The warmest of the 4 oceans. The warmest ocean in the world is the Pacific Ocean

in the world. At breaks, you probably thought about which and which ones. Do you know which ocean is the warmest in the world? Let's talk about it.

The warmest ocean: list

We have carefully examined the information recorded in the book "Geography of Continents and Oceans", and based on it we have compiled a list that will help you find out which ocean is the warmest on earth.

4 - Arctic Ocean

The smallest and coldest ocean, which occupies only 14.75 million km², is the Arctic Ocean. There are several layers of water masses here. For example, in the Norwegian Sea, the water temperature varies from 6 to 8 ˚С. But in the East Greenland Current, measuring instruments show 1˚С. By the way, +1˚С- this is the average water temperature in the Arctic Ocean.

Note: now the fifth ocean is also distinguished - the South. We tried to find out the average water temperature, but could not. There is information that in the southern regions in winter the water temperature is 1.8-1.9 °C. Off the coast of Antarctica in summer - -1 to 0.5 ° С.

3 - Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean covers an area of ​​92 million km and most of it lies in belts that are under the rays of the sun all year round. Therefore, in the central part of the ocean, the water temperature warms up to + 28 ˚С, and in the northern and southern parts - 0˚С. Average water temperature - 16.5˚С.

The water in the ocean is desalinated, so there are no corals to be found there. But there are enough marine life here: flounder, perch, sardine. In addition, shrimp, lobsters, cuttlefish and oysters are caught in the ocean. There are also dolphins, swordfish and sharks.

2 - Indian Ocean

It cannot be said that the Indian Ocean is the warmest, so in our rating we give it the second step. Despite the fact that the water temperature in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf reaches up to + 35˚С, there are places that are very cold, for example, off the coast of Antarctica - minus 1.8 ˚С. The average water temperature in the Indian Ocean is +17.3˚С.

If we take into account the color of the waters of the Pacific Ocean, they have a blue tint, the waters of the Indian Ocean are dark blue. These places are famous for their coral "spots", among which are the well-known Maldives. You should not bypass other riches of the ocean - in this place there are large areas where pearls, diamonds and emeralds were mined.

The shores of the Indian Ocean are considered the most beautiful, so if you are planning to go on a trip, visit these unique places. They attract tourists with their indescribable beauty and mystery.

An interesting fact: the temperature of the world's oceans at a depth of 2 to 4 thousand meters is constant - 0 - + 2˚С.

1 - Pacific Ocean

We assign the first place in our rating to the Pacific Ocean. Why is the Pacific Ocean the warmest? Because most of it is located in latitudes that warm up well. Unfortunately, the water temperature in the central region and in the north is different, if in one place you can swim and sunbathe in the sun, then in another you won’t even want to take off your jacket. Judge for yourself: in the central regions of the ocean, the water temperature is in the range of +25 - 29˚ Celsius, while in the northern part it will not exceed + 8˚С. The coldest water off the coast of Antarctica. Its temperature is below 0°C. But if we take the average indicators, then they are 2 degrees more than that of the Indian - 19.4˚С.

Planet Water. So it is more correct to call the third planet from the Sun. After all, several oceans, dozens of seas, an innumerable number of lakes, rivers, swamps, streams occupy most of the Earth. Judging by the requests, few people are interested in the Arctic Ocean, Antarctica with their harsh climate. But to find out why the Pacific Ocean is the warmest, many seek to find out. But is it really so? After all, the Indian Ocean, even judging simply from the name, seems to be much more hospitable, suitable for bathing land inhabitants, especially their highest stage of development - tourists. It is worth looking into this issue.

The struggle of two oceans

What does geographic statistics say?

• Indian Ocean. Washes Asia, Africa, Australia, India, such wonderful places as Madagascar, Seychelles, Maldives. The Red, Arabian Seas, Persian Gulf are part of it. Accordingly, the sun in such climatic latitudes warms it up quite a lot. The temperature at the surface of the water in most resorts is about + 30℃, and the average ocean temperature is + 17.3℃.

• Pacific Ocean. The deepest and largest on the planet - three times the Indian, almost a third of the surface and more than all the land of the Earth. It got its name from Magellan, who managed to avoid a storm for three months during his historic journey around the Earth. In fact, the nature of the Pacific Ocean is far from calm. About 80% of the emerging tsunamis, eruptions of many underwater volcanoes, catastrophic hurricanes and storms are his contribution to the work of news channels.

Its average temperature is almost + 19.4℃, which is 2 degrees more than that of the Indian. This is despite the fact that it washes, in addition to South America, the warm islands of Southeast Asia, and Antarctica. However, just like the Indian Ocean. Off the coast of Antarctica, its waters are covered with ice.

clue

The main part of the Pacific Ocean is located in the latitudes of the planet's equator, which, given its total mass and volume, allows it to accumulate maximum heat reserves compared to other competitors.

That is why both the animal world and people vote when choosing a place of permanent residence precisely for the Pacific Ocean, its coast:

• More than 100 thousand animals, of which almost 4 thousand different fish. Up to 60% of the commercial fish catch comes from this ocean.
• 850 algae, more than 6 thousand mollusks.
• More than half of the world's population lives in 50 states located on its coast, numerous islands, of which there are more than 10 thousand, including, such as New Guinea, Java, Kalimantan, Japanese, Taiwan, Sakhalin.

The answer to the question "Why is the Pacific Ocean the warmest?" gives some understanding of how everything in the universe is interconnected, intertwined. Well, the best way to determine which of the oceans is warmer is to visit the coast, the islands of each of the existing on Earth, except for Antarctica, Antarctica. Although there are always lovers of extreme travel and the kingdom of eternal cold.

The temperature in different parts of the oceans differs, sometimes quite significantly, but scientists have developed a formula according to which the average temperature in each of the oceans of the planet is determined. To determine which one is the warmest, let's recall the school curriculum in geography. Let's start with the fact that there are only four oceans on the planet: the Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian. And then we turn on the logic.

The Atlantic Ocean has a fairly large extent, in the northern parts mixing with the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean, which do not have the best effect on the temperature regime. Despite the fact that it is in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean that the warmest and largest current in the world, the Gulf Stream, is located, this has little effect on the general temperature regime. Closer to Antarctica, the waters get warmer, but this is not enough.

The Arctic Ocean is located in the north, in the coldest part of our planet, where there are eternal snows, glaciers and other delights of life, that is, this ocean does not automatically fit the role of "warmest".

Indian VS. Quiet

By elimination, we identified two oceans, one of which can be considered the warmest.

In favor of the Indian Ocean is the fact that the warmest sea (Red) flows into it, the warmest bay in the world (Persian), and the latitudes in which its waters are located, in general, can make many call it the warmest, but no. The average annual water temperature in the equatorial zone is very high: in the Persian Gulf, which we talked about earlier, it rises to 32 degrees Celsius.

According to official data on the average annual temperature of the waters in the oceans, with an indicator of 19 degrees, the Pacific Ocean is considered the leader, which is only 2 degrees ahead of the Indian.

The Pacific Ocean is the warmest

In general, the Pacific Ocean is a champion in many aspects: not only in water temperature, but also in area and length. Water accumulates heat, so it plays into his hands.

It's funny, but the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe ocean is approximately 30 million square meters. km more than the entire land surface area.

The lion's share of the ocean falls on the equator, where there is a huge number of resorts, all year round waiting for tourists from different parts of the world - Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand, Bora Bora and many others.

Who and when discovered the Pacific Ocean

Ferdinand Magellan is called the discoverer of the "warmest" ocean. Along the way, the expedition did not get into a single storm, so the ocean was named "Pacific", although it was originally called "Great". It is amazing how no one had discovered these waters before - they were waiting for him and 1520.

So no, don't wait! The first European to enter the waters of the Pacific Ocean several decades before Magellan's expedition was the Spaniard Nunez de Balboa, who proposed the name "South Sea" - having got through the Isthmus of Panama only into the bay, he could not understand the full power of his discovery.

In the 18th century, it was proposed to rename the Quiet to Veliky, but this name never caught on.

Russian navigators and pioneers distinguished themselves: until the 20s of the 20th century, the Pacific Ocean was listed as the “Pacific Sea” or “Eastern Ocean” in domestic maps.

The relief of the ocean floor

As for the relief, the ocean floor in the eastern parts is relatively flat, while in the central parts there are bumps, depressions and basins. Here is the deepest point - the Mariana Trench or the Mariana Trench, the depth of which reaches 11 kilometers. The central part of the Pacific Ocean is covered by a volcanic belt, which often “spoils” scientists with eruptions. Near such seamounts there are often coral buildings that make up entire islands.

The Pacific floor contains rich deposits of oil, gas and other minerals.

Hydrological regime

The formation of currents is associated with the patterns of circulation of air masses in the atmosphere. The largest currents of the Pacific Ocean are: Kuroshio, Peruvian, Northeast Tradewind, East Australian.

The highest level of water salinity is observed in tropical zones, where there is a lot of evaporation and quite little precipitation.

Ice formation occurs only near Antarctica, in the Bering, Okhotsk and Japan seas.

Who and what lives in the waters of the Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean contains more than 50% of the total biomass of marine life. This can be seen especially clearly in the tropical and subtropical zones, where the species diversity is many times greater than all other oceans.

More than 100 thousand species of marine life live in the waters of the world's warmest ocean, which is not surprising, given the fact that its area is half the surface area of ​​the oceans. Scientists and researchers continue to be surprised by finding new marine life in the depths of the ocean.

Ecological problems

The species diversity in the Pacific Ocean is, of course, at the level, but human economic activity has already managed to thin out the ranks of the inhabitants of the deep sea. So, sea cows disappeared in the Bering Sea.

But not only intensive fishing negatively affects the state of the ocean waters - the lion's share of pollution falls on oil and oil products spilled after the collapse of tankers or when these products are extracted from the ocean floor, heavy metals or waste from hazardous industries that enter the water through unauthorized dumping of waste.

So, scientists have recognized the Pacific Ocean as the warmest, although not all parts of it can swim and bask in the sun.

It is the largest and deepest, the Arctic - the smallest and coldest, the Atlantic - the most salty. Which ocean is the warmest? Indian! It is considered the third largest and covers an area of ​​about 76 million square kilometers, washing the shores of Antarctica, Australia, Eurasia and Africa. It has a complex bottom relief, which is formed by the continental plates: Hindustan, Arabian, African and Antarctic.

Mid-ocean ridges are located at the junction of the plates. They divide the bottom of the ocean into three parts. The depth (on average) is approximately 4 thousand square meters. The maximum depth in it is fixed at a level of more than 7.5 thousand meters.

So, Indian - the warmest ocean. This is due to the fact that its northern part is the warmest compared to other oceans due to good heating and isolation from cold water masses. In the water area is the Persian Gulf, the water temperature of which reaches more than 30 degrees, and the Red Sea, which is considered the warmest in the world, flows into the ocean.

The warmest ocean also has the highest salinity. The reason for this is the high evaporation and also the lack of sufficient water desalination.

The Indian Ocean is characterized by monsoons. This is due to the extensive borders with the continents.

The contrasting pressure over the ocean and over land causes strong winds. In winter, a high pressure area over Asia contributes to the formation of a northeast monsoon, and in summer it changes to a humid southwest monsoon. In summer, there are winds with a force of more than 7 points. In winter, the weather is more severe (in the form of floods and hurricanes on land). The southeast trade wind prevails. The high speed of the trade winds and monsoons creates surface currents that change every season. The largest such current is the Somali. It flows from north to south in winter and reverses direction in summer.

The warmest ocean has a wide variety of flora and fauna. The richness of living organisms and plants is most widely represented in the coastal regions and the tropical region. The water mass is saturated with plankton - food for large fish.

The most numerous fish in the Indian Ocean are a variety of sharks, tuna, dolphins. Sea giant turtles and snakes, cetaceans, seals are found, brown and coral structures and polyps are widespread in the constantly warm water area. of origin Sri Lanka and Madagascar are considered the largest. To determine which is the warmest ocean on the globe, the fact that such popular resort islands as the Seychelles and the Maldives are located in the water expanses of the Indian Ocean.

Natural resources near the Indian Ocean are used less compared to the resources of other oceans. Although fishing plays an important role in the economy of many countries. And the main commercial fish is tuna. The warmest ocean is rich in oil and gas. In terms of their reserves and production, it ranks first. And one of the largest oil fields is the Persian Gulf.

This question cannot be answered immediately, without hesitation. From the lessons of geography, most know about the existence of four oceans: the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific. But not everyone remembers which ocean is the warmest in temperature. But this can be sorted out.

What waters are taken into account in this case - surface or deep? Since the sun's heat penetrates only a couple of meters deep into the water column, it is this temperature that is measured. Firstly, because the deep-sea masses of all the oceans keep an approximately stable +2 ° C, and secondly, only 5% of the ocean floor has been studied, and therefore it is difficult to say that any data is final.

Interestingly, the four oceans together make up the World Ocean. The amplitude of average temperatures at different latitudes is quite large here: if at 5-10° north latitude it is +27.4°C, then at 70-80° south latitude it is only -1.8°C. And which ocean is the warmest, if we talk about averages?

Arctic

Although, by the method of logical exclusion, this ocean can be crossed out even based on its name, but in fairness it is necessary to mention the average temperature of its waters. It ranges from 0 °С to -4 °С. Icebergs and drifting blocks of ice are proof of this. And no wonder, because the air temperature there reaches from -20 ° C to -40 ° C.

Atlantic Ocean

This is the next candidate for elimination from the list of warm oceans. Its geographic location is to blame: the Atlantic Ocean stretches in an elongated strip from one pole to another. And although there are many warm equatorial masses in his possessions, nevertheless, his waters in large areas are in contact with the cold Arctic Ocean, and this affects the overall average temperature, which is +16 ° С. Moreover, the waters near the equator would not have saved the situation anyway, because their average temperature (+27 ° C) is still less than the temperature of similar waters in the Indian Ocean. So, this is by no means the warmest ocean.

So, there are two options left - Quiet and Indian. Moreover, when answering the question of which ocean is the warmest, of both, the majority will choose the latter. But is it?

Indian Ocean

Why does an ordinary person believe that he is the warmest ocean? If we do not talk about dry statistical data yet, then the point here is in associations. For many, the Indian Ocean is closely associated with such resorts as the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and India itself. It is there that many of our compatriots go to warm their bones.

In addition, the Red Sea flows into the Indian Ocean, and, as you know, it is the warmest sea on the planet (the average water temperature is + 34 ... + 35 ° С, and this is far from the maximum). The coast of Australia is washed by rather warm waters (+29 °С). Plus, in the Persian Gulf, which also belongs to the Indian Ocean, the thermometer shows +30 ... +32 ° С! Why not a jacuzzi?

And so, everything seems to be developing in such a way that the Indian Ocean should take the lead in terms of such an indicator as surface water temperature, but the numbers are a harsh thing, you can’t argue with them. The average temperature of the water masses is +17 °C. Although in subtropical latitudes the thermometer needle touches +20 ° C, the whole point is icebergs that float in the southern part of the ocean and significantly cool the waters. Therefore, the overall total temperature is lower.

The warmest ocean is the Pacific

It is he who receives the palm. Although in fairness it should be noted that the gap from the Indian one is small and amounts to only 2 ° C. That is, the average temperature of the Pacific Ocean is +19 ° C, and therefore it is known as the warmest ocean in terms of surface water temperature.

But how is this possible, given that this ocean also touches both the cold Arctic and the icy Antarctic? The whole secret is in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe water area. It turns out that the size of the water surface, located in hot latitudes and saturated with the warmth of the sun, exceeds the size of the same waters of other oceans, in particular the Indian. That is, the Pacific Ocean took the lead due to the huge area of ​​warm waters.

These waters wash Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Indonesia, Hawaii. Holidays at these and many other resorts are chosen by thousands of tourists every year, partly due to the fact that this is the warmest ocean.