The main seas of the Atlantic Ocean. Largest seas

Many seas wash the shores of one or more countries. Some of these seas are huge, others are very small ... Only the inland seas are not part of the ocean.

After the Earth was formed from a bunch of gas and dust 4.5 billion years ago, the temperature on the planet decreased and the vapor contained in the atmosphere condenses (turns into liquid when cooled), precipitating on the surface in the form of rains. From this water a world ocean was formed, subsequently divided by the continents into four oceans. The composition of these oceans includes numerous coastal seas, often interconnected.

The largest seas of the Pacific

Philippine Sea
Area: 5.7 million km 2, located between Taiwan in the north, Marianna Islands in the east, Caroline Islands in the southeast and Philippines in the west.

Coral sea
Area: 4 million km 2, bounded in the west by Australia, Papua New Guinea in the north, Vanuatu in the east and New Caledonia

South China Sea
Area: 3.5 million km 2, located between the Philippines in the east, Malaysia in the south, Vietnam in the west and China in the north

Tasman Sea
Area: 3.3 million km 2, washes Australia in the west and New Zealand in the east and divides the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Bering Sea
Area: 2.3 million km 2, located between Chukotka (Russia) in the west and Alaska (USA) in the east.

Japanese Sea
Area: 970000 km 2, located between the Russian Far East in the northwest, Korea in the west and Japan in the east.

The largest seas of the Atlantic Ocean

Sargasso Sea
Area: 4 million km 2, located between Florida (USA) in the west and the northern Antilles in the south.

The composition of sea water

Sea water consists of approximately 96% water and 4% salt. Apart from the Dead Sea, the most saline sea in the world is the Red Sea: it contains 44 grams of salt per liter of water (versus 35 grams on average for most seas). Such a high salt content is explained by the fact that in this hot region, water evaporates faster.

Gulf of guinea
Area: 1.5 million km 2, located on the latitude of the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Mediterranean Sea
Area: 2.5 million km 2, surrounded by Europe in the north, West Asia in the east and North Africa in the south.

Antilles Sea
Area: 2.5 million km 2, located between the Antilles in the east, the coast of South America in the South and Central America in the West.

Gulf of Mexico
Area: 1.5 million km 2, adjoins the southern coast of the United States from the north and Mexico from the west.

Baltic Sea
Area: 372,730 km 2, washes Russia and Finland in the north, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the east, Poland and Germany in the south and Denmark with Sweden in the west.

North Sea
Area: 570,000 km 2, adjacent to it are Scandinavia in the east, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France in the south and Great Britain in the west.

The largest seas of the Indian Ocean

Arabian Sea
Area: 3.5 million km 2, washed by the Arabian Peninsula in the west, Pakistan in the north and India in the east.

Bay of Bengal
Area: 2.1 million km 2, located between the coasts of India in the west, Bangladesh in the north, Myanmar (Burma) in the northeast, the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the southeast and Sri Lanka in the southwest.

Great Australian Cove (Gulf of Australia)
Area: 1.3 million km 2, extends along the southern coast of Australia.

Sea of \u200b\u200barafura
Area: 1 million km 2, located between Papua New Guinea in the northwest, Indonesia in the west and Australia in the south.

Strait of mozambique
Area: 1.4 million km 2, located near Africa, between the shores of Mozambique in the west and Madagascar in the east.

The largest seas of the Arctic Ocean

Barents Sea
Area: 1.4 million km 2, washed by the coast of Norway in the west and Russia in the east.

Greenland Sea
Area: 1.2 million km 2, bounded by Greenland in the west and Svalbard island (Norway) in the east.

East-Siberian Sea
Area: 900,000 km 2, washed by the coast of Siberia.

Largest Antarctic Seas

Inland seas

Inland, or closed, seas are completely surrounded by land. The Black and Caspian Seas are the largest of them.

Black Sea
Area: 461,000 km 2. Around it are Romania and Bulgaria in the west, Russia and Ukraine in the north, Georgia in the east and Turkey in the south. It communicates with the Mediterranean Sea through the Sea of \u200b\u200bMarmara.

Bellingshausen Sea
Area: 1.2 million km 2, located near Antarctica.

Caspian Sea
Area: 376,000 km 2, located between Azerbaijan in the west, Russia in the northwest, Kazakhstan in the north and east, Turkmenistan in the southeast and Iran in the south.

Sea Ross
Area: 960,000 km 2, located north of Antarctica.

Weddell Sea
Area: 1.9 million km 2, located between the South Orkney Islands (Great Britain) and the South Shetland Islands (Great Britain) in the north and Antarctica in the south.

The Dead Sea is so salty that it lacks living organisms

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest. It has over 100 bays and seas. Its northern waters border Iceland and Greenland, in the south with Antarctica, in the west with Eurasia and Africa, and in the east with the continents of the New World. The total coastal length of the ocean is 111,966 km.

Currents

The Labrador, East Greenland and Norwegian currents flow in the upper ocean basin. The circular warm North Passatnoe and South Passat currents are located on the upper and lower zones from the equator, respectively.

The seas, currents and bays of the Atlantic Ocean will be discussed below.

The Northern Passat Current is divided into the northern branch and the Florida Current, from which the Gulf Stream is formed, and later the North Atlantic Current.

The southern trade winds form in the north the Guiana, and in the south the Brazilian current, which passes into the Bengel.

Swimming pool

The seas and bays of the Atlantic Ocean with its volume of 330.1 million square meters. km occupy a quarter of the world's oceans. 14.90 square meters km of its territory is included in

Southern Ocean, and the remaining 76.76 million square meters. km falls on the basin itself, 1/8 of which is occupied by seas, bays and straits.

The average value of its depth is 3736 m, and the largest depth of 8742 m is observed on the border of the Caribbean Sea - in the Puerto Rico trench.

Salinity

The salinity of the ocean at the equator is 35 ‰, in the tropics and subtropics - 37.25 ‰, in Antarctica up to 33.6 ‰ -33.8 ‰, off the coast of Canada and Greenland - 32 ‰, in the northeast - 35.5 ‰. The Atlantic Ocean is considered the saltiest ocean in the world - its average value is 35.3 ‰.

Temperature

At the equator is a large part of the ocean, where the temperature exceeds more than 20 ° C. In the subequatorial zone, the temperature is + 10 ° С and + 20 ° С in winter and summer, respectively.
In temperate latitudes, the temperature in winter drops to -10 ° C, and in summer it is 10-15 ° C. In winter, in temperate latitudes, uniform precipitation is observed, and in the tropics and subtropics - heavy rains and tropical cyclones.

The main seas of the Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean basin includes 30 seas, which can be divided into several types. Among them, there are several major seas with important transport, recreational and industrial roles.

Type of sea
Inland continental seas of the Mediterranean	Adriatic, Ionian, Marble, Aegean, Cretan, Alboran, Balearic, Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ikarian, Levantine, Cypriot, Sardinian, Libyan, Mirtoic, Thracian Cilician.
Intracontinental	Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Baltic, Irish, Northern, Caribbean, Watt.
Seas of the Southern Ocean	Scotia, Weddell, Lazarev, Riser-Larsen.
Outskirts of the sea	Sargasso, Caribbean, Labrador, Iruaz, Irmingera, Celtic.

Baltic

It is washed by the Scandinavian Peninsula, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, as well as Germany and Denmark. The volume of the sea is 21.5 thousand cubic meters. km, and the area - 419 thousand square meters. km, of which 4 thousand square meters. km occupy the islands. The deepest part of the sea is observed in the Landsort Depression - 470 m. Depth is 51 m.

It is rich in ferromanganese minerals, oil and amber deposits. It has an important transport value. The water temperature in the center of the sea in summer ranges from 14 ° C to 17 ° C, and in winter - from 0.4 ° C to 5.8 ° C. The salinity of the sea decreases as it goes deeper - on the border with the North Sea it is 20%.

Shrimps, copepods, mussels, porpoises, seals, perch, eel, salmon, bondage, cod, pike perch, burbot, and pike live in the sea. Fucus, kelp, polysyphony, rhodomela grow in the pool.

Caribbean

Washes South and Central America in the south and west, respectively. The northeastern part is isolated by the Antilles. Its area is 2.574 million square meters. km, and the volume totals 6860 thousand cubic meters. km The greatest depth is in the Cayman Basin - 7686 m, and the average - 2491 m. It includes more than 700 islands, caves and reefs.

Sea turtles, shark and whale species, flying fish, seals, dolphins, parrot fish and sperm whales live in the sea. Caribbean oil reserves exceed 13 billion tons, and gas - 8.5 trillion. cube m

The sea temperature in the summer stably holds around 28 ° C. In winter, it is 23 ° C in the north and 27 ° C in the south. Water salinity does not exceed 36 ‰. From June to November, up to a dozen tropical hurricanes are observed in the north of the sea.

Labrador

The sea is named after the nearby Labrador Peninsula. It is located in the temperate zone and borders with Canada and Greenland. The area is 840 thousand square meters. km, and the volume - 1.596 million km³. The average depth is 1898 m, and the maximum is 4316 m.

Temperatures in the northeast range from -4 ° C to -6 ° C, and in the northwest from -16 ° C to -18 ° C. In the south, the air temperature varies from -2 ° C to -10 ° C, and in the central part - from -8 ° C to -10 ° C. In autumn and winter it often storms, and 2/3 of its area is occupied by ice.

The lowest salinity of the waters is observed on the northern shores of Greenland and Labrador - from 30 ‰ to 32 ‰, and the highest reaches 36 ‰, on the border with the ocean and the Sargasso Sea. The fauna of the pool is rich in squid, shrimp, dolphins, whales, flounder and even shark.

Lazarev

The sea is located near Antarctica and washes the Queen Maud Land. The pool does not have clear boundaries, but covers an approximate area of \u200b\u200b929 thousand square meters. km The average depth of the sea is 3000 m, and the maximum is 4500 m. Seals, killer whales, White-blooded fish, penguins and sea leopards live on its territory.

All year round, the sea is covered with ice, which gradually breaks off in the summer, forming icebergs. In February, the temperature drops to -10 ° C, and in August ranges from -10 ° C to -26 ° C degrees. With strong winds, the temperature drops to -50 ° C. The salinity of the water relative to the seasons varies slightly - in the summer of 34 ° C, and in winter of 33.5 ° C.

Sargassovo

The seas and bays of the Atlantic Ocean includes a basin covered with algae - the Sargasso Sea. It is coastless and located in the east of the Florida Peninsula. In the south, it borders with the North Passatny, in the north with the North Atlantic, and in the west - with the Canary currents. Its area is about 6-7 million square meters. km, the average depth is 5000 m, and the maximum is 6905 m.

The area between the Florida Peninsula, Bermuda and the island of Puertro Rico is referred to as the “Bermuda Triangle”. Its territory is due to magnetic storms and gravitational anomalies. The temperature in winter ranges from 24 ° C to 18 ° C, and in winter reaches 26 ° C. Its central part has a salinity of 37 ‰, and the outskirts - 36 ‰.

The sea was named after the algae - sargasses that cover its surface. Their total mass is more than 10 million tons. Anchovies, tuna, tiny crabs, small fish and sharks live in the sea. The sea is visited by European and American eels for spawning. The scarce world of fauna owes to a small number of plankton.

North

The sea washes Western Europe, Central Europe and the Scandinavian Peninsula. Its area is 565 thousand square meters. km, and the depth varies from 40 m to 725 m. More than half of the sea is not deeper than 100 m, and its average depth does not exceed 95 m.

Winds constantly blow over her pool, because of which fog and rains are often observed. In summer, the surface temperature reaches from 12 ° C to 18 ° C, and in winter it does not fall below 2 ° C. The average salinity of the water is 35 ‰, but on the border with the Baltic Sea it drops relatively.

More than one fifth of the total global sea freight traffic is transported through the sea. It is rich in shrimp, halibut, cod, horse mackerel, Antantic herring, anchovies. The offshore zone is rich in oil and gas, the deposits of which provide Britain, Germany, France, Norway and Belgium with fuel. Oil reserves amount to 3 billion tons.

Scotch

Located on the coast of Antarctica, between the South islands of George, Orkney and Sandwich. Its area is 1.247 million square meters. km, the average depth reaches 5100 m, which makes it the deepest sea in the world. Its bottom reaches 6022 m.

The air above the sea is dry and cold. Often there are storms and storms. The surface of the sea is often covered by icebergs. Salinity is relatively the same throughout the territory - 34%. The surface temperature drops to -1 ° C, and the average values \u200b\u200bvary from 5 ° C to 7 ° C.

The development of fishing is facilitated by the presence of ice pike, whale, southern blue whiting, macrourids, mullet, and hammer fish. Here walruses, sperm whales, seals live. In total, the pool has about 100 species of fish.

Mediterranean

Separates the northern part of Africa from the southern part of Europe and in some places washes Western Asia. It is of great importance in modern tourism and freight transportation. Seas and bays, or rather half of their names in the Atlantic Ocean, are in the Mediterranean Sea.

The International Hydrographic Organization includes 7 basins in the inland seas of the Mediterranean Sea:

Ligurian (15 thousand sq. Km);
Alboran (53 thousand sq. Km);
Balearic (86 thousand sq. Km);
Adriatic (138.6 thousand sq. Km);
Ionian (169 thousand sq. Km);
Aegean (214 thousand sq. Km);
Tyrrhenian (275 thousand sq. Km.).

Unrecognized seas include:

Marble;
Cretan;
Tyrrhenian;
Ikari;
Levantine
Cypriot
Sardinian;
Libyan
Mirtoyskoye;
Thracian;
Cilician.

The total area of \u200b\u200bthe sea is 2.5 million square meters. km, and the volume is 3.839 million cubic meters. m. Its deepest point is the Deep Basin, with a mark of 5121 m. The average depth is 1541 m.

The surface temperature drops with the approach to the ocean. In summer, the temperature in the eastern part is 27-30 ° С, in the center is 25 ° С, and in the west - from 19 ° С. In the east and in the central parts in winter the temperature rises from south to north from 17 ° C to 8 ° C, respectively, and in the west - in the region from 11 ° C to 15 ° C.

Due to high temperatures, less water evaporates in the west and its salinity is 36 ° С, and in the east it exceeds 39 ° С.

A meager number of fish is isolated by a small amount of plankton. The animal world includes crayfish, white-bellied seals, sea turtles, anchovies, mullet, stingrays. Of invertebrates, squids, octopuses, jellyfish, spiny lobsters, sponges and corals live in the sea.

Wadella

From the east it is isolated by the Cotts Land, and from the west by the Antarctic Peninsula. Its area is 2.92 million square meters. km, and the volume is 329.7 thousand cubic meters. km The deepest point is in the northern part of the sea and is 6820 m, and relative shallow water is observed in the south and south-west - 500 m.

The average depth is about 3000 m. In the south, 1/7 of the territory is occupied by the Ronne and Filchner glaciers. At most times of the year it is covered with ice due to a temperature of -1.8 ° C.

Black

Connected to the Sea of \u200b\u200bMarmara through the Dardanelles. The coastline of 3400 km washes Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Romania, Abkhazia and Bulgaria. Its area is 422 thousand square meters. km, and the volume exceeds 555 thousand km³. The average depth is 1240 m, and the maximum reaches 2210 m.

The temperature in the north in winter drops to -3 ° C, and in summer it is + 23 ° C, + 25 ° C. The southern part has a milder climate, and its temperature in winter drops to + 7 ° C, and in summer rises to + 23 ° C. The north-western part receives up to 300 mm of precipitation a year, and the Caucasian part exceeds this indicator by 5 times.

From algae in the pool grow cystorysis, cladophore, phyllophore. From fish live mackerel, beluga, horse mackerel, herring, anchovy. More than 500 species of crustaceans, 200 species of mollusks. Due to the large amount of hydrogen sulfide, only anaerobic bacteria function at a depth of 150-200 m. Poverty was also affected by the great salinity of the sea.

The main bays of the Atlantic Ocean

The seas and bays of the Atlantic Ocean were formed due to the large indented coasts - once Pangea split into Laurasia and Gondwana. Not only individual bays of the ocean, but also bays of the seas are counted.

Bay of Biscay

Washes the territory from the city of Brest to Cape Ortegal. It stretches for 400 km. It borders in the north with France and Italy. It covers an area of \u200b\u200b223 thousand square meters. km ITS average depth is 15-17 m, and the maximum is 4735 m.

In winter, wind speeds reach 113km / h. The northern part in summer has a temperature of 10 ° C, and in summer it falls by 2 times. The water temperature of the southern part is 12 ° C in winter and 22 ° C in summer. The salinity of the water is 35 ‰. Of the crustaceans, sea urchins, crabs, and shrimps live in the sea. Beluga whales, stingrays, dolphins, whales and several species of sharks live.

Gulf of Bothnia

The bay is located north of the Baltic Sea, between Sweden and Finland. Separated from the south by the Aland Islands. It covers an area of \u200b\u200b117 square meters. km The average depth is 60 m and the deepest is 295 m. Its maximum width is 240 km and its length is 668 km.

Water in 5 out of 12 months freezes. In winter, the water temperature does not fall below 0 ° C, and in summer it rises to 9-13 ° C. Water in the north has a salinity of 1-3 ‰, and in the south 4-5 ‰. Precipitation is 550 mm per year. The vegetation of the bay is sparse. From fish found pike, pike perch, grayling, trout, sprats, salmon, perch and whitefish. Of the endangered species, there are otters, guinea pigs and ringed seals.

Bristol Bay

The bay used to be called the Severn Sea and separates Southwest England from South Wales. It is considered a channel. It has a width of 50 m and a length of 135 m. At the mouth of the canal, the depth does not reach 10 m, and the coastline on both sides exceeds 1,500 km. In the reserves of its territory there are gulls, fools, linnet, robins.

Gulf of guinea

Located at the intersection of the prime meridian and equator. Separated by capes Palmeirinhash and Palmasi. It has an area of \u200b\u200b1.533 million square meters. km Its maximum depth is 6363 m, and the average is 2579 m. It is divided into Biafra and Benin bays. The bay is rich in oil. On its territory piracy is developed.

Surface water temperature does not fall below 25 ° С. Precipitation is a record amount for Africa - 9000 mm. Closer to the ocean, the water has a salinity of 35 ‰. At the mouths of rivers this indicator drops to 20-30 ‰. Different types of sharks, crabs, shrimps, crustaceans, stingrays, swordfish, tuna, and sailboat live in the pool.

Gulf of man

Located between the Nova Scotia Peninsula and Cape Cod. It has an area of \u200b\u200b95 thousand square meters. km The average depth is 227 m. Its maximum depth is 329 m. In February and March, the water temperature reaches 2 ° C. The maximum temperature on the surface of the bay is observed in August - 21 ° C.

St. Lawrence Bay

It represents the mouth of the river of the same name. It is considered the largest estuary and semi-enclosed sea. Washes the shores of Canada. In the north it has a border with the Labrador Peninsula. In the south and east it is bounded by the islands of Cape Breton and Newfoundland. In the West - mainland North America.

Its area is 226 thousand km ². Volume - 34500 km³. The southern part has a depth of 60-80 m. Northern 400-500. The average depth is 152 m and the maximum is 530 m.

Has a monsoon climate. The water temperature in summer reaches 15 ° C, and in winter drops below -1 ° C. The western part of the bay has a salinity of 12-15 ‰, and in the northeast reaches 32 ‰. The bottom has a temperature of 5 ° C and a salinity of 35 ‰. At a depth of 100 m, the temperature is kept at 0 ° C, and salinity is 32 ‰.

Gulf of Mexico

The seas and bays of the Atlantic Ocean include the largest gulf in the world - the Gulf of Mexico. Often called the American Mediterranean Sea and is considered inland. Its area is 1.543 million square meters. km, and the volume is 2,332 km³.

Washes the southern United States, northeast of Mexico and the western part of the Cuban island. The maximum depth is 4384 m and the average is 1615. The coastline with the United States and Mexico extends over 4,500 km.

A very hot surface serves as energy for the occurrence of hurricanes and storms. To a depth of 2000 m, salinity reaches 36.9 ‰. Deeper - 35 ‰. Precipitation is 1000-12000 mm. The average temperature in summer is 29 ° C, and in winter from north to south it drops from 25 ° C to 18 ° C. Tropical climate.

Rich in oil and gas. Serves as an important shipping point for adjacent countries. After the disaster in 2010, it was significantly polluted - more than 760 million tons of oil fell into the gulf and caused the death of hundreds of birds and animals.

Spiny lobsters, shrimp, bluefish, tuna, marlin, menheden, swordfish, flounder, Antarctic tarpon, weighing 50-150 kg, and Mexican non-spawning scat, inhabiting only these waters, inhabit.

Gulf of Riga

Bay of the Baltic Sea. Its southern part is washed by Latvia, and the northern one is bordered by Estonia. It is separated from the Baltic Sea by the Moonsund Archipelago. The area of \u200b\u200bthe bay is 18.1 thousand square meters. km The maximum depth is 67 m and the average is 26.

In winter, the bay is covered with ice - the water temperature drops to -1 ° C. In summer, the water is heated to 18 ° C. Salinity is relatively low - 3.5-6 ‰. Water is 26-28 бывает on the banks, and 22-23 в in the center.

The Gulf of Finland

The bay washes the shores of Estonia, Russia and Finland. It occupies the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. The area is 29.5 thousand square meters. km The average depth of the pool does not exceed 38 m, and the deepest point is at a depth of 121 m.

In winter, the temperature drops to 0 ° C, and from the end of November to the end of April freezes. In summer, the temperature fluctuates around 15-17 ° C. The surface of the water has a salinity of 0.2 ‰ and increases by 9 units. The bottom is relatively higher - from 0.3 ‰ to 11 ‰. During Western Winds, the basin causes flooding in St. Petersburg. There are autumn storms.

In the south, Kotelsky, Lebyazhy, Gostilitsky and Kurgalsky reserves function. On its territory there live a ringed and gray seal, listed in the Red Book. Of the endemic fish, the Baltic cod and herring are found. In its pool eel, crucian carp, lamprey, flounder, pike, ruff, cod are found.

Despite the fact that the Atlantic Ocean is in many ways inferior to the Pacific, its seas and bays have broken world records by some criteria:

The Gulf of Mexico is the largest gulf in the world;
wedell Sea - the cleanest and most transparent sea;
The Sargasso Sea is the calmest sea;
the Westerly Current is the largest current in the world.

Article design: Mila Friedan

Video about the seas and bays in the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean:

The southern seas of the Russian Federation include the Caspian, Azov and. These seas are united in one group, since they have a close geographical position, and they are located relatively close to each other. These seas are of tectonic origin and are the “descendants” of the Tethys Ocean, which currently no longer exists.

The southern seas were formed as a result of periodic raising and lowering. Similar movements were observed in all southern territories. The formation of these seas was also facilitated by the periodic increase of either the saline waters of the ocean or the fresh river waters. Such formation of the southern seas led to their separation from the oceans. completely isolated, and Black and partially isolated from.

The waters of the southern seas have a peculiar chemical composition. Their waters contain a large amount of chlorides, but they are less than in ocean water. But the carbonate content exceeds oceanic values. Another characteristic feature of the waters of the southern seas is low. In these seas, most of the water balance consists of river waters. The fresh water content is one eighth of the total. A large proportion of river water (although much less than that of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov) in the Black Sea and.

The southern seas are characterized by continental features. But each sea has its own specific climatic features. The features of the continental climate are most clearly traced in the northern part of the Caspian Sea. On the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov and the northwestern zone of the Black Sea, continentality is not so clearly traced.

Caspian Sea

In the southern seas are almost not observed. Only in the Black Sea does the water level fluctuate due to the tidal nature. Water level changes are 7–8 cm. All south seas are characterized by overtaking processes, which reach the greatest strength in the northern regions of the Caspian and Azov Seas and the Black Sea. The importance of overtaking and surge is especially great for the vertical exchange of water in the Black Sea.

In the southern seas, seiches are clearly manifested, which arise as a result of a rapid change over the body of water. Due to the fact that the Caspian Sea does not have access to the waters of the World Ocean, long-term changes in the water level are observed in this sea. In different historical periods, the degree of filling of the basin of the Caspian Sea was different. Currently, there is a decrease in the amount of continental water as a result of human activity and change.

In the southern seas, scientists distinguish between two regional types: estuary-shelf and oceanic. The Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, the northern part of the Caspian Sea and the northwestern Black Sea are of the estuary-shelf type. They are characterized by: a shallow water depth, a large content of fresh water, a strong influence of processes. In connection with these features, these seas respond very quickly to natural and anthropogenic changes, which in turn affects the chemical composition of waters and their biological conditions. In this type of sea water, ice forms every year, but its presence is irregular during the winter.

The deepwater parts of the Caspian and belong to the oceanic type. Due to the fact that a huge amount is characteristic of these sections of the seas, insignificant changes are observed here, caused by external factors. The features of these basins are primarily due to the processes that occur during internal water exchange. In these areas of the seas, a constant chemical composition of water masses is observed.

As a result of human activity in the southern seas, environmental degradation is observed. The following factors contribute to water pollution: widespread development of shipping and an increase in the number of seaports, industrial enterprises, landfill, runoff of urban polluted waters and.

Black Sea, breakwater (photo by Anastasia Chernikova)

A large amount of pollutants enters the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov along with the waters of the rivers, the Kuban, Mius and other small ones. In the waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, which belong to the territory of Russia, pollution decreased at the end of the 90s of the last century.

The waters of the Black Sea, which belong to the Russian Federation, qualify as “Moderately Polluted”. Here, a low oxygen content is observed, which negatively affects the flora and fauna of the sea. Periodically, oil products also get into the Black Sea, due to accidents on ships and together with industrial effluents. The ecological state of resort areas is constantly deteriorating as a result of the strong impact of human activities. It is necessary to build a large number of water protection facilities.

The most polluted areas of the Black Sea are located near the cities of Sochi, Novorossiysk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk. It is possible to improve water quality by applying a number of measures: the active implementation of treatment facilities, timely updating of sewage networks, and strict control over the treatment of storm water. The environmental status of the Black Sea waters is negatively affected by the increase in the number of vessels serving the port, the activities of the ships of the navy, which is based in the port of Novorossiysk.

The greatest environmental damage to the waters of the Caspian Sea is caused by river runoff of polluted waters, wastewater that comes into the sea from enterprises. periodically produce toxic substances. The waters of the Caspian Sea are polluted with oil products, phosphorus, an increase in the phenol content is observed here. At the end of the 90s of the last century, the highest nitrogen levels were noted. Among the regions of Dagestan, the following are “polluted”: Lopatin, Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash and Derbent, as well as the mouths of the Sulak and Samur rivers. The waters of the Terek River (in the seashore) are classified as "dirty."

The Atlantic Ocean is second only to the Pacific, with an area of \u200b\u200bapproximately 91.56 million km². It is distinguished from other oceans by the strong indentation of the coastline, which forms numerous seas and bays, especially in the northern part. In addition, the total area of \u200b\u200briver basins flowing into this ocean or its marginal seas is much larger than that of rivers flowing into any other ocean. Another feature of the Atlantic Ocean is a relatively small number of islands and a complex bottom topography, which, thanks to underwater ridges and uplifts, forms many separate depressions.

North Atlantic

Borders and coastline. The Atlantic Ocean is divided into northern and southern parts, the border between which is conventionally drawn along the equator. From the oceanographic point of view, however, the equatorial countercurrent located at 5-8 ° N should be attributed to the southern part of the ocean. The northern border is usually drawn along the Arctic Circle. In places, this border is marked by underwater ridges.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Atlantic Ocean has a very rugged coastline. Its relatively narrow northern part is connected to the Arctic Ocean by three narrow straits. In the northeast of Davis, a strait of 360 km wide (at the latitude of the Arctic Circle) connects it with the Baffin Sea, which belongs to the Arctic Ocean. In the central part, between Greenland and Iceland, is the Danish Strait, the width of which is at its narrowest point, is only 287 km. Finally, in the northeast, between Iceland and Norway, is the Norwegian Sea with a width of approx. 1220 km. In the east of the Atlantic Ocean, two deep water bodies protruding into the land. The more northern of them begins with the North Sea, which eastwards passes into the Baltic Sea with the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland. To the south there is a system of inland seas - the Mediterranean and the Black - with a total length of approx. 4000 km. In the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the ocean with the Mediterranean Sea, there are two opposite currents, one under the other. A lower position is occupied by the flow from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, because the Mediterranean waters, due to more intensive evaporation from the surface, are characterized by greater salinity and, therefore, higher density.

In the tropical zone in the southwest of the North Atlantic, there are the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, connected to the ocean by the Strait of Florida. The coast of North America is indented with small bays (Pamlico, Barnegat, Chesapeake, Delaware and the Long Island Strait); in the northwest are the Bay of Fundy and St. Lawrence, the Strait of Bell Isle, the Hudson Strait and the Hudson's Bay.

The largest islands are concentrated in the northern part of the ocean; these are the British Isles, Iceland, Newfoundland, Cuba, Haiti (Hispaniola) and Puerto Rico. On the eastern edge of the Atlantic Ocean there are several groups of small islands - the Azores, Canaries, Cape Verde. Similar groups exist in the western part of the ocean. As an example, the Bahamas, Florida Keys and Lesser Antilles can be mentioned. The archipelagos of the Greater and Lesser Antilles form an island arc surrounding the eastern Caribbean. In the Pacific Ocean, similar island arcs are characteristic of deformation regions of the earth's crust. Along the convex side of the arc are deep-sea trenches.

The depression of the Atlantic Ocean is bordered by a shelf, the width of which varies. Deep gorges cut through the shelf - the so-called. underwater canyons. Their origin is still controversial. According to one theory, canyons were cut by rivers when ocean levels were below modern. Another theory connects their formation with the activity of turbidity currents. It has been suggested that turbid currents are the main agent for sediment deposition at the bottom of the ocean and that it is they who cut underwater canyons.

The bottom of the northern Atlantic Ocean has a complex, rugged relief formed by a combination of underwater ridges, hills, basins and gorges. Most of the ocean floor, from a depth of about 60 m to several kilometers, is covered with thin silty deposits of dark blue or bluish-green. A relatively small area is occupied by rocky outcrops and areas of gravel-pebble and sand deposits, as well as deep-sea red clays.

Telephone and telegraph cables were laid on the shelf in the northern Atlantic Ocean to connect North America with North-Western Europe. Here, areas of industrial fishing, which are among the most productive in the world, are confined to the North Atlantic shelf.

In the central part of the Atlantic Ocean passes, almost repeating the outlines of the coastlines, a huge underwater mountain range of approx. 16 thousand km, known as the Mid-Atlantic Range. This ridge divides the ocean into two approximately equal parts. Most of the peaks of this underwater ridge do not reach the surface of the ocean and are located at a depth of at least 1.5 km. Some of the highest peaks rise above sea level and form the islands - the Azores in the North Atlantic and Tristan da Cunha - in the South. In the south, the ridge goes around the coast of Africa and continues further north into the Indian Ocean. A rift zone extends along the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Surface currents in the northern Atlantic Ocean are moving clockwise. The main elements of this large system are the Gulf Stream warm current directed to the north, as well as the North Atlantic, Canary and North Passat (Equatorial) currents. The Gulf Stream follows from the Strait of Florida and Cube Island in a northerly direction along the US coast and at about 40 ° C. w. deviates to the northeast, changing its name to the North Atlantic Current. This current is divided into two branches, one of which follows to the north-east along the coast of Norway and further into the Arctic Ocean. It is thanks to it that the climate of Norway and the whole of north-western Europe is much warmer than might be expected at latitudes corresponding to the region stretching from Nova Scotia to southern Greenland. The second branch turns south and southwest along the coast of Africa, forming a cold Canary Current. This current moves southwest and connects with the Northern Passat Current, which flows west towards the West Indies, where it merges with the Gulf Stream. To the north of the North Passat current there is a region of stagnant water, abundant in algae and known as the Sargasso Sea. Along the North Atlantic coast of North America, a cold Labrador Current flows from north to south, flowing from the Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea and cooling the shores of New England.

South Atlantic

Some experts attribute the entire body of water to the Atlantic Ocean in the south to the Antarctic ice sheet; others take the imaginary line connecting the Cape Horn in South America to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa as the southern border of the Atlantic. The coastline in the southern Atlantic Ocean is much less indented than in the northern one, there are also no inland seas along which the influence of the ocean could penetrate deep into the continents of Africa and South America. The only large bay on the African coast is Guinean. Large bays are also few on the coast of South America. The southernmost tip of this continent - Tierra del Fuego - has a rugged coastline bordered by numerous small islands.

There are no large islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean, however, isolated isolated islands are found, such as Fernando de Noronha, Ascension, Sao Paulo, St. Helena, the Tristan da Cugna archipelago, and in the extreme south - Bouvet, South Georgia , South Sandwich, South Orkney, Falkland Islands.

In addition to the Mid-Atlantic Range, in the South Atlantic there are two main underwater mountain ranges. The whale ridge extends from the southwestern tip of Angola to Fr. Tristan da Cunha, where he connects with the Mid-Atlantic. Rio de Janeiro ridge stretches from the islands of Tristan da Cunha to the city of Rio de Janeiro and is a group of separate underwater hills.

The main systems of currents in the southern Atlantic Ocean are moving counterclockwise. The southern trade winds are directed to the west. Off the ledge of the east coast of Brazil, it is divided into two branches: the north carries water along the north coast of South America to the Caribbean, and the south, warm Brazilian current, moves south along the coast of Brazil and joins the current of the West Winds, or the Antarctic, which goes east and then to the northeast. Part of this cold current separates and carries its waters north along the African coast, forming a cold Bengal Current; the latter eventually joins the South Passat Current. The warm Guinean current moves south along the shores of North West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea.

ADRIATIC SEA

Azov Sea

BALTIC SEA

Ionian Sea

IRISH SEA

CARIBBEAN SEA

MARBLE SEA

SARGASSO SEA

NORTH SEA

SEA LIVING (CATTLE)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

TIRREN SEA