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"Atlantic" and "North Atlantic" redirect here. For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) and North Atlantic (disambiguation).
Earth's oceans
(World Ocean)

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. The World Ocean, world ocean, or global ocean is the interconnected system of the Earth 's Oceanic (or marine) Waters The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Southern Ocean, also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. 4 million square kilometres (41. 1 million square miles). It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek mythology, making the Atlantic the "Sea of Atlas". In Greek mythology, Atlas (Eng /'æt ləs/ Gk Ἄτλας was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The oldest known mention of this name is contained in The Histories of Herodotus around 450 BC (I 202); see also: Atlas Mountains. The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus is considered the first work of history in Western literature. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash The Atlas Mountains ( Kabyle: Idurar n leṭles جبال الأطلس) is a Mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about 2400 Before Europeans discovered other oceans, the term "ocean" was synonymous with the waters beyond Western Europe that we now know as the Atlantic and which the Greeks had believed to be a gigantic river encircling the world; see Oceanus. Ocean (Ὠκεανός was believed to be the world-ocean in Classical antiquity, which the ancient Romans and Greeks considered to be

The Atlantic Ocean occupies an elongated, S-shaped basin extending longitudinally between the Americas to the west, and Eurasia and Africa to the east. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America For the superstate in George Orwell 's novel see Nations of Nineteen Eighty-Four. A component of the all-encompassing World Ocean, it is connected in the north to the Arctic Ocean (which is sometimes considered a sea of the Atlantic), to the Pacific Ocean in the southwest, the Indian Ocean in the southeast, and the Southern Ocean in the south. The World Ocean, world ocean, or global ocean is the interconnected system of the Earth 's Oceanic (or marine) Waters The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Southern Ocean, also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of (Alternatively, in lieu of it connecting to the Southern Ocean, the Atlantic may be reckoned to extend southward to Antarctica. ) The equator subdivides it into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean. The equator (sometimes referred to colloquially as "the Line") is the intersection of the Earth 's surface with the plane perpendicular to the

The Atlantic Ocean, not including Arctic and Antarctic regions.
The Atlantic Ocean, not including Arctic and Antarctic regions. The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole.

Contents

Geography

The Atlantic Ocean as seen from the eastern coast of North America near the shared boundary of North and South Carolina on a hazy summer day.
The Atlantic Ocean as seen from the eastern coast of North America near the shared boundary of North and South Carolina on a hazy summer day.

The Atlantic Ocean is bounded on the west by North and South America. In the north and northeast, it's separated from the Arctic Ocean by the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Greenland, Iceland, Jan Mayen, Svalbard, and mainland Europe. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, also known as just the Arctic Archipelago, is an Archipelago north of the Canadian mainland in the Arctic Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Jan Mayen Island is a 55 km (34 miles long (southwest-northeast and 373 km² (144  mi²) in area Arctic Volcanic island in the Svalbard is an Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between Norway and the North Pole. It connects to the Arctic Ocean through the Denmark Strait, Greenland Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea. The Denmark Strait (Danmarksstrædet Grænlandssund the latter meaning Greenland Strait is a Strait between Greenland (northwest and Iceland The Greenland Sea is an area of the Arctic Ocean, considered the northern part of the Norwegian Sea, spanning Greenland, Svalbard, Currents In the Norwegian Sea and Greenland Sea surface water descends two to three kilometres down to the bottom of the ocean forming cold oxygen-rich groundwater The Barents Sea (Barentshavet Баренцево море is a part of the Arctic Ocean located north of Norway and Russia. To the east, the boundaries of the ocean proper are Europe, the Strait of Gibraltar (where it connects with the Mediterranean Sea, one of its marginal seas, and, in turn, the Black Sea), and Africa. The Strait of Gibraltar ( Arabic: مضيق جبل طارق Spanish: Estrecho de Gibraltar) is the Strait that connects the Atlantic A marginal sea is a part of an ocean partially enclosed by land such as Islands Archipelagos or Peninsulas Unlike mediterranean The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey In the southeast, the Atlantic merges into the Indian Ocean, the border being defined by the 20° East meridian, running south from Cape Agulhas to Antarctica. Cape Agulhas ( Portuguese: Cabo das Agulhas, "Cape of Needles" is the geographic southern tip of the African Continent While some authorities show the Atlantic Ocean extending south to Antarctica, others show it as bounded to the south by the Southern Ocean [1]. In the southwest, the Drake Passage connects it to the Pacific Ocean. The Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces -Sea of " Hoces "- is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, A man-made link between the Atlantic and Pacific is provided by the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is a man-made Canal in Panama which joins the Beside those mentioned, other large bodies of water adjacent to the Atlantic are the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay, the Arctic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Celtic Sea. For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The Celtic Sea (An Mhuir Cheilteach Y Môr Celtaidd An Mor Keltek Ar Mor Keltiek La Mer Celtique is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the South Coast

Covering approximately 22% of Earth's surface, the Atlantic Ocean is second only to the Pacific Ocean in size. With its adjacent seas it occupies an area of about 106,400,000 square kilometers (41,100,000 sq mi); without them, it has an area of 82,400,000 square kilometres (31,800,000 sq mi). Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The land area that drains into the Atlantic is four times that of either the Pacific or Indian oceans. The volume of the Atlantic Ocean with its adjacent seas is 354,700,000 cubic kilometers (85,100,000 cu mi) and without them 323,600,000 cubic kilometres (77,640,000 cu mi). CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. A cubic mile is an Imperial / US customary (non- SI non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States.

The average depths of the Atlantic, with its adjacent seas, is 3,339 meters (10,936 ft); without them it is 3,926 metres (12,881 ft). The greatest depth, 8,605 metres (28,232 ft), is in the Puerto Rico Trench. The Puerto Rico Trench is an Oceanic trench located on the boundary between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The width of the Atlantic varies from 2,848 kilometers (1,770 mi) between Brazil and Sierra Leone to over 4,000 mi (6,400 km) in the south. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa.

Ocean bottom

The Atlantic Ocean as seen from an airplane
The Atlantic Ocean as seen from an airplane

The principal feature of the bathymetry (bottom topography) of the Atlantic Ocean is a submarine mountain range called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to Hypsometry. The name comes from Greek βαθυς deep, and μετρον measure. Topography ( topo-, "place" and graphia, "writing" is the study of Earth 's Surface features or those of Planets The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR is a Mid-ocean ridge, a Divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. It extends from Iceland in the north to approximately 58° South latitude, reaching a maximum width of about 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi). A great rift valley also extends along the ridge over most of its length. A rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic Rift or fault. The depth of water over the ridge is less than 2,700 m (8,900 ft) in most places, and several mountain peaks rise above the water and form islands. The South Atlantic Ocean has an additional submarine ridge, the Walvis Ridge.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the Atlantic Ocean into two large troughs with depths averaging between 3,700 and 5,500 metres (12,000 and 18,000 ft). In geology a trough generally refers to a linear structural depression that extends laterally over a distance while being less steep than a trench. Transverse ridges running between the continents and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge divide the ocean floor into numerous basins. Some of the larger basins are the Blake, Guiana, North American, Cape Verde, and Canaries basins in the North Atlantic. The Blake Basin is a deep area of the Atlantic Ocean which runs along the East coast of the United States. The largest South Atlantic basins are the Angola, Cape, Argentina, and Brazil basins.

The deep ocean floor is thought to be fairly flat, although numerous seamounts and some guyots exist. A seamount is a Mountain rising from the Ocean Seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface ( Sea level) and thus is not an Island For the French viticulturist see Jules Guyot. For the Old French name see Guiot. Several deeps or trenches are also found on the ocean floor. The Puerto Rico Trench, in the North Atlantic, is the deepest. The Puerto Rico Trench is an Oceanic trench located on the boundary between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Laurentian Abyss is found off the eastern coast of Canada. The Laurentian Abyss is an underwater depression off of the eastern coast of Canada in the Atlantic Ocean. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page In the South Atlantic, the South Sandwich Trench reaches a depth of 8,428 metres (27,651 ft). The South Sandwich Trench is a deep arcuate trench in the South Atlantic Ocean lying 100 km to the east of the South Sandwich Islands. A third major trench, the Romanche Trench, is located near the equator and reaches a depth of about 7,454 metres (24,455 ft). The Romanche Trench, also called the Romanche Furrow or Romanche Gap, is the third deepest of the major trenches of the Atlantic Ocean, after The equator (sometimes referred to colloquially as "the Line") is the intersection of the Earth 's surface with the plane perpendicular to the The shelves along the margins of the continents constitute about 11% of the bottom topography. Several deep channels cut across the continental rise.

Ocean sediments are composed of terrigenous, pelagic, and authigenic material. Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of Terrigenous deposits consist of sand, mud, and rock particles formed by erosion, weathering, and volcanic activity on land and then washed to sea. These materials are found mostly on the continental shelves and are thickest off the mouths of large rivers or off desert coasts. The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each Continent and associated Coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such Pelagic deposits, which contain the remains of organisms that sink to the ocean floor, include red clays and Globigerina, pteropod, and siliceous oozes. The Globigerinida are a common group of Foraminiferans that are found as marine Plankton (other groups are primarily benthic Sea butterflies, also known as Thecosomata or flapping Snails, are a Taxonomic suborder of Pelagic swimming sea snails Covering most of the ocean floor and ranging in thickness from 60 to 3,300 metres (200 to 11,000 ft), they are thickest in the convergence belts and in the zones of upwelling. Authigenic deposits consist of such materials as manganese nodules. Polymetallic nodules, also called manganese nodules, are rock concretions on the Sea bottom formed of concentric layers of Iron and Manganese They occur where sedimentation proceeds slowly or where currents sort the deposits

Water characteristics

The Atlantic Ocean as seen from the west coast of Ireland on a fair day
The Atlantic Ocean as seen from the west coast of Ireland on a fair day

On average, the Atlantic is the saltiest of the world's major oceans; the salinity of the surface waters in the open ocean ranges from 33 to 37 parts per thousand (3. Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Salinity is the Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of Water. 3 - 3. 7%) by mass and varies with latitude and season. Surface salinity values are influenced by evaporation, precipitation, river inflow, and melting of sea ice. Sea ice is formed from Ocean water that freezes Because the Oceans consist of Saltwater, this occurs at about -1 Although the minimum salinity values are found just north of the equator (because of heavy tropical rainfall), in general the lowest values are in the high latitudes and along coasts where large rivers flow into the ocean. Maximum salinity values occur at about 25° north and south of the equator, in subtropical regions with low rainfall and high evaporation. The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of

Surface water temperatures, which vary with latitude, current systems, and season and reflect the latitudinal distribution of solar energy, range from less than −2 °C to 29 °C (28 °F to 84 °F). The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 Maximum temperatures occur north of the equator, and minimum values are found in the polar regions. In the middle latitudes, the area of maximum temperature variations, values may vary by 7 °C to 8 °C (13 °F to 14 °F).

The Atlantic Ocean consists of four major water masses. The North and South Atlantic central waters constitute the surface waters. The sub-Antarctic intermediate water extends to depths of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). The North Atlantic Deep Water reaches depths of as much as 4,000 metres (13,200 ft). North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW is a Water mass that forms in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Antarctic Bottom Water occupies ocean basins at depths greater than 4,000 metres (13,200 ft). The Antarctic Bottom Water ( AABW) is a type of Water mass in the seas surrounding Antarctica with temperatures ranging from 0 to -0

Within the North Atlantic, ocean currents isolate a large elongated body of water known as the Sargasso Sea, in which the salinity is noticeably higher than average. The Sargasso Sea is an elongated region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean surrounded by Ocean currents. The Sargasso Sea contains large amounts of seaweed and is also the spawning ground for both the European eel and the American eel. Seaweed is a loose colloquial term encompassing macroscopic Multicellular, benthic marine Algae. The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is a snake-like facultatively catadromous fish which can reach in exceptional cases a length of 1½  m, but is The American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a Catadromous Fish found on the eastern coast of North America.

Because of the Coriolis effect, water in the North Atlantic circulates in a clockwise direction, whereas water circulation in the South Atlantic is counter-clockwise. In physics the Coriolis effect is an apparent deflection of moving objects when they are viewed from a Rotating frame of reference. The south tides in the Atlantic Ocean are semi-diurnal; that is, two high tides occur during each 24 lunar hours. Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood The tides are a general wave that moves from south to north. In latitudes above 40° North some east-west oscillation occurs.

Climate

Waves in the 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 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

The climate of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent land areas is influenced by the temperatures of the surface waters and water currents as well as the winds blowing across the waters. The trade winds (also called trades) are the prevailing pattern of easterly winds found in the Tropics near the Earth's Equator. Because of the ocean's great capacity for retaining heat, maritime climates are more moderate and have less tendency toward extreme seasonal variations than inland climates. Precipitation can be approximated from coastal weather data and air temperature from the water temperatures. In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric The oceans are the major source of the atmospheric moisture that is obtained through evaporation. Climatic zones vary with latitude; the warmest climatic zones stretch across the Atlantic north of the equator. The coldest zones are in the high latitudes, with the coldest regions corresponding to the areas covered by sea ice. Ocean currents contribute to climatic control by transporting warm and cold waters to other regions. Adjacent land areas are affected by the winds that are cooled or warmed when blowing over these currents. The Gulf Stream and its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, for example, warms the atmosphere of the British Isles and north-western Europe, and the cold water currents contribute to heavy fog off the coast of eastern Canada (the Grand Banks area) and the north-western coast of Africa. The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful warm and swift Atlantic Ocean current that In general, winds tend to transport moisture and warm or cool air over land areas. Hurricanes develop in the southern part of the North Atlantic Ocean. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding

History

Pangaea separation animation, which formed the Atlantic Ocean known today.
Pangaea separation animation, which formed the Atlantic Ocean known today. Pangaea, Pangæa or Pangea (pænˈdʒiːə from παν pan, meaning entire, and Γαῖα Gaea, meaning Earth in

The Atlantic Ocean appears to be the second youngest of all five oceans. Evidence indicates that it did not exist prior to 130 million years ago, when the continents that formed from the breakup of the ancestral super continent, Pangaea, were being rifted apart by the process of seafloor spreading. Pangaea, Pangæa or Pangea (pænˈdʒiːə from παν pan, meaning entire, and Γαῖα Gaea, meaning Earth in The Atlantic has been extensively explored since the earliest settlements were established along its shores. The Vikings, the Portuguese, and Christopher Columbus were the most famous among its early explorers. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer After Columbus, European exploration rapidly accelerated, and many new trade routes were established. As a result, the Atlantic became and remains the major artery between Europe and the Americas (known as transatlantic trade). The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America The term transatlantic refers to something occurring all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Numerous scientific explorations have been undertaken, most famously the Challenger expedition, but also including those by the German Meteor expedition, Columbia University's Lamont Geological Observatory, and the United States Navy Hydrographic Office. The Challenger Expedition was a scientific expedition that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of Oceanography. Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. A hydrographic office is an organization which is devoted to acquiring and publishing hydrographic information

While there is evidence of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact of various dates, here are some important recent events in relation to the Atlantic:

Economy

The ocean has also contributed significantly to the development and economy of the countries around it. Besides its major transatlantic transportation and communication routes, the Atlantic offers abundant petroleum deposits in the sedimentary rocks of the continental shelves and the world's richest fishing resources, especially in the waters covering the shelves. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) The major species of fish caught are cod, haddock, hake, herring, and mackerel. Cod is the common name for the Genus Gadus of Fish, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name of a variety The haddock or offshore hake is a marine Fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. The term hake refers to Fish in either of family Gadidae (subfamily Phycinae family Merlucciidae (both Herring are small Oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow temperate waters of the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the North Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of Fish, mostly but not exclusively from the family Scombridae. The most productive areas include the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, the shelf area off Nova Scotia, Georges Bank off Cape Cod, the Bahama Banks, the waters around Iceland, the Irish Sea, the Dogger Bank of the North Sea, and the Falkland Banks. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Georges Bank is a large elevated area of the sea floor which separates the Gulf of Maine from the Atlantic Ocean and is situated between Cape Cod, Cape Cod (or simply the Cape to most New Englanders is a Peninsula nearly coextensive with Barnstable County Massachusetts and forming the easternmost The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, Dogger Bank (from dogge, an old Dutch word for fishing boat is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about 100 km off the coast Eel, lobster, and whales have also been taken in great quantities. True eels ( Anguilliformes) are an order of Fish, which consists of four suborders 19 families 110 Genera and approximately 600 Clawed lobsters compose a family ( Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine Crustaceans Lobsters are economically important as Whales are marine mammals which are neither Dolphins (ie members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor Porpoises Orcas All these factors, taken together, tremendously enhance the Atlantic's great commercial value. Because of the threats to the ocean environment presented by oil spills, marine debris, and the incineration of toxic wastes at sea, various international treaties exist to reduce some forms of pollution.

Terrain

Atlantic bathymetry
Atlantic bathymetry

The surface is usually covered with sea ice in the Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June. Bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to Hypsometry. The name comes from Greek βαθυς deep, and μετρον measure. Labrador Sea (French mer du Labrador) (60°00'N 55°00'W is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between Labrador and Greenland. There is a clockwise warm-water gyre in the northern Atlantic, and a counter-clockwise warm-water gyre in the southern Atlantic. A gyre is any manner of swirling Vortex. It is often used to describe large-scale Wind or Ocean currents. The ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin, first discovered by the Challenger Expedition. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR is a Mid-ocean ridge, a Divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The Challenger Expedition was a scientific expedition that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of Oceanography. This was formed by the vulcanism that also formed the floor of the Atlantic, and the islands rising from it.

The Atlantic Ocean has irregular coasts indented by numerous bays, gulfs, and seas. These include Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea, Labrador Sea, Black Sea, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine, Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey Gulf of Saint Lawrence (French golfe du Saint-Laurent) the world's largest Estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Tides Folklore in the Mi'kmaq First Nation claims that the tides in the Bay of Fundy are caused by a giant whale splashing in the water The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of North America. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere

Islands in the Atlantic Ocean include Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, The British Isles (including Great Britain, Ireland and numerous surrounding islands), Rockall, Newfoundland, Sable Island, Azores, Madeira, Bermuda, Canary Islands, Caribbean, Cape Verde, Sao Tome e Principe, Annobon Province, St. Peter, Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Ascension Island, Saint Helena, The Islands of Trindad, Tristan da Cunha, Diego Alverez (Also known as Gough Island), Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia Island, South Sandwich Islands, and Bouvet Island. Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe(s or Faeroes (Føroyar meaning " Sheep Islands" Færøerne Old Norse The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Rockall is a small uninhabited rocky Islet in the north Atlantic Ocean, and one of the sea areas named in the Shipping Forecast broadcast on BBC Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of Sable Island (French île de Sable) is a small Canadian island situated 180 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia The Azores ( Açores ɐˈsoɾɨʃ or) is a Portuguese Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1500 km (950  mi) from History See also History of Madeira Pre-Portuguese times Pliny mentions certain Purple Islands the position of which with reference to the Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting The Republic of Cape Verde ( Portuguese: Cabo Verde, 'kabu 'veɾdɨ is a Republic located on an Archipelago in the Macaronesia São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an Island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial Annobón (or Annabon or Anabon; from Ano bom Portuguese for Good Year) also known as Pagalu or Pigalu, is an Fernando de Noronha is an Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, around 354 km offshore Rocas Atoll (Atol das Rocas is an Atoll in the Atlantic Ocean at location. Ascension Island is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa Saint Helena (pronounced saint he-LEE-na) named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin and a British overseas territory The islands of Trindade (occasionally called Trinidad and Martim Vaz (also called Martin Vaz which are located about 1200 km East of Vitória in the Tristan da Cunha (ˈtrɪstən də ˈkuːnə is a group of remote volcanic Islands in the south Atlantic Ocean, 2816 km (1750 miles from South Gough Island (rhymes with cough; also known historically as Diego Alvarez) is a Volcanic island rising from the South Atlantic Ocean to Tierra del Fuego ( Spanish for " Land of Fire " in English tiˈɛərə dɛl ˈfweɪgoʊ] Spanish ˈtjerað̞elˈfweɰo is an Archipelago South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ( SGSSI) is a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ( SGSSI) is a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya also historically known as Liverpool Island or Lindsay Island) is an uninhabited Sub-antarctic volcanic Island

Elevation extremes

Natural resources

Petroleum and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones

Natural hazards

Icebergs are common in the Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands. Milwaukee Deep is the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean, with a maximum depth of 28231 feet (8605 meters and is part of the Puerto Rico Trench. This page is about the physical properties of gas as a state of matter Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Pinnipeds ("fin-feet" lit "winged feet" or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine Mammals comprising In Geology, a placer deposit or placer is an accumulation of valuable minerals formed by deposition of dense mineral phases in a trap site Polymetallic nodules, also called manganese nodules, are rock concretions on the Sea bottom formed of concentric layers of Iron and Manganese An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater Ice that has broken off from a snow-formed Glacier or Ice shelf and is floating in open water Davis Strait (Détroit de Davis lies between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of The Denmark Strait (Danmarksstrædet Grænlandssund the latter meaning Greenland Strait is a Strait between Greenland (northwest and Iceland Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. History See also History of Madeira Pre-Portuguese times Pliny mentions certain Purple Islands the position of which with reference to the Ships are subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May. A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline Icing on Ships is a serious hazard where cold Temperatures (below about -10°C combined with high Wind speed (typically force 8 or above on the Beaufort Persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September, as can hurricanes north of the equator (May to December).

The Bermuda Triangle is popularly believed to be the site of numerous aviation and shipping incidents because of unexplained and supposedly mysterious causes, but coast guard records do not support this belief. The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean in which a number of Aircraft and surface

Current environmental issues

Endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales. Manatees ( family Trichechidae, Genus Trichechus) are large fully aquatic Marine mammals sometimes known as sea Pinnipeds ("fin-feet" lit "winged feet" or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine Mammals comprising For other uses of the term "sea lion" see Sea lion (disambiguation. Turtles are Reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the Crown group Chelonia) most of Whales are marine mammals which are neither Dolphins (ie members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor Porpoises Orcas Drift net fishing is killing dolphins, albatrosses and other seabirds (petrels, auks), hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes [2]. Drift netting is a Fishing technique where nets, called drift nets, are allowed to drift free in a sea or lake Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large Seabirds allied to the procellariids, Storm-petrels and Diving-petrels This article is about the petrel seabirds For other uses see Petrel (disambiguation. This article is about a family of birds For the American ornithological journal see The Auk. There is municipal sludge pollution off the eastern United States, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; and industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world Lake Maracaibo is a large Brackish Lake in Venezuela at. It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait (55km on the northern edge The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude.

In 2005, there was some concern that the currents warming northern Europe were slowing down, but no scientific consensus was formed based on the reported evidence. [3]

On June 7, 2006, Florida's wildlife commission voted to take the manatee off of the state's endangered species list. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Some environmentalists worry that this could erode safeguards for the popular sea creature.

Marine pollution

Main article: Marine pollution

Marine pollution is a generic term for the harmful entry into the ocean of chemicals or particles. Marine pollution is the harmful effect caused by the entry into the ocean of chemicals particles, or Plastic debris. The biggest culprit are rivers that empty into the Ocean, and with it the many chemicals used as fertilizers in agriculture as well as waste from livestock and humans. Fertilizers ( also spelt fertiliser are chemical compounds given to Plants to promote growth they are usually applied either through the soil for uptake by plant Livestock is the term used to refer (singularly or plurally to a Domesticated Animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce such as Food Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus The excess of oxygen depleting chemicals in the water leads to hypoxia and the creation of a dead zone. For other uses of the term "hypoxia" see Hypoxia. Hypoxia or oxygen depletion is a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments This page is about the oceanic phenomenon see Dead Zone for other uses [4]

See also: Ship pollution

Major ports and harbours

Main article: List of ports and harbours of the Atlantic Ocean

See also

References

  1. ^ Limits of Oceans and Seas. Ship pollution is the pollution of air and Water by Shipping. This is a list of ports and harbours of the Atlantic Ocean, in alphabetic order by continent and then country The term transatlantic refers to something occurring all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Transatlantic flight is the flight of an Aircraft, whether Fixed-wing aircraft, Balloon or other device which involves crossing the Atlantic Ocean This is a list of Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Azores São Miguel Santa Maria Ocean Highway was a designation established early in the 20th century for a combination of roadways and water-crossings for motor vehicles which would generally traverse as close as The Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans explored Shutdown or slowdown of the Thermohaline circulation is a postulated effect of global warming. International Hydrographic Organization Special Publication No. 23, 1953.
  2. ^ animallaw. info: Problems and Prospects for the Pelagic Driftnet [1]
  3. ^ Atlantic Ocean's 'Heat Engine' Chills Down by Christopher Joyce. All Things Considered, National Public Radio, 30 Nov, 2005.
  4. ^ Gerlach: Marine Pollution, Springer, Berlin (1975)

Much of this article comes from the public domain site http://oceanographer. navy. mil/atlantic. html (dead link). A dead link (also called a broken link or dangling link) is a link on the World Wide Web that points to a Web page or server It is now accessible from the Internet Archive at http://web.archive.org/web/20020221215514/http%3a//oceanographer.navy.mil/atlantic.html. The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and

External links

Dictionary

Atlantic Ocean

-proper noun

  1. The ocean lying between the Americas to the west and Europe and Africa to the east.
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