EARTH’S WATER

Around 71% of the surface of

the earth is covered by water
that is why it is called “ water
planet”.
OCEAN WATER

• The ocean world was formerly

divided into 7 seas; namely N.
Atlantic, S. Atlantic, N. Pacific, S.
Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic.
This term was popularized by
Rudyard Kipling , an English poet .
Today, only four oceans are
recognized;

• 1. PACIFIC OCEAN – means “ peaceful or

calm”, named by Magellan
• Covers 1/3 of the global surface
• Area; 166 million km2
• Ocean floor is dominated by East Pacific
rise. Western Pacific is divided by deep
trenches. Marianas trench ( 10, 924m) the
world’s greatest depth is located here.
• It supplies half of the world’s total fish
catch.
ATLANTIC OCEAN

• Ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-

Atlantic Ridge which forms as S-
shaped pattern at the center.
• Rich in natural resources like oil, gas,
fish, marine mammals etc.
INDIAN OCEAN
• OCEAN FLOOR IS DOMINATED BY THE
Mid- Indian Oceanic Ridge and
subdivided by the SE Indian ocean
Ridge, SW Indian ocean and 90 East
Ridge.
• Java trench is the maximum depth
( 7, 725 m)
• 40% of the world’s offshore oil
production comes here.
ARCTIC OCEAN

• Smallest of the world’s four oceans.

• 50% of itas ocean floor is a
continental shelf.
• Fram basin is the deepest depth ( 4
665m)
Southern Hemisphere is the “
water hemisphere”

• 40% of the Northern hemisphere is

called the “ land hemisphere”
COMPOSITION OF
SEAWATER
• A solution consisting of about 3.5%(
by weight) dissolved salts.
• SALINITY – refers to the proportion of
dissolved salts to pure water
expressed in parts per thousand
(0/00)
• The average salinity is 35%
SOURCES OF SALTS
• A. CHEMICAL WEATHERING OF ROCKS
• The dissolved salts are carries by streams
to the oceans at the rate of 2.5 billions
tons per year.
• B. OUTGASSING- process when volcano
erupts, large quantities of water and
dissolved gases are emitted to the earth’s
surface.. The presence of larger amounts
of chlorine, bromine, sulfur and boron in
the ocean than on earth’s crust confirm
that volcanic activities is largely
responsible for the formation of oceans.
CHIEF CONSTITUENTS OF
AVERAGE SALTWATER
• SODIUM – 10.56 0/00
• Magnesium – 1.30
• Calcium – 0.40
• Potassium- 0.38
• Chloride- 19.00
• Sulfate- 2.65
• Bicarbonate- 0.14
• Bromide- 0.06
OCEANOGRAPHY – deals with
the study of the ocean and its
phenomena
• 1. H.M.S. Challenger – the expedition was
the first and the most comprehensive
study of the global ocean ( Dec. 1872- May
1876)
• 2. Fridtj of Nansen- a Norwegian
oceanographer and zoologist studied
ocean surface currents. He designed the
Nansen bottle- the standard
oceanographic sampling device
3. 1925- German ship “
Meteor” – made the 1st modern
oceanographic voyage
• It had an electronic depth- sounding
device known as “ echosounder”.. An
apparatus that measures the depth
of water by determining the time
interval between the transmission of
a sound and the return of echo from
the bottom of the ocean.
4. Glomar Challenger _ ( 1967)
and Joides Resolution ships
( 1985)
• Their expiditions gave new
information about the sea floor and
its sediments
MODERN DEVICES USED IN
STUDYING MARINE
ENVIRONMENT
• 1. Sonar scanner
• 2. magnetic surveys
• 3. magnetometers
• 4. submersible research vessels
• 5. tools for collecting cores of
sediments
CONTINENTAL MARGIN

• CONTINENTAL SHELF- is a relatively

shallow, submerged platform
bordering the continents. It is of
economic significance. It is a rich
fishing ground nd may ontain
deposits of minerals, petroleum, and
natural gas.
CONTINENTAL SLOPE- this
leads to deep water.
• Submarine canyons – steep, irregular
sides of a continental slope
• Continental rise- it links the deep
ocean basin floor to the continental
slope.
• These make up the continental
margin..
OCEAN BASIN FLOOR

• The area occupied by the ocean

basin floor is large, it is almost 30%
of the earth’s surface.
• OCEAN TRENCHES – long, narrow
depressions in the ocean floor that
have steep sides. Around 2 km
deeper than the level of ocean floor.
Phil. Trench ( 10, 057) is the 3rd
deepest ocean trench
OCEAN RIDGES – consists of
layers of basaltic rocks that
have been faulted and lifted.
• They form a continuous mountain range.
Ridges have rifts, the deep clefts the sites
• Where magma wells up.

• ABYSSAL PLAINS – the flat portions on the

ocean floor
• SEAMOUNTS – are volcanic peaks. They
rise as much as hundreds of metres above
the sea floor. Guyots are the submerged
flat-topped seamounts