The ocean covers an area of 361 million square kilometres, or 71% of the surface of our planet. Yet we know very little about it, as humans have only explored 5% of it. There is still much to be learned about the ocean itself and the life that inhabits it.
Today, Petchmaya would like to take everyone to see interesting facts about the ocean, and some of the facts may not be so beautiful for you.
1. Scientists have explored more areas in space than we have explored the oceans on Earth.
2. Most of the pollution in our oceans doesn’t come from plastic bags or the products we use, it comes from fishing nets and fishing gear.
3. Sailors stranded at sea cling to shipwrecks. Their skin would usually melt if they were submerged in saltwater for more than 3 days.
4. Beneath the Gulf of Mexico lies an underwater lake nicknamed the “Hot Tub of Despair.” It contains high concentrations of salt and methane gas that are inaccessible to living things.
5. Undercover divers spend most of their time underwater without lights until it’s time to move, and sometimes they encounter large creatures that crash into them in the dark.
6. Whales drown all the time when they are too old and tired to swim back up to the surface to breathe.
7. The world’s oldest remains of an ancient Greek shipwreck lie at the bottom of the Black Sea, at a depth of 2,000 meters. This oxygen-free environment preserves the wood, such as its structure, very well.
8. The largest migration of living things occurs every night when animals from the deep sea come up to find food.
9. Under the ocean, there can be rivers, lakes and waterfalls because of the different temperatures and densities of the water.
10. There are parts of the ocean that are experiencing hypoxia, which means low or depleted oxygen. This is related to the excessive growth of certain types of algae. Without oxygen, they die, sink to the bottom, and make it impossible for other life to survive.
11. Falling into the ocean means you have almost no chance of ever being found again. This happens a lot on cruise ships in warm waters. Your body gets chewed up and there is not enough time for you to float back to the surface.
12. Point Nemo, the most isolated spot on Earth, is located in the middle of the South Pacific Ring. It is so far from land that if you sailed there, the closest people to you would be astronauts on the International Space Station.
13. In 1997, near Point Nemo, the loudest unidentified underwater sound was recorded. It was called a bloop and was detected by multiple sensors up to 3,219 kilometers away and lasted for more than a minute.
14. There are more viruses in the ocean than stars in the Milky Way. Just 1 milliliter of water from the shore can contain up to 10 million viruses.
15. 94% of the world’s ocean floor is covered in total darkness.
16. When you reach a certain depth, your buoyancy changes. You are pulled down instead of rising.
17. The ocean is blue because other wavelengths of light, such as red and green, are absorbed by seawater molecules. If a diver bleeds, the blood underwater will appear green because red is best absorbed. If you dive deeper, the blood will turn ink-black because all wavelengths of light have been completely absorbed.
18. Once you put your toes in the ocean, you are no longer at the top of the food chain.
Source: boredpanda | Compiled by Petchmaya
