Portal maintenance status:(September 2020)
|
– Hover over image and scroll to middle for controls to see more selected panorama images –
| Earth's ocean |
|---|
Main five oceans division: Further subdivision: Marginal seas |

Theocean is the body ofsalt water that covers approximately 70.8% ofEarth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to asoceans (in descending order by area: thePacific Ocean, theAtlantic Ocean, theIndian Ocean, theAntarctic/Southern Ocean, and theArctic Ocean), and are themselves mostly divided intoseas,gulfs andsubsequent bodies of water. The ocean contains 97% ofEarth's water and is the primary component of Earth'shydrosphere, acting as a hugereservoir of heat forEarth's energy budget, as well as for itscarbon cycle andwater cycle, forming the basis forclimate andweather patterns worldwide. The ocean is essential tolife on Earth, harbouring most of Earth's animals andprotist life, originatingphotosynthesis andtherefore Earth's atmospheric oxygen, still supplying half of it. (Full article...)

Asea is a largebody ofsalt water. There areparticular seas andthe sea.The sea commonly refers to theocean, the interconnected body ofseawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular seas are eithermarginal seas, second-order sections of the oceanic sea (e.g. theMediterranean Sea), or certain large, nearly landlocked bodies of water. (Full article...)
Oceanography (from Ancient Greek ὠκεανός (ōkeanós) 'ocean' and γραφή (graphḗ) 'writing'), also known asoceanology,sea science,ocean science, andmarine science, is the scientific study of theocean, including itsphysics,chemistry,biology, andgeology. (Full article...)
TheBaltic Sea is an arm of theAtlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries ofDenmark,Estonia,Finland,Germany,Latvia,Lithuania,Poland,Russia,Sweden, and theNorth and CentralEuropean Plain regions. It is the world's largestbrackish water basin.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 10°E to 30°E longitude. It is ashelf sea andmarginal sea of the Atlantic with limited water exchange between the two, making it aninland sea. The Baltic Sea drains through theDanish straits into theKattegat by way of theØresund,Great Belt andLittle Belt. It includes theGulf of Bothnia (divided into theBothnian Bay and theBothnian Sea), theGulf of Finland, theGulf of Riga and theBay of Gdańsk. (Full article...)
| Marine habitats |
|---|
| Coastal habitats |
| Ocean surface |
| Open ocean |
| Sea floor |
Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
|
The followingWikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
| Admiralty and maritime law |
|---|
| History |
| Features |
| Contract of carriage /charterparty |
| Parties |
| Judiciaries |
| International organizations |
| International conventions |
|
| International Codes |

Do you have a question about oceans, seas or oceanography that you can't find the answer to? Consider asking it at theWikipedia reference desk.
