Interesting Pacific Ocean Facts
The Pacific ocean is about a third of the surface area of the earth, making it the biggest ocean on planet earth. Do you know that the Pacific ocean is so deep that it can completely cover the whole of Mountain Everest? Keep reading to explore some fascinating facts about the Pacific Ocen,
Ring Of Fire Pacific Ocean Facts
1. The ring of fire that is located in the Pacific ocean is pretty large at about 40,000 kilometers long.
2. The ring of fire is so vast that it covers so many countries, from the Americas to Australia.
3. The ring of fire is the location of the deepest ocean trench on the planet earth.
4. The existence of the ring of fire is possible because of plate tectonics.
5. The ring of fire is the home of so many volcanoes, both active and dormant that it is about 452 in number.
6. One positive thing about this location is that it is a potential producer of geothermal energy.
7. Most of the world’s worst earthquakes and volcanic events can be traced to the ring of fire.
8. There’s a hypothesis that states that maybe in the future, a Supercontinent may spring up from here.
9. The shape of the ring of fire is more like that of a horseshoe.
10. More than 90% of all the earthquakes that occur on planet earth happen in the ring of fire.
11. The person who named the Pacific ocean, which meant peaceful, never knew that there was a volcanic place like the ring of fire.
Pacific Ocean Map Facts
12. In terms of being large, the Pacific ocean takes the spotlight on this category with 165,250,000 square kilometers.
13. The Pacific ocean was named by a Portuguese, an explorer, who gave it the name Mar Pacifico.
14. The Pacific ocean makes up almost half of the water bodies in the whole world, making up about 46%.
15. The Pacific Ocean occupies major parts of the earth’s surface at more than 28%.
16. If all the land in the whole world was combined, the Pacific ocean would still be bigger.
17. Half of all the free water that the planet earth has comes from this ocean.
18. This ocean is full of so many volcanoes that are both dormant and active and also earthquake-prone areas.
19. It has been recorded that the average depth in the Pacific ocean is approximately 3900 meters.
20. It is home to the deepest part of the earth called the Mariana trench.
21. Every year, the size of the Pacific ocean reduces gradually at about 0.5km².
22. There’s a place in the Pacific, known as Point Nemo, where it will take you longer to see a coastline than any other place in the Pacific ocean.
23. When the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean are combined the Pacific will still be larger.
Pacific Ocean Animals Facts
24. The Pacific oceans have many species of penguins living in them, especially from South Africa.
25. Dugong, a sea animal whose major food is seagrass, has its habitat in this water body.
26. Orca, the killer whale, is found in large numbers in the Pacific ocean.
27. One of the big seal species, the elephant seal, has its home in the depths of the Pacific ocean.
28. In the northern and eastern parts of the Pacific ocean, sea otters are found in large numbers there.
29. The biggest species of rays, the Manta rays, are found in larger numbers than any place in the Pacific ocean.
30. Weighing more than 1000 pounds, the biggest of the Otariidae family, the steller sea lion inhabits the Pacific ocean.
Pacific Ocean Depth Facts
31. It is in this ocean that you will find the deepest part of the world at a depth of 10,984 meters.
32. The average depth of the whole part of the Pacific is 14,040 feet.
33. The Pacific ocean is so deep that it can completely cover the whole of Mountain Everest.
34. The deepest part of the ocean is located on the western side of it.
35. The pressure at the deepest part of this ocean is more than 1000 times bigger than the normal atmospheric pressure.
Plastics In the Pacific Ocean Facts
36. More than two-thirds of all the plastic waste in the ocean lies in the Pacific ocean.
37. There is so much plastic that is found in the Pacific that more than 2 trillion plastic is found there.
38. Recently, scientists have recorded animals living in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
39. The concern that scientists have about the plastics in the Pacific is that they will help the introduction of invasive species.
40. Plastic that is deposited in the Pacific Ocean has ended up creating a permanent habitat for marine life.
41. Research shows that fishes have 9.3% of their stomach content as plastics.
42. Fishes that live in the Pacific Ocean take in about 10,000 to 25,000 tons of plastic annually.
43. The major effect that plastic has on dishes in the Pacific Ocean is that it poses a risk of extinction to some species.
44. Plastic bottles are the major constituents of the plastic wastes in this ocean.
45. Most of the plastic wastes in this ocean are micro-plastic, which means they are not visible to the physical eyes.
46. Scientists are predicting that in the year 2050, more than 25,000 million plastic waste will lie on this ocean.
Pollution In The Pacific Ocean Facts
47. Aside from humans directly polluting the ocean, gyres also contribute indirectly to making this ocean a polluted one due to the currents.
48. More than a third of the pollution recorded in all the water bodies of the world comes from the Pacific.
49. Research has shown that about 25% of the pollution comes from ships that are traveling in the ocean.
50. The landfill that is caused by the pollution of this ocean is enough to cover the whole of Europe.
51. The majority of the wastes in the Pacific Ocean can be attributed to the tsunami that happened in 2011 in Japan.
52. It is not only plastics that make up the pollution in the Pacific, but also liquid pollutants.
53. An estimated 20% of the pollution in the Pacific Ocean is from the people that go to its beaches and leave their belongings to be carried away by the water.
54. The Pacific Ocean also helps in the circulation of pollutants that are in the air.
55. Glasses, irons, tin, plastics, liquids, are the major pollutes in the Pacific Ocean.
North Pacific Ocean Facts
56. Nutrient concentrations in North Pacific are higher than that of the south.
57. Salinity and oxygen in the North Pacific are higher in quantity.
58. The average depth of the North Pacific is about 1800 meters to 3200 meters.
59. The temperature in this part of the Pacific Ocean is from 4 to 6°c.
60. The water in the North Pacific Ocean is always moving eastward.
61. It is warmer than average in the North Pacific, for a location that lies in this latitude.
Do you know that over 70-80% of the oxygen humans breathe is produced from Marine plants in the ocean? Check out more 61 Fascinating Ocean Facts and Mysteries.