You have probably heard that the ocean covers 71% of our planet. Yet it is also the most unexplored environment, despite being one of the most amazing places on the planet. In fact, some say we know more about the surface of the moon than about the deeper ocean trenches. Okay, let me tell you what exactly the deep sea is?
What Is the Deep Sea?
The first 200 meters of ocean is the open ocean. Much of the marine life we know is up to where there is light. Below 200 meters, you will enter the Twilight zone where there is little light present. Once you cross 1000 meters, the water is devoid of light and there you have reached the deep sea.
Down here the temperature plummets to 39°F and constantly stays near freezing. The pressure range is from 40 to over 110 times the Earth’s atmosphere pressure. But how could anything thrive in these conditions? What’s down there? 95% of the ocean is still unexplored and most of which is the “deep ocean”.
This deep ocean is full of mystery and fascinating facts. These minor facts will surely blow your mind.
10 Things You Never Knew About The Deepest Sea
1. There is only one Ocean
The ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface and it is the whole Global ocean. Although it comprises 5 regions; Pacific, Atlantic, Antarctica, Indian and Southern ocean. This interconnectivity means that the choices we make on our local coastline have an impact across the globe.
2. Most of earth’s volcanic activity happens inside the sea
The ring of fire in the Pacific Ocean is the most volcanic active region on earth. This area stretches nearly 40,200 km and has over 450 volcanoes.
3. It’s possible to find rivers and lakes beneath the ocean
When salt water and hydrogen sulphide combine it becomes more sensitive than the rest of the surrounding water. It enables the formation of a lake or river that flows beneath the sea.
4. 70% of oxygen produced by the ocean
Marine plants produce between 70-80% of oxygen that we breathe. Nearly all of which comprises marine algae.
5. There are 3 million shipwrecks in the ocean.
From the Titanic to Christopher Columbus to Santa Maria, the ocean is home to around 3 million shipwrecks according to United Nations Education scientific and cultural organizations.
6. The ocean is full of Gold.
There are around 20 millions tons of gold dispersed in the ocean water. The ocean floor also had undissolved gold embedded in it. However, if one equally distributed that gold among every person on earth, everyone would receive 9 pounds of gold.
There are no cost-effective methods to remove gold from seawater discovered yet.
7. Water at the bottom of ocean is boiling
In the deepest part of the sea, the water pressure increases. The water came from hydrothermal vents in the seafloor. The water released from these vents can be up to 400°C. It is the intense pressure at these depths that keeps the water boiling.
8. The use of TNT to measure depth of sea
To measure the deepest part of the ocean, scientists use bomb sounding. A technique where the scientists throw TNT into the trenches and record the echo from a boat, allows them to estimate the ocean depth. This method is still sensitive to the scientists, though the results are impressive.
9. Pressure at the bottom of the ocean would crush you like an ant
As you dive into the ocean, pressure increases by 1 atmosphere for every 10 meters. The Mariana trench (35,802 feet below the surface) includes the deepest point on the planet. The water pressure is 8 tons per square inch. If you made your way down there, it would feel you were holding up nearly 50 jumbo jets.
10. More than 90% of planets’ Lifeform is undiscovered and underwater
As scientists can explore only 5% of the ocean until now, about 91% of species that exist under the sea are still undiscovered according to the PLOS Biology.
Few Fast Facts:
- The world celebrates ‘the World Ocean Day’ on 8th June. Canada’s International Center for Ocean development proposed the concept in 1992.
- The average depth of the ocean is about 2.65 miles (14,000 ft.)
- The Challenger deep is the deepest part of the ocean, with a depth of about 6.86 miles (36,200 ft.)
- Challenger deep exists in the Western Pacific Ocean at the southern end of the Mariana Trench.