more than 10 thousand in the ocean, with a total area of ​​36 million km2. The largest of the islands are Hawaiian.

Rice. 4. The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean

At the bottom there are many volcanic mountains called guyots (after the discoverer, the American geographer and geologist Arnold Guyot) (see Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Guyot

They have flat tops crowned with coral buildings. Due to the sinking of the earth's crust, guyots are submerged by 2–2.5 km, and around some small coral islands – atolls – are formed.

Numerous islands of the central part of the ocean are united under the common name Oceania.

Climate

The climate of the ocean is varied and varies from equatorial to subarctic in the north and Antarctic in the south.

The widest part is located in hot zones. Therefore, the average temperature in the surface layer is 2 gr. higher than in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The average salinity of the ocean is 34.5 ppm, which is lower than in other oceans, since more fresh water enters it with precipitation and rivers than evaporates (see Fig. 6).

Rice. 6. Climate map of the Pacific Ocean

The stretch of the ocean from the northern to the southern polar latitudes determines the climatic diversity in its spaces:

Monsoons are characteristic of the western part of the ocean

Temperate latitudes are characterized by winds that are relatively unstable in direction, and a fairly frequent recurrence of storm winds with a speed of more than 16 m/s, and their maximum speed at times reaches 45 m/s

In tropical latitudes - trade winds

In the tropics, typhoons often form (from the Chinese “tai feng” - a big wind) - a tropical cyclone, inside which hurricane-force winds blow at speeds up to 100 km / h.

Currents of the Pacific Ocean

Constant winds - trade winds and westerly winds of temperate latitudes, sweeping over the water expanses of the Pacific Ocean, create powerful currents. Currents in the Pacific Ocean form two complete circles: in the northern and southern hemispheres.

Let us trace the formation of the main currents of the Pacific Ocean on the map (see Fig. 7).

Rice. 7. Scheme of the currents of the Pacific Ocean

Trade winds pick up the upper layer of water and drive it along the equator to the west, forming trade wind currents. So much water flows to the west that the ocean level could be skewed, so an inter-trade wind countercurrent forms between these currents, and the water returns to the eastern part of the ocean. When the trade winds approach the coast of the continents, the water is repelled from the coast and leaves the equator along the coast, forming the Kuroshio and East Australian currents. Once in temperate latitudes, streams of water are picked up by westerly winds, which draw them to the east. In the northern hemisphere, the North Pacific Current forms, and in the southern hemisphere, water flows into the Western Wind Current. At the eastern margins of the ocean, part of the water along the coasts of the continents returns back to the equator, forming the cold Peru and California currents. Near the equator, the water is again picked up by the trade wind.

This is how complete circles of the main ocean currents are formed.

organic world

The organic world of the Pacific Ocean is rich and varied. It is the richest in the number of species of living organisms. In general, about 100 thousand species of animals live in the ocean. Only plant plankton has about 1300 species. It accounts for half of the total mass of living organisms in the oceans.

Brown algae are abundant in the cold and temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean. In the Southern Hemisphere, in these latitudes, a giant from the world of algae grows 200 m long.

Coral reefs are one of the marvels of the tropical seas. Coral structures of various colors and shapes create a magical world underwater. Among the lilac, green, orange, yellow branches of coral buildings, bright silhouettes of fish flicker; shellfish, starfish and algae live here.

Coral reefs are created by living organisms - coral polyps living in colonies (see Fig. 8). A branched coral colony has been growing for many years, the growth rate is 10-20 cm per year.

Rice. 8. Coral

For the development of corals, sea water with a salinity of 27-40‰ and a temperature of at least +20 ºС is required.

Corals live only in the upper 50-meter layer of clean clear water.

The Pacific Ocean is called the Great Ocean for its size. It is the largest body of water on Earth.

It is comparable in size to the Ural Range.

The ocean in people's lives

About half of the world's population lives along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The life of many of them is inextricably linked with the ocean and depends on it.

The longest sea routes run through this ocean, connecting the port cities of different continents. However, the economic activity of people has led to a serious problem of pollution of the Great Ocean. Entire islands of debris have accumulated in its waters.

Bibliography

MainI

1. Geography. Earth and people. Grade 7: Textbook for general education. uch. / A.P. Kuznetsov, L.E. Savelyeva, V.P. Dronov, "Spheres" series. – M.: Enlightenment, 2011.

2. Geography. Earth and people. Grade 7: atlas, series "Spheres".

Additional

1. N.A. Maksimov. Behind the pages of a geography textbook. – M.: Enlightenment.

1. Encyclopedia Around the World ().

2. Russian Geographical Society ().

4. Study guide for geography ().

5. Geographical directory ().

6. Fascinating journey on the water ().

Magellan discovered the Pacific Ocean in the autumn of 1520 and called the ocean the Pacific Ocean, “because, according to one of the participants, during the transition from Tierra del Fuego to the Philippine Islands, more than three months, we never experienced the slightest storm.” By the number (about 10 thousand) and the total area of ​​the islands (about 3.6 million km²), the Pacific Ocean ranks first among the oceans. In the northern part - the Aleutian; in the western - Kuril, Sakhalin, Japanese, Philippine, Greater and Lesser Sunda, New Guinea, New Zealand, Tasmania; in the central and southern - numerous small islands. The bottom relief is varied. In the east - the East Pacific Rise, in the central part there are many basins (North-Eastern, North-Western, Central, Eastern, Southern, etc.), deep-water trenches: in the north - Aleutian, Kuril-Kamchatsky, Izu-Boninsky; in the west - Mariana (with a maximum depth of the World Ocean - 11,022 m), Philippine, etc.; in the east - Central American, Peruvian, etc.

The main surface currents: in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean - warm Kuroshio, North Pacific and Alaska and cold California and Kuril; in the southern part - warm South Trade Winds and East Australian and cold West Winds and Peruvian. The water temperature on the surface near the equator is from 26 to 29 ° C, in the subpolar regions up to −0.5 ° C. Salinity 30-36.5 ‰. The Pacific Ocean accounts for about half of the world's fish catch (pollock, herring, salmon, cod, sea bass, etc.). Extraction of crabs, shrimps, oysters.

Important sea and air communications between the countries of the Pacific basin and transit routes between the countries of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans run through the Pacific Ocean. Major ports: Vladivostok, Nakhodka (Russia), Shanghai (China), Singapore (Singapore), Sydney (Australia), Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, Long Beach (USA), Huasco (Chile). The International Date Line runs along the 180th meridian across the Pacific Ocean.

Plant life (except bacteria and lower fungi) is concentrated in the upper 200th layer, in the so-called euphotic zone. Animals and bacteria inhabit the entire water column and the ocean floor. Life develops most abundantly in the shelf zone, and especially near the coast at shallow depths, where the flora of brown algae and a rich fauna of mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, and other organisms are diversely represented in the temperate zones of the ocean. In tropical latitudes, the shallow water zone is characterized by the widespread and strong development of coral reefs, and mangroves near the shore. With the advancement from cold zones to tropical zones, the number of species increases sharply, and the density of their distribution decreases. About 50 species of coastal algae - macrophytes are known in the Bering Strait, over 200 off the Japanese Islands, over 800 in the waters of the Malay Archipelago. There are about 4000 known species of animals in the Soviet Far Eastern seas, and at least 40-50 thousand in the waters of the Malay Archipelago . In the cold and temperate zones of the ocean, with a relatively small number of plant and animal species, due to the mass development of some species, the total biomass greatly increases; in the tropical zones, individual forms do not receive such a sharp predominance, although the number of species is very large.

With distance from the coasts to the central parts of the ocean and with increasing depth, life becomes less diverse and less abundant. In general, the fauna of T. o. includes about 100 thousand species, but only 4-5% of them are found deeper than 2000 m. At depths of more than 5000 m, about 800 species of animals are known, more than 6000 m - about 500, deeper than 7000 m - slightly more than 200, and deeper than 10 thousand m - only about 20 species.

Among coastal algae - macrophytes - in temperate zones, fucus and kelp are especially distinguished by their abundance. In tropical latitudes, they are replaced by brown algae - Sargasso, green - Caulerpa and Galimeda and a number of red algae. The surface zone of the pelagial is characterized by the massive development of unicellular algae (phytoplankton), mainly diatoms, peridiniums and coccolithophorids. In zooplankton, the most important are various crustaceans and their larvae, mainly copepods (at least 1000 species) and euphausids; a significant admixture of radiolarians (several hundred species), coelenterates (siphonophores, jellyfish, ctenophores), eggs and larvae of fish and benthic invertebrates. In T. o. one can distinguish, in addition to the littoral and sublittoral zones, a transitional zone (up to 500-1000 m), bathyal, abyssal and ultraabyssal, or a zone of deep-water trenches (from 6-7 to 11 thousand m).

Planktonic and benthic animals serve as abundant food for fish and marine mammals (nekton). The fish fauna is exceptionally rich, including at least 2,000 species in tropical latitudes and about 800 in the Soviet Far Eastern seas, where, in addition, there are 35 species of marine mammals. The most commercially important fish are: anchovies, Far Eastern salmon, herring, mackerel, sardine, saury, sea bass, tuna, flounder, cod and pollock; from mammals - sperm whale, several species of minke whales, fur seal, sea otter, walrus, sea lion; from invertebrates - crabs (including Kamchatka), shrimps, oysters, scallops, cephalopods and many others; from plants - kelp (seaweed), agaronos-anfeltia, sea grass zoster and phyllospadix. Many representatives of the fauna of the Pacific Ocean are endemic (pelagic cephalopod nautilus, most Pacific salmon, saury, greenling fish, northern fur seal, sea lion, sea otter, and many others).

The large extent of the Pacific Ocean from North to South determines the diversity of its climates - from equatorial to subarctic in the North and Antarctic in the South. Most of the ocean surface, approximately between 40 ° north latitude and 42 ° south latitude, is located in the zones of equatorial, tropical and subtropical climates. The circulation of the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean is determined by the main areas of atmospheric pressure: the Aleutian Low, the North Pacific, South Pacific and Antarctic Highs. The indicated centers of action of the atmosphere in their interaction determine the great constancy of northeast winds in the North and southeast winds of moderate strength - trade winds - in the tropical and subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean and strong westerly winds in temperate latitudes. Especially strong winds are observed in the southern temperate latitudes, where the frequency of storms is 25-35%, in the northern temperate latitudes in winter - 30%, in summer - 5%. In the West of the tropical zone, from June to November, tropical hurricanes - typhoons are frequent. The monsoon circulation of the atmosphere is typical for the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. The average air temperature in February decreases from 26-27°C near the equator to -20°C in the Bering Strait and -10°C off the coast of Antarctica. In August, the average temperature varies from 26-28°C near the equator to 6-8°C in the Bering Strait and to -25°C off the coast of Antarctica. Throughout the Pacific Ocean, located north of 40 ° south latitude, there are significant differences in air temperature between the eastern and western parts of the ocean, caused by the corresponding dominance of warm or cold currents and the nature of the winds. In tropical and subtropical latitudes, the air temperature in the East is 4–8 °C lower than in the West. In the northern temperate latitudes, the opposite is true: in the East, the temperature is 8–12 °C higher than in the West. The average annual cloudiness in areas of low atmospheric pressure is 60-90%. high pressure - 10-30%. The average annual precipitation at the equator is more than 3000 mm, in temperate latitudes - 1000 mm in the West. and 2000-3000 mm to the east. The least amount of precipitation (100-200 mm) falls on the eastern outskirts of the subtropical regions of high atmospheric pressure; in the western parts, the amount of precipitation increases to 1500-2000 mm. Fogs are typical for temperate latitudes, they are especially frequent in the area of ​​the Kuril Islands.

Under the influence of the atmospheric circulation developing over the Pacific Ocean, surface currents form anticyclonic gyres in subtropical and tropical latitudes and cyclonic gyres in northern temperate and southern high latitudes. In the northern part of the ocean, circulation is formed by warm currents: the Northern Trade Wind - Kuroshio and the North Pacific and cold California currents. In the northern temperate latitudes, the cold Kuril Current dominates in the West, and the warm Alaska Current dominates in the East. In the southern part of the ocean, the anticyclonic circulation is formed by warm currents: the South Equatorial, East Australian, zonal South Pacific and cold Peruvian. To the north of the equator, between 2-4° and 8-12° north latitude, the northern and southern circulations are separated during the year by the Intertrade (Equatorial) countercurrent.

The average temperature of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean (19.37 ° C) is 2 ° C higher than the temperature of the waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which is the result of the relatively large size of that part of the Pacific Ocean area, which is located in well-heated latitudes (over 20 kcal / cm2 per year). ), and limited communication with the Arctic Ocean. The average water temperature in February varies from 26-28 °С near the equator to -0.5, -1 °С north of 58° north latitude, near the Kuril Islands and south of 67° south latitude. In August, the temperature is 25-29 °С near the equator, 5-8 °С in the Bering Strait and -0.5, -1 °С south of 60-62 ° south latitude. Between 40 ° south latitude and 40 ° north latitude, the temperature in the eastern part of the T. o. 3-5 °C lower than in the western part. To the north of 40 ° north latitude - on the contrary: in the East, the temperature is 4-7 ° C higher than in the West. To the south of 40 ° south latitude, where zonal transport of surface waters prevails, there is no difference between water temperatures in the East and in the West. In the Pacific Ocean, there is more rainfall than evaporating water. Taking into account the river runoff, more than 30 thousand km3 of fresh water comes here annually. Therefore, the salinity of the surface waters of the T. o. lower than in other oceans (average salinity is 34.58‰). The lowest salinity (30.0-31.0‰ and less) is observed in the West and East of the northern temperate latitudes and in the coastal regions of the eastern part of the ocean, the highest (35.5‰ and 36.5‰) - respectively in the northern and southern subtropical latitudes. At the equator, water salinity decreases from 34.5‰ or less, in high latitudes - to 32.0‰ or less in the North, to 33.5‰ or less in the South.

The density of water on the surface of the Pacific Ocean increases fairly evenly from the equator to high latitudes in accordance with the general nature of the distribution of temperature and salinity: near the equator 1.0215-1.0225 g/cm3, in the North - 1.0265 g/cm3 and more, in the South - 1.0275 g/cm3 and more. The color of the water in subtropical and tropical latitudes is blue, the transparency in some places is more than 50 m. In the northern temperate latitudes, the dark blue color of the water predominates, off the coast it is greenish, the transparency is 15-25 m. In the Antarctic latitudes, the color of the water is greenish, the transparency is up to 25 m .

Tides in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean are dominated by irregular semidiurnal (height up to 5.4 m in the Gulf of Alaska) and semidiurnal (up to 12.9 m in the Penzhina Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk). Near the Solomon Islands and off part of the coast of New Guinea, daily tides, up to 2.5 m. 40° north latitude. The maximum height of wind waves in the Pacific Ocean is 15 m or more, the length is over 300 m. Tsunami waves are characteristic, especially often observed in the northern, southwestern and southeastern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Ice in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean is formed in seas with severe winter climatic conditions (Bering, Okhotsk, Japanese, Yellow) and in bays off the coast of Hokkaido, the Kamchatka and Alaska peninsulas. In winter and spring, ice is carried by the Kuril current to the extreme northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Small icebergs are found in the Gulf of Alaska. In the South Pacific, ice and icebergs form off the coast of Antarctica and are carried by currents and winds into the open ocean. The northern limit of floating ice in winter passes at 61-64 ° south latitude, in summer it shifts to 70 ° south latitude, icebergs are carried out to 46-48 ° south latitude at the end of summer. Icebergs form mainly in the Ross Sea.

The largest and oldest of all oceans. Its area is 178.6 million km2. It can freely accommodate all the continents and combined, which is why it is sometimes called the Great. The name "Quiet" is associated with the name of F., who made a round-the-world trip and sailed across the Pacific Ocean under favorable conditions.

This ocean is really great: it occupies 1/3 of the surface of the entire planet and almost 1/2 of the area. The ocean has an oval shape, especially it is wide.

The peoples inhabiting the Pacific shores and islands have long sailed the ocean and mastered its riches. Information about the ocean was accumulated as a result of the voyages of F. Magellan, J.. The beginning of its wide study was laid in the 19th century by the first round-the-world Russian expedition of I.F. . At present, a special department has been set up for the study of the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, new data on its nature have been obtained, the depth has been determined, currents, the topography of the bottom, and the ocean are being studied.

The southern part of the ocean from the shores of the Tuamotu Islands to the shores is an area of ​​​​calm, and stable. It is for this calmness and silence that Magellan and his companions called the Pacific Ocean. But west of the Tuamotu Islands, the picture changes dramatically. Calm weather is rare here, usually stormy winds blow, often turning into. These are the so-called southern squalls, especially fierce in December. Tropical cyclones are less frequent but more severe. They arrive in early autumn from , at the northern tip they turn into warm westerly winds.

The tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean are clean, transparent and have an average salinity. Their deep dark blue color amazed observers. But sometimes the waters here turn green. This is due to the development of marine life. In the equatorial part of the ocean, favorable weather conditions. The temperature above the sea is around 25°C and almost does not change throughout the year. Moderate winds blow here. At times there is complete silence. The sky is clear, the nights are very dark. The equilibrium is especially stable in the zone of islands. In the belt of calm, strong, but short-lived showers are frequent, mostly in the afternoon. Hurricanes are extremely rare here.

The warm waters of the ocean contribute to the work of corals, of which there are many. The Great Reef stretches along the eastern coast of Australia. This is the largest "ridge" created by organisms.

The western part of the ocean is under the influence of monsoons with their sudden vagaries. Terrible hurricanes arise here and. They are especially fierce in the northern hemisphere between 5 and 30 °. Typhoons are frequent from July to October, in August there are up to four in a month. They originate in the area of ​​the Caroline and Mariana Islands and then "make raids" on the coast, and. Since in the west of the tropical part of the ocean it is hot and rainy, the islands of Fiji, New Hebrides, New are not without reason considered one of the most unhealthy places on the globe.

The northern regions of the ocean are similar to the southern ones, only as if in a mirror image: the circular rotation of the waters, but if in the southern part it is against, then in the northern part it is clockwise; unsettled weather in the west where typhoons move north; cross currents: Northern Equatorial and Southern Equatorial; there is little floating ice in the north of the ocean, since the Bering Strait is very narrow and protects the Pacific Ocean from the influence of the Arctic Ocean. This distinguishes the north of the ocean from its south.

The Pacific Ocean is the deepest. Its average depth is 3980 meters, and the maximum reaches 11022 m. The coast of the ocean is located in the seismic zone, as it is the boundary and the place of interaction with other lithospheric plates. This interaction is accompanied by ground and underwater and.

Bottom relief: East Pacific Rise, Northeast, Northwest, Central, East, South and other basins, deep-sea trenches: Aleutian, Kurile-, Mariana, Philippine, Peruvian and others.

Inhabitants: a large number of unicellular and multicellular microorganisms; fish (pollock, herring, salmon, cod, sea bass, beluga, chum salmon, pink salmon, sockeye salmon, cinnamon and many others); seals, seals; crabs, shrimps, oysters, squids, octopuses.

: 30-36.5‰.

Currents: warm -, North Pacific, Alaska, South Tradewind, East Australian; cold - California, Kuril, Peruvian, for the Western winds.

Additional Information: The Pacific Ocean is the largest in the world; for the first time he crossed it in 1519, the ocean was called "Pacific", because in all three months of travel they did not fall into a single storm; The Pacific Ocean is usually divided into northern and southern regions, the border of which runs along the equator line.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest, deepest, and oldest of all oceans. Its area is 178.68 million km2 (1/3 of the surface of the globe), all the continents taken together would be located in its open spaces. traveled around the world and was the first to explore the Pacific Ocean. His ships never got into a storm. The ocean was resting from the usual rampages. Therefore, F. Magellan mistakenly called it the Quiet.

Geographical position of the Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is located in the Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Hemispheres and has an elongated shape from northwest to southeast. (Determine by physical which continents the Pacific Ocean washes and in which part it is especially wide.) Marginal seas (more than 15) and bays stand out in the northern and western parts of the Pacific Ocean. Among them, the Bering, Okhotsk, Japanese, Yellow Seas are confined to. In the east, the coastline of America is flat. (Show on a physical map of the Pacific Ocean.)

The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean complex, the average depth is about 4000 m. The Pacific Ocean is the only one that is almost completely located within the boundaries of one - the Pacific Ocean. When it interacted with other plates, seismic zones were formed. They are associated with frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and - as a result - the occurrence of tsunamis. (Give examples of what disasters a tsunami turns into for residents of coastal countries.) Off the coast of Eurasia, the maximum depth of the Pacific and the entire World Ocean is noted - (10,994 m).

The western part of the Pacific Ocean is characterized by deep-sea trenches (Aleutian, Kuril-Kamchatsky, Japanese, etc.). Twenty-five of the world's 35 oceans are located at depths greater than 5,000 m.

Climate of the Pacific

The Pacific Ocean is the warmest ocean on Earth. In low latitudes, it reaches a width of 17,200 km, and with the seas - 20,000 km. The average surface water temperature is about +19 °С. The water temperature of the Pacific Ocean during the year is from +25 to +30 ° С, in the north from +5 to +8 ° С, and near it drops below 0 С. (Where is the ocean located?)

Dimensions of the Pacific Ocean and the maximum temperatures of its surface waters create the conditions for the emergence of tropical or hurricanes. They are accompanied by destructive force, downpours. At the beginning of the 21st century, an increase in the frequency of hurricanes was noted.

The prevailing winds have a great influence on the formation of the climate. These are trade winds in tropical latitudes, westerly winds - in, monsoons - off the coast of Eurasia. The maximum amount of precipitation per year (up to 12,090 mm) falls on the Hawaiian Islands, and the minimum (about 100 mm) - in the eastern regions in tropical latitudes. The distribution of temperatures and precipitation is subject to the latitudinal geographic distribution. The average salinity of ocean water is 34.6‰. currents. The formation of ocean currents is influenced by the wind system, features, position and outlines of the coast. The most powerful current of the World Ocean is the cold current of the West Winds. This is the only current that goes around the entire globe, carrying 200 times more water per year than all the rivers of the world. The winds that generate this current - the westerly transfer - are of extraordinary strength, especially in the region of the southern 40th parallel. These latitudes are called the "Roaring Forties".

In the Pacific Ocean, there is a powerful system of currents generated by the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres: the Northern Equatorial and Southern Equatorial Currents. It plays an important role in the movement of the waters of the Pacific Ocean. (Study the direction of the currents on the map.)

Periodically (after 4-7 years) a current (“Holy Baby”) appears in the Pacific Ocean, one of the factors of the global. The reason for its occurrence is a decrease in the South Pacific Ocean and an increase over Australia and. During this period, warm waters rush east to the coast of South America, where the temperature of ocean water becomes abnormally high. This causes intense downpours, large floods and landslides on the coast of the mainland. And in Indonesia and Australia, on the contrary, dry weather is established.

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues in the Pacific

The Pacific Ocean is rich in diversity. In the process of geological development, deposits of oil and were formed in the shelf zone of the ocean. (Study the location of these natural resources on the map.) At a depth of more than 3000 m, ferromanganese nodules were found with a high content of manganese, copper, and cobalt. It is in the Pacific Ocean that deposits of nodules occupy the most significant areas - more than 16 million km2. Placers of tin ores and phosphorites were found in the ocean.

Nodules are rounded formations up to 10 cm in size. Nodules represent a huge reserve of mineral raw materials for the development of the metallurgical industry in the future. More than half of the living matter of the entire World Ocean is concentrated in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The organic world is distinguished by species diversity. The fauna is 3-4 times richer than in other oceans. Representatives of whales are widespread: sperm whale, baleen whale. Seals and fur seals are found in the south and north of the ocean. Walruses live in northern waters, but are on the verge of extinction. Thousands of exotic fish and algae are common in the shallow waters off the coast.

The Pacific Ocean accounts for almost half of the world's catch of salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon, tuna, and Pacific herring. Large quantities of cod, halibut, saffron cod, and macrorus are caught in the northwestern and northeastern parts of the ocean (Fig. 42). Sharks and rays are found everywhere in warm latitudes. In the southwestern part of the ocean, tuna, swordfish spawn, sardines, blue whiting live. A feature of the Pacific Ocean are giant animals: the largest bivalve mollusk tridacna (shell up to 2 m, weight over 200 kg), king crab (up to 1.8 m in length), giant sharks (gigantic - up to 15 m, whale - up to 18 m in length), etc.

The Pacific Ocean plays an important role in the life of the peoples of many countries. About half live on its coast. The Pacific Ocean is the second largest in the world in transportation. The largest ports of the world are located on the Pacific coast in Russia and China. As a result of economic activity, an oil slick has formed on a significant part of its surface, which leads to the death of animals and plants. Oil pollution is most common along the Asian coast, where the main oil production and transport routes pass.

Features of the nature of the Pacific Ocean are determined by its size and geographical location. In human life, the ocean and its biological resources are used. The Pacific Ocean ranks first in marine fisheries.

slide 2

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and oldest of all oceans.

  • slide 3

    Geographical position:

    It is bounded by the east coast of Eurasia of Australia, the west coast of North and South America, the Arctic Ocean in the north, and Antarctica in the south.
    The Pacific Ocean is usually divided into northern and southern regions, the border of which runs along the equator line.

    slide 4

    Common data:

    • Area 178.68 million km²
      • Volume 710.36 million km³
      • Average depth: 4,282 m.
      • Greatest depth: 11022 m (Marian Trench).
      • Salinity: 30-36.5‰.
      • The international date line runs along the 180th meridian of the Pacific Ocean.
    • Exercise:
      • Determine the length of the ocean from north to south along the 180 meridian in degrees?
      • Determine the length of the ocean at the equator using a scale.

  • slide 5

    The name "Quiet" is associated with the name of F. Magellan

    For the first time it was crossed by Ferdinand Magellan in 1519, the ocean was called "Pacific", because for all three months of the journey Magellan's ships did not fall into a single storm.
    The Pacific Ocean at different times had several names:

    • The Southern Ocean or the South Sea (MardelSur) - this is how the Indians, the indigenous inhabitants of Central America, called it, and this name was adopted by the Spanish conquistador Balboa, who was the first European to see the ocean in 1513. Today, the Southern Ocean is called the waters around Antarctica.
    • Great Ocean - named by the French geographer Buachem in 1753. The most correct, but not accustomed name.
    • Eastern Ocean - sometimes called in Russia.

  • slide 6

    ocean relief

    Map of the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

    The ocean floor is dotted with pits, crevices, trenches, the depth of which is much higher than the average. In the northern latitudes there are such trenches as the North Aleutian and Kuril-Kamchatsky. In the east: Peruvian and Central American. In the west, there are two huge trenches - the Mariana and the Philippine.

    Slide 7

    The Mid-Ocean Ridge runs along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

    Slide 8

    The famous "fire" ring of the Pacific Ocean

  • Slide 9

    The Pacific Ocean is the most not calm

  • Slide 10

    Natural features of the ocean.

    Two huge rings of water movement are formed in the ocean: northern and southern. The northern ring includes the North Trade Wind Current, the Kuroshio Current, the North Pacific Current and the California Current, while the southern ring includes the South Trade Wind Current, the East Australian Current, the West Wind Current and the Peruvian Current. Question to the class: What is affected by ocean currents?