Seed to Feed Me: October 2012

Wednesday, 31 October 2012

HOW LARGE ARE THE OCEANS?

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The oceans cover the majority of the Earths' surface. In fact, over 70% of the planets surface is water.

Although all the oceans on Earth are connected this water is geographically divided into five oceans, the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Southern Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean is the biggest of all. It reaches northward from the Southern Ocean to the Arctic Ocean in the gap between Australia, Asia, North America and Oceania. It meets the Atlantic south of South America at Cape Horn.

The Atlantic Ocean, the second biggest, extends from the Southern Ocean between South America, Africa, North America and Europe, to the Arctic Ocean. The Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean south of Africa at Cape Agulhas.

The Indian Ocean extends northward from the Southern Ocean to India, between Africa and Australia. The Indian Ocean joins the Pacific Ocean to the west, near Australia.

The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica. Parts of the Southern Ocean are covered in sea ice, the extent of which varies according to the season. It is the second smallest of the five oceans.

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the five. It joins the Atlantic near Greenland and Iceland, and the Pacific at the Bering Strait. It is on the North Pole. Parts of the Arctic Ocean are covered in sea ice, the extent of which varies according to the season.

Ocean Facts

Surface Area of the Planet (510,066,000 sq km)

Land Area on the Planet (148,647,000 sq km) 29.1%

Ocean Area (335,258,000 sq km)

Total Water Area (361,419,000 sq km) 70.9%

Type of Water (97% salt), (3% fresh)

Oceans by size

1. Pacific (155,557,000 sq km)
2. Atlantic (76,762,000 sq km)
3. Indian (68,556,000 sq km)
4. Southern (20,327,000 sq km)
5. Arctic (14,056,000 sq km)

Greatest depths in the oceans

Mariana Trench, Pacific 35,827 ft

Puerto Rico Trench, Atlantic 30,246 ft

Java Trench, Indian 24,460 ft

Arctic Basin, Arctic 18,456 ft

Southern Ocean, 23,737 ft

WHAT IS A CUTTLEFISH?

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Cuttlefish are molluscs. They belong to the marine order Sepiida and class Cephalopoda, along with octopuses, squid and nautiluses. But rather than living in the open water like squid they stick close to the ground.

They get their name from the strange cuttle bone, an internal shell that runs along the length of their body. This bone is porous and made of aragonite. It provides buoyancy to the cuttlefish, which is regulated by a change of gas to liquid ratio in the chamber. Cuttlefish bone is often collected on the beach and sold in pet shops as a dietary aid to caged parrots and birds as it is high in calcium.

Cuttlefish have eight arms and two tentacles, which are covered with tiny tentacle suckers. They often weigh several kilograms but the largest species, Sepia apama, can weigh over 10 kg (23 llb). They range in size from 15 to 25 cm but can reach 50 cm in length.

Cuttlefish move mainly by a fin line that runs around their entire body. They feed on small molluscs, shrimp, crabs, octopuses and other small sea creatures. Like octopuses cuttlefish are capable of sudden colour changes, which they use as camouflage and also to signal their moods. They control their colour through groups of red, black, brown and yellow pigment cells called chromatophores. Each square millimetre of the skin is covered with up to 200 of these specialised colour changing cells.

Cuttlefish can live up to two years. They are intelligent creatures, having the largest brain to body ratio of all the invertebrates. Each species is distinctive in its shape, size and pattern of ridges. They have sophisticated eyes and distinctive ‘w’ shaped pupils, which means that they cannot see colour but can see forward and backwards. Like their cousins the octopus and squid, cuttlefish also have ink which they use to help evade predators.

For related articles click onto:
All about starfish
Can starfish grow back their arms?
How many seas are there in the world?
Is the sea sponge a plant or an animal?
Keystone species
Sea animals: Sea Anemones
Sea cucumber facts
Seahorse facts
Star Starfish
The seahorse
The sea cucumber
What is a sea sponge?
What is a cuttlefish?
What is a sea anemone?
What is a starfish?
Why is the Dead Sea so salty?
What is the difference between the sea and the ocean?
What is the Gulf Stream?

Tuesday, 30 October 2012

WHY IS THE DEAD SEA SO SALTY?

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The Dead Sea borders Israel and Jordan and is one of the worlds smallest seas. It is famous for its scrolls and high salt content, which is six times higher than the ocean. In fact it is so salty that it can easily support the body weight of sea bathers.

A sea is part of the ocean that is partially enclosed by land. The Dead Sea is located on a rift where two of the Earths plates are slowly spreading apart. This means that the Dead Sea is continuing to sink lower every year, and is in fact the lowest place on Earth at 400 meters (1,320 feet) below sea level.

All landlocked bodies of salt water have an increased salinity than the oceans, although the Dead Sea is exceptionally salty. The high salt levels are partly due to high transpiration levels. Water is released from the sea through evaporation, which occurs rapidly in the hot temperatures, and leaves behind any dissolved minerals in the sea. In addition there are several rivers that flow into the sea but none that drain out. This ensures that nutrients continue to be washed into the sea. The minerals that flow into it stay there forever.

The Dead Sea has fast become one of the world’s leading centres of healthy living. Many people with all kinds of health issues come from far and wide just to spend a few days revitalizing their bodies.

Friday, 26 October 2012

HOW MANY SEAS ARE THERE IN THE WORLD?

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Oceans and seas make up 70% of the Earths' surface. The terms ‘sea’ and ‘ocean’ are often used interchangeably when speaking about the ocean. In Geographical terms there is a difference. A sea is a smaller division of water attached to the ocean. Seas are part of the ocean that are partially enclosed by land. They are smaller than oceans and typically located where the land and ocean meet.

It is often said that sailors sail the seven seas of the world, but is this an accurate representation of the amount of seas on the Earth? There are in fact 108 seas (including the five oceans) on the planet. They vary immensely in size and have different characteristics.

The Dead Sea borders Israel and Jordan. It is famous for its scrolls and high salt content, which is six times higher than the ocean. The high salt levels are due to high transpiration levels and because there are two rivers that flow into the sea but there is no outlet from it. This ensures that nutrients continue to be washed into the sea.

The red sea is not actually red, but may get its name from a type of algae called Trichodesmium erythraeum, which is found in the sea. When these blooms of algae die off they appear to turn the blue-green colour of the ocean to a reddish-brown.

The Black sea is almost completely cut off from the world's other seas and ocean. The Black Sea is the world's most isolated sea-connected to the Oceans via the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosphorus, Dardanelle and Gibraltar straits. The deepest waters of the Black Sea extend to depths of well over two kilometres.

The largest area of water is the Pacific ocean, which takes up more than a third of the planets surface. The smallest sea in the world is the Sea of Marmara, connecting the Black and Mediterranean Seas. It has an area of 11,350 km².

Seas of the World

Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Aland Sea, Aki-nada, Alboran Sea, Amakusa-nada, Amundsen Sea, Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Arafura Sea, Aral Sea, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Baie d'Hudson, Bakor Sea, Balearic Sea, Bali Sea Baltic Sea, Banda Sea, Barents Sea, Bay of Bengal, Beaufort Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, Bering Sea, Bingo-nada, Bismarck Sea, Black Sea, Bohol Sea, Bulkhead Rip, Camotes Sea, Cape Rip, Caribbean Sea, Caspian Sea, Celebes Sea, Celtic Sea, Ceram Sea, Chosŏndong-hae, Chukchi Sea, Clement Rapids, Coral Sea, Daryā-ye Khazar, Daryā-ye Khezer, Daryā-ye Māzandarān, Daryā-ye ‘Ommān, Davis Sea, Dent Rapids, Dicks Rip, Dumont d'Urville, Mer, East China Sea, East Siberian Sea, Eastern Chops, Eastern Mediterranean, Flores Sea, Galloway Rapids, Genkai-nada, Greene Point Rapids, Greenland Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Halmahera Sea, Harima-nada, Hibiki-nada, Hiuchi-nada, Hyŏnji-hae, Hyūga-nada, Indian River, Inland Sea, Ionian Sea, Irish Sea, Itsuki-nada Iyo-nada, Java Sea, Jiuzhou Yang, Kalupag Sea, Kara Sea, Kashima-nada, Khalkidhikón Pélagos,, Kong Håkon VII Hav, Koro Sea, Kosmonavtov, Kumano-nada, Labrador Sea, Laccadive Sea, Landmeen, Laptev Sea, Laut Lepar, Lazareva, Leading Tickles, Ligurian Sea, Lincoln Sea, Long Rip, Luzon Sea, Maotou Yang, Mawson Sea, McKinley Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Meiyu Yang, Mer d' Emeraude, Mer de Lincoln, Mer du Labrador, Mindanao Sea, Mizushima-nada, Molucca Sea, Moore Rip, Myrtóön Pélagos, Nakwakto Rapids, North Sea, Northwest Rip, Northwest Straits, Norwegian Sea, Outer Bald Rip, P'eng-hu Wan, Pacific Ocean, Pechorskoye, Philippine Sea, Pollock Rip, Prince Gustaf Adolf Sea, Putuo Yang, Qizhou Yang, Queen Victoria Sea, Quoddy River, Red Sea, Riser-Larsena, Ross Sea, Saaristomeri, Salish Sea, Samar Sea, Sargasso Sea, Savu Sea, Scotch Corner, Scotia Sea, Sea of Azov, Sea of Crete, Sea of Japan, Sea of Marmara, Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of the Hebrides, Shag Harbour Rip, Shantarskoye, Short Rip, Sibuyan Sea, Sodruzhestva, Solomon Sea, Somova, South China Sea, South Pacific Ocean, Sulu Sea, Suō-nada, Tail of the Rip, Tasman Sea, Thálassa Cheimarras, Thale Phuket, The Hospital, The Overfalls, The Rip, The Swirlers, The Tittle, Thimble, Tickles, Thrakikón Pelagós, Timor Sea, Tosa-wan, Tyrrhenian Sea, Uwa-kai, Virsko, Visayan Sea, Wandel Hav, Weddell Sea, Western Mediterranean, Whirlpool Rapids,White Sea, Wilsons Rip, Yellow Sea.

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SEA AND THE OCEAN?

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The terms ‘sea’ and ‘ocean’ are often used interchangeably when speaking about the ocean. But what is the difference between them?

In Geographical terms there is a difference. A sea is a smaller division of water attached to the ocean. Seas are part of the ocean that are partially enclosed by land. They are smaller than oceans and typically located where the land and ocean meet.

There are five oceans, consisting of the Pacific ocean, Atlantic ocean, Indian Ocean, Artic ocean and Southern ocean.

There are 108 seas including the Mediterranean sea and black sea.