Portal:Oceans
The Oceans Portal
A portal dedicated to oceans, seas, oceanography and related topics
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Introduction
Earth's ocean |
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Main five oceans division: Further subdivision: Marginal seas |

The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as oceans (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic/Southern, and Arctic Ocean), and are themselves mostly divided into seas, gulfs and subsequent bodies of water. The ocean contains 97% of Earth's water and is the primary component of Earth's hydrosphere, acting as a huge reservoir of heat for Earth's energy budget, as well as for its carbon cycle and water cycle, forming the basis for climate and weather patterns worldwide. The ocean is essential to life on Earth, harbouring most of Earth's animals and protist life, originating photosynthesis and therefore Earth's atmospheric oxygen, still supplying half of it. (Full article...)

A sea is a large body of salt water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly refers to the ocean, the interconnected body of seawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular seas are either marginal seas, second-order sections of the oceanic sea (e.g. the Mediterranean Sea), or certain large, nearly landlocked bodies of water. (Full article...)
Oceanography (from Ancient Greek ὠκεανός (ōkeanós) 'ocean' and γραφή (graphḗ) 'writing'), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. (Full article...)
Selected article -

The Gulf of Finland (Estonian: Soome laht; Finnish: Suomenlahti; Russian: Фи́нский зали́в, romanized: Finskiy zaliv; Swedish: Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg - the second largest city of Russia - to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn. The eastern parts of the gulf belong to Russia, and some of Russia's most important oil harbors are located there, including Primorsk. As the seaway to Saint Petersburg, the gulf is of considerable strategic importance to Russia. Some of the environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea are at their most pronounced in the shallow gulf. Proposals for an undersea Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel through the gulf have been made. (Full article...)
Interesting facts -
- When Norman Heathcote climbed the St Kilda sea stack Stac Lee (pictured) in 1899, he found the climbing "comparatively easy" but getting ashore had been "a most appalling undertaking".
- The The Marine Mammal Center has rescued over 23,000 marine mammals, and also produces important scientific discoveries regarding marine chemistry.
- Pastis magnate Paul Ricard created the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute on the Île des Embiez, and the Universal Exposition of Wines and Spirits on the Île de Bendor.
Selected list articles and Marine habitat topics
Marine habitats |
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Coastal habitats |
Ocean surface |
Open ocean |
Sea floor |
- List of oceans
- List of ancient oceans
- List of seas
- List of circumnavigations
- List of cruise lines
- List of largest lakes and seas in the Solar System
- List of marine biologists
- List of marine ecoregions
- List of maritime explorers
- List of naval battles
- List of ocean liners
- List of oceanographic institutions and programs
- List of oldest surviving ships
- List of rogue waves
- List of seafood dishes
- List of submarine topographical features
Tasks
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Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
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General images -
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Monterey County, California, U.S. (from Pacific Ocean)Sunset in
- 1937 delineation (from
- The island geography of the Pacific Ocean Basin (from
- Map of the Pacific Ocean during European Exploration, circa 1754. (from
- Capture of Atlantic northwest cod in million tons (from
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Andaman Negritos are thought to be the first inhabitants of the Andaman Islands, having emigrated from the mainland tens of thousands of years ago. (from Indian Ocean)The
- A map of Australia's official interpretation of the names and limits of oceans and seas around Australia (from
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Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) are the most southerly of Antarctic mammals. (from Southern Ocean)
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Greco-Roman trade with ancient India according to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea 1st century CE (from Indian Ocean)
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Ring of Fire; the Pacific is ringed by many volcanoes and oceanic trenches. This map does not show the Cascadia subduction zone along part of the west coast of North America, whose trench is completely buried in sediments. (from Pacific Ocean)A
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False color map of ocean depth in the Atlantic basin (from Atlantic Ocean)
- USS Vincennes at Disappointment Bay, Antarctica in early 1840 (from
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Agulhas Bank (from Atlantic Ocean)
- 1928 delineation (from
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Gyres influenced the Portuguese discoveries and trading port routes, here shown in the India Run ("Carreira da Índia"), which would be developed in subsequent years. (from Atlantic Ocean)The Atlantic
- Manganese nodule (from
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Kennedy Channel. (from Arctic Ocean)The
- Portrait of
- Location of the Southern Ocean gyres (from
- In the subpolar gyre of the North Atlantic warm subtropical waters are transformed into colder subpolar and polar waters. In the Labrador Sea this water flows back to the subtropical gyre. (from
- Impact of
- Map showing the proposal presented by the thesis entitled "
- Continents and islands of the Southern Ocean (from
- Map showing the
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thermohaline circulation. Purple paths represent deep-water currents, while blue paths represent surface currents.Path of the
- Banks of the northwest Atlantic (from
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ice pier in use for four seasons at McMurdo Station slowed cargo operations in 1983 and proved a safety hazard. (from Southern Ocean)Severe cracks in an
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Mombasa Port on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast (from Indian Ocean)
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Arctic region; of note, the region's southerly border on this map is depicted by a red isotherm, with all territory to the north having an average temperature of less than 10 °C (50 °F) in July. (from Arctic Ocean)The
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warty squid (Moroteuthis ingens) (from Southern Ocean)A female
- 1911 South Polar Regions exploration map (from
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trade winds in the Atlantic Ocean – areas of converging winds that move along the same track as the prevailing wind – create instabilities in the atmosphere that may lead to the formation of hurricanes.Waves in the
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Indian Ocean trade. (from Indian Ocean)For most of the 16th century, the Portuguese dominated the
- An exclusive economic zone (EEZ) map of the Pacific
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As the Gulf Stream meanders across the North Atlantic from the North American east coast to Western Europe its temperature drops by 20 °C (36 °F).
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Upwelling in the Southern Ocean(from Southern Ocean)
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Northeast Passage, the Northern Sea Route within it, and the Northwest Passage via Canadian Inland Waters. (from Arctic Ocean)The Arctic region showing the
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International Hydrographic Organization's delineation of the "Southern Ocean" has moved steadily southward since the original 1928 edition of its Limits of Oceans and Seas. (from Southern Ocean)The
- The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the strongest current system in the world oceans, linking the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific basins. (from
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Twin Otter is refueled on the pack ice at 86°N, 76°43‘W. (from Arctic Ocean)On the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean temporary logistic stations may be installed, Here, a
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USS Burton Island, USS Atka, and USS Glacier near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 1965 (from Southern Ocean)An iceberg being pushed out of a shipping lane by (L to R)
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Marine debris strewn over the beaches of the South Atlantic Inaccessible Island (from Atlantic Ocean)
- A
- Air pollution in South Asia spread over the Bay of Bengal and beyond. (from
- Three
- Iceberg A22A in the South Atlantic Ocean (from
- The
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Notothenioidei suborder, such as this young icefish, are mostly restricted to the Antarctic and Subantarctic. (from Southern Ocean)Fish of the
- According to the Coastal hypothesis, modern humans spread from Africa along the northern rim of the Indian Ocean. (from
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James Cook who proved that waters encompassed the southern latitudes of the globe. "He holds his own chart of the Southern Ocean on the table and his right hand points to the east coast of Australia on it." (from Southern Ocean)Famous official portrait of Captain
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Diogo Ribeiro map was the first to show the Pacific at about its proper size (from Pacific Ocean)Made in 1529, the
- Regional Working Group zones for SOOS (from
- The British
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Ertebølle middens in 1880 (from Atlantic Ocean)Excavation of the
- Admiral von Bellingshausen (from
- Density structure of the upper 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in the Arctic Ocean. Profiles of temperature and salinity for the Amundsen Basin, the Canadian Basin and the Greenland Sea are sketched. (from
- Thule archaeological site (from
- The Antarctic Ocean, as delineated by the draft 4th edition of the
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Coral reefs of the Maldives (from Indian Ocean)
- Frank Hurley: As time wore on it became more and more evident that the ship was doomed (
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James Weddell's second expedition in 1823, depicting the brig Jane and the cutter Beaufroy (from Southern Ocean)
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Typhoon Tip at global peak intensity on 12 October 1979 (from Pacific Ocean)
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Minke whale (from Arctic Ocean)
- A
- Banks of the northeast Atlantic (from
- Seas that are parts of the Southern Ocean (from
- Sunset over the Pacific Ocean as seen from the
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Fijian drua, an example of an Austronesian vessel with a double-canoe (catamaran) hull and a crab claw sail (from Pacific Ocean)Model of a
- Decrease of old Arctic Sea ice 1982–2007 (from
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copepod (from Arctic Ocean)A
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MS Explorer in Antarctica in January 1999. She sank on 23 November 2007 after hitting an iceberg. (from Southern Ocean)
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Trieste before her record dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, 23 January 1960 (from Pacific Ocean)The bathyscaphe
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Waldseemüller map, dated 1507, was the first map to show the Americas separating two distinct oceans. South America was generally considered the New World and shows the name "America" for the first time, after Amerigo Vespucci (from Pacific Ocean)Universalis Cosmographia, also known as the
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ocean trade routes in the world include the northern Indian Ocean. (from Indian Ocean)Major
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Chagossian on Diego Garcia in 1971, before the British expelled the islanders. He spoke a French-based creole language and his ancestors were likely brought as slaves in the 19th century. (from Indian Ocean)A
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International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), including Hudson Bay (some of which is south of 57°N latitude, off the map) and all other marginal seas. (from Arctic Ocean)The Arctic Ocean, with borders as delineated by the
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Japanese Prime Minister Suga declined to drink the bottle of Fukushima's treated radioactive water that he was holding, which would otherwise be discharged to the Pacific. (from Pacific Ocean)In 2020,
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Atlantic slave trade 1525–1863 (first and last slave voyages) (from Atlantic Ocean)Embarked and disembarked slaves in the
- Map showing the proposal presented by the thesis entitled "
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Antarctic Convergence, sometimes used by scientists as the demarcation of the Southern Ocean (from Southern Ocean)A general delineation of the
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Emanuel Bowen's 1780s map of the Arctic features a "Northern Ocean". (from Arctic Ocean)
- An adult and sub-adult
- Area inside the black line indicates the area constituting the Pacific Ocean prior to 2002; darker blue areas are its informal current borders following the recreation of the Southern Ocean and the reinclusion of marginal seas. (from
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Bahama Banks (from Atlantic Ocean)
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Cod fishery in Norway (from Atlantic Ocean)
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Maris Pacifici by Ortelius (1589). One of the first printed maps to show the Pacific Ocean (from Pacific Ocean)
- Pacific Ocean currents have created three islands of debris. (from
- "Terres Australes" [sic] label without any charted landmass (from
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Aethiopian Ocean, 18th century (from Southern Ocean)"Southern Ocean" as alternative to the
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Typus Orbis Terrarum, a map by Abraham Ortelius, showed the imagined link between the proposed continent of Antarctica and South America. (from Southern Ocean)The 1564
- A
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Íslendingasögur sagas, including the Grœnlendinga saga, this interpretative map of the "Norse World" shows that Norse knowledge of the Americas and the Atlantic remained limited. (from Atlantic Ocean)Based on the medieval
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Malé's population has increased from 20,000 people in 1987 to more than 220,000 people in 2020. (from Indian Ocean)
- During summer, warm continental masses draw moist air from the Indian Ocean hence producing heavy rainfall. The process is reversed during winter, resulting in dry conditions. (from
- Map of the Pacific Ocean during European Exploration, circa 1702–1707 (from
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water mass in the Arctic Ocean. The section sketches the different water masses along a vertical section from Bering Strait over the geographic North Pole to Fram Strait. As the stratification is stable, deeper water masses are denser than the layers above. (from Arctic Ocean)Distribution of the major
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Austronesian maritime trade network was the first trade routes in the Indian Ocean. (from Indian Ocean)The
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Silk Road was blocked from Europe by the Ottoman Empire in c. 1453 with the fall of the Byzantine Empire. This spurred exploration, and a new sea route around Africa was found, triggering the Age of Discovery. (from Indian Ocean)The economically important
- Madagascar's
- Walruses on Arctic ice floe (from
- Sea cover in the Arctic Ocean, showing the median, 2005 and 2007 coverage (from
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GOES-18 spacecraft in September 2023 (from Pacific Ocean)The Pacific Ocean, photograph taken from space by the
- The three major cultural areas of the
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