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| The Atlantic Ocean by Tiago Fioreze [CC BY-SA 3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
Facts About The Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest among all the oceans. It covers almost one fifth of the surface of the earth. The total area is close to 106,400,000 square kilometers or 41,100,000 sq mi. It is six and half times more than the size of USA.
The Atlantic serves as a great channel separating the
Afro-Eurasian landmasses from the Americas. North east part of the ocean washes
the shores of the North America continent while the North Western part touches
Europe. The East and South East are bounded by South America and its opposite
side is guarded by the continent of Africa.
Geographical facts
The Atlantic Ocean covers a lot of area with its saline
water. In its widest part, the Ocean’s breadth is 4800 Km or 3000 ml. It is
shaped like an “S”. The middle part of the Atlantic is narrower than the
northern and southern parts.
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| Atlantic Ocean Map by NOAA |
The main body of the ocean is deep with an average depth of
2926 Mt (12181 ft). But the adjacent seas are shallower. The deepest point of
the ocean is the Milwaukee Deep (8,380 meters or 27,490 ft) islands
Some of the world’s most renowned islands are in the
Atlantic Ocean. The Great Britain is the most famous of these. We should also
mention the nearby island of Ireland.
Greenland is the world’s largest island. Iceland is another European
island nation.
Some other famous Atlantic Islands are the Bahamas, Cuba,
Folkland, Long Island, Canaries, Newfoundland, and Tristan de Cunha etc.
Water
Water of the Atlantic is more saline than that of the Indian
or Pacific Ocean. It varies from 3.3 to
3.7% according to season and latitude. But the water of the ocean has very
little salinity near the mouth of the Amazon basin.
The temperature of the water varies according to season and
latitude. The water near the tropics is way hotter than that of the water near
the polar oceans.
Ridges and Trenches
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| Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
The Atlantic Ocean’s floor has a few ridges. The most
notable of these is the Mid Atlantic Ridge. It lies along the central part of
the ocean floor from the Arctic Ocean to the tip of Africa. The total length is
about 10000 miles or 16000 Km. The submarine mountain, in some places, rises
over the surface of the ocean forming islands like St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha
or Azores. Another important ridge, the
Walvis ridge is in the southern part of the ocean.
The ocean floor also has numerous trenches. At 8605 meters,
the Puerto Rico Trench is the deepest. Some other deep trenches are Laurentian
Abyss, South Sandwich Trench, Romanche Trench etc.
"Atlantic Ocean is the 2nd largest in the world"
Currents of the Atlantic
The water of the Atlantic is not static. There are many
seasonal and regular currents which flows above and under the surface. Some of
these are warm and some are cold.
Gulf Stream is a warm stream which flows beside the
Caribbean islands, USA and Canadian shores of North America. The North Atlantic
Drift and the Brazil current are two of the most important surface currents.
There are also North, South Equatorial and the Equatorial counter current.
Mention also should be made of the South Atlantic, Benguela and the Canary
currents.
Economical Importance
The economic history of the world says that some of the
world’s most developed economies were immensely depended on the Atlantic. Still
today, it plays important role in the economy of European, American and African
countries.
Fishing industry is highly developed on the Atlantic. Fishes
like Cod, Herring, and Mackerel etc can be found in abundance near the shores.
The Great Banks of Newfoundland is the most famous place for commercial fishing
industry. Some such other places are
Nova Scotia, Georges Bank, and Bahamas Banks etc.
There is abundant petroleum under the water of the ocean.
The sedimentary rocks near the continental slopes are excellent sources of
these valuable liquid. Natural gas can also be collected from these fields.
There are also Polly-metallic nodules, and precious stones.
Serious amount of cargoes are exchanged among the countries
along the shore of the Atlantic. So, there are many important ports and
harbours like London (UK), New Orleans (US), New York (US) Marseille (France),
Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), Rio de Janeiro
(Brazil),Copenhagen (Denmark), Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp
(Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco),
Helsinki (Norway), and Hamburg (Germany) etc.
Environmental Issues
Indiscriminate fishing is a danger to the ecosystem of the
Atlantic. Use of drift nets is killing the dolphins and sharks fast. The fish
stock is also declining fast.
The
industrial waste and the municipal sewerage are
polluting the water of the ocean. The highly developed and densely
populated
countries are stressing and destroying the natural ecosystem of the
ocean. More serious efforts are needed to save it from the clutches of
the irresponsible men.
