The Seven Seas include the Arctic, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian, and Southern oceans. The exact origin of the phrase 'Seven Seas' is uncertain, although there are references in ancient literature that date back thousands of years.
Historically, there are four named oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic. However, most countries - including the United States - now recognize the Southern (Antarctic) as the fifth ocean. The Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian are the most commonly known. The Southern Ocean is the 'newest' named ocean.
Water covers about 71% of the planet's surface, and oceans and seas hold roughly 97% of all Earth's water. Did you know that all ocean basins and seas are actually part of one huge body of water, connected throughout the world?
The ancient Romans called the lagoons separated from the open sea near Venice the septem maria or seven seas. Most current sources state that “seven seas” referred to the Indian Ocean, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea.
Starting on June 8, World Oceans Day, it will recognize the Southern Ocean as the world's fifth ocean.
National Geographic decided to designate the Antarctic waters as its own ocean (instead of merely southern parts the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific) to bring awareness to, and promote conservation of the waters. But also because of its unique attributes, which scientists and geographers have long recognized.
Soon after, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recognized the body of water as the fifth ocean in 1999 after the Board of Geographic Names approved the title, "Southern Ocean," reports Paulina Firozi for the Washington Post.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials said the federal agency recognized the body as the fifth ocean in 1999, when the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the name “Southern Ocean.”
In terms of geography, seas are smaller than oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean meet. Typically, seas are partially enclosed by land. Seas are found on the margins of the ocean and are partially enclosed by land. Here, you can see that the Bering Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean.
Covering approximately 63 million square miles and containing more than half of the free water on Earth, the Pacific is by far the largest of the world's ocean basins.
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five ocean basins. A polar bear walks on the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean. The freezing environment provides a home for a diverse range of creatures. With an area of about 6.1 million square miles , the Arctic Ocean is about 1.5 times as big as the United States.
The National Geographic Society for the first time named the Southern Ocean as the newest of Earth's five oceans. Dive into what it means for conservation—and travelers.
The Southern Ocean, also known as the South Polar Ocean (and formerly the Antarctic Ocean), is the body of water encircling the continent of Antarctica.
Of the five ocean basins, the Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest. On average, there is a distinct decrease of salinity near the equator and at both poles, although for different reasons. Near the equator, the tropics receive the most rain on a consistent basis.
In fact, most of the waters remain unexplored, uncharted and unseen by our eyes. It might be shocking to find out, but only 5% of the ocean has been explored and charted by humans. The rest, especially its depths, are still unknown.
The Global Ocean
The five oceans from smallest to largest are: the Arctic, Southern, Indian, Atlantic and Pacific.
In general, a sea is defined as a portion of the ocean that is partly surrounded by land. Given that definition, there are about 50 seas around the world. But that number includes water bodies not always thought of as seas, such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Hudson Bay.
Australia's oceans and seas include those off the mainland and its offshore territories in the Pacific, Southern and Indian Oceans as well as the Timor, Tasman and Coral Seas.
To the south it fronts the Great Australian Bight, a marginal sea of the southern Indian Ocean (called the Southern Ocean in Australia). The capital is Adelaide, on the southern coast.
Experts say that by 2050 there may be more plastic than fish in the sea, or perhaps only plastic left. Others say 90% of our coral reefs may be dead, waves of mass marine extinction may be unleashed, and our seas may be left overheated, acidified and lacking oxygen. It is easy to forget that 2050 is not that far off.
The United States is expected to experience as much sea level rise by the year 2050 as it witnessed in the previous hundred years. That's according to a NOAA-led report updating sea level rise decision-support information for the U.S. released today in partnership with half a dozen other federal agencies.
Over millions of years, much of this water is recycled between the inner Earth, the oceans and rivers, and the atmosphere. This cycling process means that freshwater is constantly made available to Earth's surface where we all live. Volcanoes release massive amounts of water from the inner Earth to the atmosphere.
The northwestern Pacific Ocean is the least healthy of the world's oceans and the western Indian Ocean and eastern central Atlantic are the healthiest, according to a new assessment that gives the overall health of the Earth's oceans a barely passing grade of 67 out of 100.
In addition to being the smallest, the Arctic Ocean is also the most inaccessible and least studied of all the Earth's major ocean basins. The deepest parts of the Arctic Ocean (5,441 meters; 17,850 feet), known as the Canada Basin, are particularly isolated and unexplored because of year-round ice cover.