Characteristics of the Pacific Ocean is an ocean located between three continents in the world at the same time, that is the continents of Asia, America and Australia where when we are viewing from the Globe, it appears to cover up to half of the earth’s surface. If we viewed Pacific itself from the side of the language, it comes from the term “pacifio (Italian)” which means “calm”. Named the Pacific because the waves from the Ocean tend to be quieter than the waves in the other Oceans in the world.
Also Read:
Characteristics of the Pacific Ocean
The area of the Ocean reaches approximately 165 million square kilometers stretching from the West side of America, the coast of China to the territory of Australia. The length of the Ocean reaches 15,500 km and is very wide which stretches from the Indonesian archipelago to the Colombia region, its width counts around 19,800 km. This ocean also has a variety of seafloor reliefs.
The boundaries of the Pacific Ocean include;
1) on the east bounded by the coast of America,
2) on the west bounded between Asia and Australia, 3) on the north bounded by another ocean, the Arctic Ocean, 4) to the south of the Continent of Anthrax.
After knowing the general description of the Pacific Ocean, in more detail let us discuss together the special characteristics of the Ocean that distinguish it from the others. The characteristics of the Pacific Ocean are as follows:
1.Name of the Pacific Ocean
One of the uniqueness that describes the characteristics of the Pacific Ocean is its own name which in our language is often referred to as “lautan teduh” or in Italian referred to as “Pacifio” which means calm. The name according to historical records was given by an explorer from the Portuguese region named Fernando de Magelhaens, according to him on his journey in the Pacific region he felt the calm of the ocean when compared to other seas. So that’s where the inspiration came from that the ocean was suitable to be named with the Pacific Ocean. (Also Read: Superpower Country)
2. The Widest Ocean in the World
As mentioned above, the total area of the Ocean reaches 165 million km, and some even say it reaches (179.7 million) km. This area when compared with our earth which reaches around 510, 1 km means that almost 1/3 of this earth is represented by the Pacific Ocean. Even with the vastness of the three continental plains that exist in this earth, almost a few parts of this earth are crossed by the Pacific Ocean.
3. The Most Deep Trough / Ocean in the World
The next feature of the Pacific Ocean is the deepest trough in the world which is called the Mariana Trench. The sea trough itself is simply interpreted as a V-shaped ravine located on the seabed which is a zone of the deep sea, the Mariana Trench has a phenomenal depth of 10,911 meters below sea level, we can imagine how deep this trough would be if we compare the mountain height above the sea level.
Even the highest mountain in the world does not reach that height. This trough is the deepest point on this earth and we can be sure no one has been able to reach that depth. So that on this Ocean is the location of the deepest sea in the world.
4. Crossed by the International Date Line
The international date line is the meeting line between east longitude (EL) and west longitude (WL) as a result of international convection with the contents of the agreement that the line is used as the basis for the time change point. This line extends starting from the Bering Strait to the Pacific Ocean.
The line that has another name for Time Zone is the antipoda from the main meridian, which is Greenwich (0 degrees) after which according to convection each distance is 15 degrees, the difference in time plus 1 hour to the biggest point with a time difference of 12 hours. This agreement is the most proportional decision without disrupting human daily activities.
Also Read:
- ASEAN Member Countries
- Countries with the Best Education
- Countries with the highest number of language
5. Ocean currents of the Pacific Ocean
One of the things that can distinguish an Ocean from another Ocean is its current pattern. Especially for ocean currents from the Pacific Ocean, there are four types of currents, that is: (Read: marine morphology)
- North Equatorial Flow. The current generated at the same time driven by the Northeast wind is a type of heat flow. Flowing west side following the equator. (read: monsoon wind)
- Kuroshio’s current. This current flows northward which is driven by the west wind. This current is a form of continuation of the North Equatorial current, after flowing into the western Arctic because it is driven by the west wind, this current then flows northwards starting from the northern part of the Philippine island, then east of Japan to the Canada (North America) region. (read: western monsoon)
- California Flow. The next type of current that belongs to the Pacific Ocean is the pattern of the California flow. Different from the two previous currents which are hot currents. This current is a cold current with a deviant pattern. As with the pattern of previous currents, this current is a continuation of the Kuroshio Flow which starts from North America to the south towards the equator.
- Oyashio Flow. The type of this current is a cold current, flowing southward starting from the Bering Strait to the Japanese Region where this current then meets the Kuroshio current which is a type of hot current. This current is driven by the east wind.
6. Tropical Storm Center
Surely we are familiar with the storm that has the name “El-Nino” which is a form of temperature irregularities in the Pacific region in the east and center which then causes an increase in temperature in the atmosphere so that it has an impact on inconsistencies in weather conditions.
One of the effects of this storm is usually in areas that generally occur in the rainy season, the dry season actually occurs, on the contrary in areas that should be a dry season the rainy season actually occurs.
Also, read:
- The process of El-Nino and La-Nina
- Division of seasons in Indonesia
- Impact of El Nino and La Nina
- How to prevent El Nino
7. Underwater Volcano
The surprising fact that is presented in the Pacific Ocean region is the discovery of a mountain with a width of 643 km, which is under the ocean of the Pacific Ocean. This mountain was discovered by Texas A & M University, therefore the first name of this mountain is “TAMU” and added with “Massif” as a representative of its mountainous structure. This mountain is a shield volcano type mountain where the dome or area is still closed.
8. Full of Islands
The seventh characteristic of the Pacific Ocean is the presence of volcanoes under the sea. On this Ocean lies various islands dominated by small islands and several large islands, accounting for as many as 25,000 islands, the majority of which are on the equator. With a large number of islands owned, this Ocean is the Ocean that has the largest island compared to other Oceans.
9. The Longest Coral in the World
Great Barrier Reef is the big name of the world’s longest reef located in the Pacific Ocean. At this location 3,000 and 900 islands are gathered along 2,600 km. Because of the large coral in this region, we can see it from satellites.
Its natural wealth attracts many tourists in the form of small organisms called coral polyps. In 1981 this reef was confirmed by UNESCO as a world heritage.
Also Read:
Types of Oceans
In the above has been discussed in one type of Ocean in the World. This time we will discuss the notion of the Ocean itself. Ocean itself is simply interpreted as a set of various high seas to form a very wide sea. When viewed from the differences, the differences between the sea and the ocean can be distorted as follows:
- Sea and Ocean have a very striking difference because indeed the oceans themselves are a collection of the sea so that the area is the accumulation of the vast sea itself; (Read: division of the sea)
- Even from the depths of the ocean, surely the deepest trough is one of the Mariana troughs. Whereas the sea does not necessarily have a deep trough;
- In terms of its location, the ocean always stretches and even divides between several continents. While the sea is only limited to islands or countries.
Related to the types of oceans, in this world there are 5 (five) types of oceans, that is:
1.Antarctic Ocean
It is an ocean with an area of about 20 million km, salty water, the area is dominated by ice, and its temperature is varied. The ocean that surrounds the Antarctic continent when compared to 5 oceans on the other earth has an area and depth in the order of number 4 (four).
2. Pacific Ocean
Regarding the details of this ocean, we discussed earlier above, only this time it is emphasized again that this ocean is an ocean that has the largest area and depth in the world.
3. Indian Ocean
The ocean with an area of 65 million kilometers if it is prospected based on the area of the earth represents around 20 percent of the total surface area of the earth. This ocean when compared to other oceans in the world ranks the third largest in the world. The Indian Ocean also has another name for the Indonesian Ocean.
This ocean ranks the second largest of the 5 types of oceans that are spread in the world with an area of 106 million km. Not only is the vast expanse of sea offered but also the depth of the sea which reaches almost an average of 3,800 meters. On this Ocean, there is also a deep trough called the Puerto Rico Trench that has a depth of about 8,646 meters.
5. Arctic Ocean
The fifth ocean is the Arctic Ocean, compared to the other 5 Oceans, this ocean is the narrowest and most shallow ocean. The area is around 15 million km with the deepest point reaching 5,500 meters. One of the main characteristics of these oceans is that they are dominated by ice sheets and found many islands and islands such as Greenland.
Also, read:
- cross-section of the sea floor
- the depth of the sea
- sea water pollution
- how to preserve the sea and the environment
Thus the explanation about the characteristics of the Pacific Ocean in detail. Through the reviews above, we can understand how the characteristics of the Pacific Ocean really are. At the same time we can distinguish them from other Oceans in the world.