Atlantic Ocean(map added below) - part of the World Ocean. It is considered the most studied body of water on our planet. In terms of its area it ranks second, losing first only to Quiet. The Atlantic Ocean covers an area of 91.66 million square meters. km, while Quiet is 178.684 million sq. km. As we can see, these numbers are quite impressive.
Description of the geographical location of the Atlantic Ocean
Meridionally, the ocean stretches for 13 thousand km. In the north it washes the shores of the island. Greenland, Canada and parts of Europe are connected to the waters of the Arctic Ocean. In the south, the Atlantic Ocean reaches the shores of Antarctica itself. Sometimes the southern part of the Atlantic, from about 35° south. w. up to 60° south sh., is classified as separate, but its existence is still a controversial issue.
The greatest width of the Atlantic Ocean is 6,700 km. In the east it washes West Coast Africa, Europe, connects along the border from Cape Agulhas to Queen Maud Land (in Antarctica). In the west it brings its waters to the shores of the South and North America, through connecting with the Quiet.
The geographical position of the Atlantic Ocean is such that it is united with all other large bodies of water on the planet, and also washes the shores of all continents except Australia.
Briefly about the ocean
The area of the Atlantic is more than 91 million square meters. km. In percentage terms, it accounts for 25% of all the waters of the World Ocean. From total area 16% of the water area is in bays and seas. There are only 16 of the latter. Sargasso, Mediterranean and Caribbean are the largest seas that make up the Atlantic Ocean. The map added below also shows the largest bays. This is Mexican, Maine. The Atlantic Ocean is rich in both islands and archipelagos. The most significant in area: British, Greater Falklands, Iceland, Newfoundland, Greater Antilles, Bahamas, etc.
The average depth of the ocean is in the region of 3,500-4,000 m. The maximum is the Puerto Rico Trench, its length is 1,754 km, width is 97 km, and the greatest depth in this place reaches 8,742 m.
The Atlantic Ocean is considered one of the largest and most voluminous in size, namely the second largest after Pacific Ocean. This ocean is the most studied and developed when compared with other water areas. Its location is as follows: in the east it is framed by the shores of North and South America, and in the west its borders end in Europe and Africa. In the South it passes into the Southern Ocean. And on the northern side it borders with Greenland. The ocean is distinguished by the fact that there are very few islands in it, and the topography of its bottom is all dotted and has a complex structure. The coastline is broken.
Characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean
If we talk about the area of the ocean, it occupies 91.66 million square meters. km. We can say that part of its territory is not the ocean itself, but existing seas, bays. The volume of the ocean is 329.66 million square meters. km, and its average depth is 3736 m. Where the Puerto Rico Trench is located, the ocean is considered to have the greatest depth, which is 8742 m. There are two currents - Northern and Southern.
Atlantic Ocean from the north
The ocean boundary from the north is marked in some places by ridges located under water. In this hemisphere, the Atlantic is framed jagged line shores. A little of her Northern part connected to North Arctic Ocean several narrow straits. Davis Strait is located in the northeast and connects the ocean with the Baffin Sea, which is also considered to belong to the Arctic Ocean. Closer to the center, the Denmark Strait is less wide than the Davis Strait. Between Norway and Iceland, closer to the northeast, is the Norwegian Sea.
In the southwest of the Northern Current of the ocean are the Gulf of Mexico, which is connected by the Strait of Florida. And also the Caribbean Sea. There are many bays to note here, such as Barnegat, Delaware, Hudson Bay and others. Exactly at north side Ocean you can see the largest and largest islands, which are famous for their fame. These are Puerto Rico, the world famous Cuba and Haiti, as well as the British Isles and Newfoundland. Closer to the east you can find small groups of islands. These are the Canary Islands, the Azores and Cape Verde. Closer to the west are the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles.
South Atlantic Ocean
Some geographers believe that South part, this is all the space up to Antarctica. Someone is defining the border at Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope between two continents. The coastline in the south of the Atlantic Ocean is not as indented as in the north, and there are no seas. There is one large bay near Africa - Guinea. The farthest point in the south is Tierra del Fuego, which is framed by small islands in large numbers. Also, you cannot find large islands here, but there are separate islands, like. Ascension, St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha. In the far south you can find the Southern Islands, Bouvet, Falkland and others.
As for the current in the southern ocean, here all systems flow counterclockwise. Near eastern Brazil, the South Trade Wind Current branches. One branch goes north, flows near the northern coast of South America, filling the Caribbean. And the second is considered southern, very warm, moves near Brazil and soon connects with the Antarctic Current, then heads to the east. Partially separates and turns into the Benguela Current, which is distinguished by its cold waters.
Attractions of the Atlantic Ocean
There is a special underwater cave in the Belize Barrier Reef. It was called the Blue Hole. It is very deep, and inside it there is a whole series of caves that are connected to each other by tunnels. The depth of the cave reaches 120 m and is considered unique of its kind.
There is no person who does not know about the Bermuda Triangle. But it is located in the Atlantic Ocean and excites the imagination of many superstitious travelers. Bermuda attracts with its mystery, but at the same time frightens with the unknown.
It is in the Atlantic that you can see an unusual sea that has no shores. And all because it is located in the middle of a body of water, and its boundaries cannot be framed by land, only currents show the boundaries of this sea. This is the only sea in the world that has such unique data and is called the Sargasso Sea.
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Atlantic Ocean: geographical position
Atlantic Ocean - second in size after Quiet, Earth's ocean. Like the Pacific, it extends from subarctic latitudes to the subantarctic, i.e. from the underwater threshold separating it from Arctic Ocean in the north, to the coast of Antarctica in the south. In the east, the Atlantic Ocean washes the shores of Eurasia and Africa, in the west - North and South America.
Not only in geographical location largest oceans Earth, but also in many of their features - climate formation, hydrological regime, etc. - there is a lot in common. Nevertheless, very significant and differences, which are associated with a large difference in size: in terms of surface area (91.6 million km 2) and volume (about 330 million km 3), the Atlantic Ocean is approximately half the size of the Pacific Ocean.
The most narrow part The Atlantic Ocean falls at the same latitudes where the Pacific Ocean reaches its greatest extent. The Atlantic Ocean differs from the Pacific and is more widely developed shelf, especially in the area of Newfoundland and off the southeastern coast of South America, as well as in the Bay of Biscay, the North Sea and the British Isles. It is also typical for the Atlantic a large number of mainland islands and island archipelagos, which relatively recently lost contact with the continents (Newfoundland, Antilles, Falklands, British, etc.). Islands of volcanic origin (Canary, Azores, St. Helena, etc.) are few in number in comparison with the Pacific Ocean.
Most strongly dismembered the shores of the Atlantic Ocean north of the equator. There, going deep into the land of North America and Eurasia, are the most significant seas related to it: the Gulf of Mexico (actually a semi-enclosed sea between the Florida and Yucatan peninsulas and the island of Cuba), the Caribbean, North, Baltic, as well as the intercontinental Mediterranean Sea, connected by straits with the Marmara, Black and Azov inland seas. North of the equator, off the coast of Africa, lies the vast Gulf of Guinea, wide open to the ocean.
Ocean floor, Mid-Atlantic Ridge and transition zones
Formation The modern depression of the Atlantic Ocean began approximately 200 million years ago, in the Triassic, with the opening of a rift on the site of the future Tethys Ocean and the division of the Pangea continent into Laurasia and Gondwana (see. continental drift map). Subsequently, Gondwana was divided into two parts - African-South American and Australian-Antarctic and the formation of the western part Indian Ocean; formation of a continental rift between Africa and South America and moving them to the north and northwest; creation of new ocean floor between North America and Eurasia. Only at the site of the North Atlantic, on the border with the Arctic Ocean, did the connection between the two continents persist until the end of the Paleogene.
At the end of the Mesozoic and Paleogene, as a result of the movement towards Eurasia of the most stable part of the broken Gondwana - the African lithospheric plate, as well as the Hindustan block, the closure of Tethys occurred. The Mediterranean (Alpine-Himalayan) orogenic belt and its western continuation, the Antillean-Caribbean fold system, were formed. Intercontinental basin of the Mediterranean Sea, Marmara, Black and Sea of Azov, as well as the seas and bays of the northern Indian Ocean, which were discussed in the corresponding section, should be considered as fragments of the closed ancient Tethys Ocean. The same “remnant” of Tethys in the west is the Caribbean Sea with the adjacent land and part of the Gulf of Mexico.
The final formation of the Atlantic Ocean basin and the surrounding continents occurred in the Cenozoic era.
Along the entire ocean from north to south, occupying its axial part, runs Mid-Atlantic Ridge, separating the continental-oceanic lithospheric plates located on both sides: the North American, Caribbean and South American in the west and the Eurasian and African in the east. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge has the most pronounced features of the mid-ocean ridges of the World Ocean. The study of this particular ridge marked the beginning of the research global system mid-ocean ridges in general.
From the border with the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Greenland to its connection with the African-Antarctic Ridge at Bouvet Island in the south, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has length over 18 thousand km with a width of 1 thousand km. It accounts for approximately a third of the area of the entire ocean floor. A system of deep longitudinal faults (rifts) runs along the arch of the ridge; transverse (transform) faults cross it along its entire length. The areas of the most active manifestation of ancient and modern, underwater and above-water, rift volcanism in the northern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are the Azores Islands at 40° N latitude. and unique, largest volcanic island Land - Iceland on the border with the Arctic Ocean.
The island of Iceland is located directly on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, crossed in the middle by rift system- “spreading axis”, bifurcating in the southeast. Almost all the extinct and active volcanoes of Iceland rise along this axis, the emergence of which continues to this day. Iceland can be considered as a “product” of the expansion of the ocean floor, which has been going on for 14-15 million years (H. Rast, 1980). Both halves of the island are moving apart from the rift zone, one, together with the Eurasian plate, to the east, the other, together with the North American plate, to the west. The movement speed is 1 - 5 cm per year.
South of the equator, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge retains its integrity and typical features, but differs from the northern part in less tectonic activity. The centers of rift volcanism here are the islands of Ascension, St. Helena, and Tristan da Cunha.
On both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge extends ocean bed, composed of basaltic crust and thick strata of Meso-Cenozoic sediments. In the structure of the surface of the bed, as in the Pacific Ocean, there are numerous deep-sea basins (more than 5000 m, and the North American Basin is even more than 7000 m deep), separated from each other by underwater rises and ridges. The basins of the American side of the Atlantic are Newfoundland, North American, Guiana, Brazil and Argentina; from Eurasia and Africa - Western European, Canary, Angolan and Cape.
The largest uplift of the Atlantic Ocean floor is Bermuda plateau within the North American Basin. Basically consisting of oceanic basalts, it is covered by a two-kilometer layer of sediment. On its surface, located at a depth of 4000 m, volcanoes rise, topped with coral structures, forming the Bermuda archipelago. Opposite the coast of South America, between the Brazilian and Argentine basins, is the Rio Grande plateau, also covered by thick layers of sedimentary rocks and crowned with underwater volcanoes.
In the eastern part of the ocean floor it should be noted Guinea uplift along the side rift of the median ridge. This fault emerges onto the mainland in the Gulf of Guinea region in the form of a continental rift, to which the active Cameroon volcano is confined. Even further south, between the Angola and Cape basins, the underwater blocky Whale Ridge reaches the shores of South-West Africa.
In the main floor of the Atlantic Ocean it borders directly on the underwater margins of the continents. Transition zone developed incomparably less than in the Pacific Ocean, and is represented by only three regions. Two of them - the Mediterranean Sea with adjacent land areas and the Antilles-Caribbean region, located between North and South America - are fragments of the Tethys Ocean, which closed towards the end of the Paleogene, separated from each other during the opening of the middle part of the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, they have a lot in common in features geological structure bottom, the nature of the relief of underwater and surface mountain structures, types of manifestation of volcanic activity.
The Mediterranean basin is separated from the deep ocean basins Gibraltar threshold with a depth of only 338 m. The smallest width of the Strait of Gibraltar is only 14 km. In the first half of the Neogene, the Strait of Gibraltar did not exist at all, and long time The Mediterranean Sea was a closed basin, isolated from the ocean and the seas that continued it in the east. The connection was restored only at the beginning of the Quaternary period. Peninsulas and groups of mainland islands, formed by structures of different ages, the sea is divided into a number of basins, the bottom structure of which is dominated by suboceanic type crust. At the same time, a significant part of the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to the continental foot and shelf, is composed of continental crust. This is primarily the southern and southeastern parts of its depressions. Continental crust is also characteristic of some deep-sea basins.
In the Ionian Sea, between the Central Mediterranean, Cretan and Levantine basins, the Central Mediterranean Shaft stretches, to which the Hellenic deep-sea trench adjoins with the maximum depth of the entire Mediterranean Sea (5121 m), bordered from the northeast by the arc of the Ionian Islands.
The depression of the Mediterranean Sea is characterized by seismicity and explosive-effusive volcanism, confined mainly to its central part, i.e. to the subduction zone in the area of the Bay of Naples and adjacent land areas. Along with the most active volcanoes in Europe (Vesuvius, Etna, Stromboli), there are many objects there that indicate manifestations of paleovolcanism and active volcanic activity during historical time. The features of the Mediterranean noted here allow us to consider it “as located in the most late stage development of a transitional region" (O.K. Leontyev, 1982). Fragments of the closed Tethys are also located to the east of the Black and Azov Seas and the Caspian Lake-Sea. The nature features of these reservoirs are discussed in the relevant sections of the regional review of Eurasia.
Second transition region The Atlantic Ocean is located in its western part, between North and South America, and roughly corresponds to the western sector of the Tethys Ocean. It consists of two semi-enclosed seas, separated from each other and from the ocean floor by peninsulas and island arcs of continental and volcanic origin. The Gulf of Mexico is a depression of Mesozoic age with a depth of more than 4000 m in the central part, surrounded by a wide strip of shelf from the mainland and the Florida and Yucatan peninsulas. The largest reserves of oil and natural gas are concentrated within the adjacent land, on the shelf and adjacent parts of the bay. This is the oil and gas basin of the Gulf of Mexico, which is genetically and economically comparable to the oil and gas basin of the Persian Gulf. The Caribbean Sea, separated from the ocean by the arc of the Antilles, was formed in the Neogene. His maximum depths exceed 7000 m. On the ocean side, the Antillean-Caribbean transition region is limited by the deep-sea trench of Puerto Rico, the greatest depth of which (8742 m) is at the same time the maximum for the entire Atlantic Ocean. By analogy with Mediterranean Sea this area is sometimes called the American Mediterranean.
Third transition region, attributed to the Atlantic Ocean, the Scotia Sea (Scotia) is located between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, on both sides of 60° S, i.e. actually in Antarctic waters. In the east, this area is separated from the ocean floor by the South Sandwich deep-sea trench (8325 m) and an arc of volcanic islands of the same name, perched on an underwater rise. The bottom of the Scotia Sea is composed of suboceanic crust, which in the west is replaced by oceanic crust of the Pacific Ocean bed. The surrounding groups of islands (South Georgia, etc.) are of continental origin.
Vast spaces shelf, which are also characteristic feature Atlantic Ocean, exist on both its Eurasian and American flanks. This is the result of relatively recent subsidence and flooding of the coastal plains. Even in the first half of the Cenozoic, North America extended almost to the pole and connected with Eurasia in the northwest and northeast. The formation of the Atlantic shelf off the coast of North America should obviously be attributed to the end of the Neogene, and off the coast of Europe - to the Quaternary period. This is associated with the existence of “land” forms in its relief - erosional hollows, dune hills, etc., and in more northern areas - traces of glacial abrasion and accumulation.
It ranks second in size in the world after the Pacific Ocean. Its area occupies about 20% of the entire surface of the Earth. The water of the Atlantic Ocean tastes the saltiest. In its shape, which was acquired after the split of the Pangea continent, the ocean resembles the letter S.
Features of the geographical location of the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic is the most developed ocean in the world. In the east it borders the coasts of South and North America. In the north, the Atlantic Ocean washes cold Greenland, and in the south it merges with the Southern Ocean. In the west, its borders are outlined by the African and European shores.
The total area of the Atlantic is about 91.66 million square meters. km. The geographic location of the Atlantic Ocean also determines the wide range of its temperatures. In the south and north, the water temperature is 0°C, and at the equator - 26-28°C. Average depth The Atlantic Ocean is 3736 m, and the deepest trench is the Puerto Rico Trench - 8742 m.
Among the currents, scientists conventionally designate two gyres. This is the Northern one, in which the currents move clockwise, and the Southern one, where they flow counterclockwise. These gyres are separated by the Equatorial inter-trade current. IN high school Geography lessons study in detail the geographical position of the Atlantic Ocean (7th grade).
Many believe that the oceans are practically eternal and will exist until the end of history. But it is not so. For example, from the ancient ocean of Tethys, once located between the continents of Laurasia and Gondwana, now only the Mediterranean, Black, Caspian Sea and a small Persian Gulf remain. The same fate may befall the Atlantic Ocean. The geographical location of the continents plays an important role here.
The Tethys Ocean disappeared from the face of the earth when Africa and India began to rapidly approach the Eurasian continent. Researchers believe that the Atlantic Ocean is now rapidly aging. Scientists have discovered that intensive processes of subduction take place at its bottom - the subsidence of some areas earth's crust under others.
Walking across the ocean
In 1988, Frenchman Remy Brika crossed the Atlantic Ocean on foot for the first time. The geographical position of the desperate traveler was tracked using special equipment. He tied five-meter pontoons made of fiberglass to his feet. Brik was pulled behind him by a raft, on which there was equipment for desalination of water and fishing rods. The traveler set off with Canary Islands and planned to get to Guadeloupe. Brika became very thin and began to hallucinate, so he was picked up by a trawler near Trinidad. Despite this, the administration of the Guinness Book of Records credited the brave Frenchman with the record.
"Horse latitudes" of the Atlantic
The Sargasso Sea is one of the most amazing seas in the Atlantic Ocean. The geographical position of the sea is such that above it there is a zone of constantly increased atmospheric pressure. Therefore, calm reigns all the time in the Sargasso Sea. In the days of the sailing fleet, this place was disastrous for many ships. Sargassy is often called “horse latitudes”. This is due to the fact that previously domestic animals, most often horses, were often transported on ships from Europe to America. Horses often died, and the corpses were simply thrown overboard in the Sargasso Sea.
A sea without borders, terrifying
For ancient sailors, this sea inspired real fear. On its surface, which was covered with tenacious algae, many ships stopped. Travelers have called it differently: the Sea of Spirits, the Sea that cannot be crossed, the Sea of Debris. Scientists still continue to make amazing discoveries, revealing the secrets of the Sargasso Sea.
But it was first witnessed by Christopher Columbus. In 1492, he sailed on a ship, trying to find a shortcut to India. The crew waited impatiently for a strip of land to appear on the horizon. But it turned out that the sailors mistook a huge accumulation of algae on the surface of the terrible sea for the mainland. With great difficulty, Columbus managed to overcome the huge water meadow.
The scary Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle is another area full of mystical mysteries that the Atlantic Ocean possesses. The geographical location of this zone is such that in its shape it is conventionally designated as a triangle. It is located between Bermuda, the coast of Florida and an island in Puerto Rico. Ships and planes have mysteriously died here throughout history. The term "Bermuda Triangle" appeared only after the publication of an article by Vincent Gaddis, which was called "The Bermuda Triangle - the Devil's Den."
The reason for the constant formation of whirlpools
On the west side it is mysterious place almost completely flows around the Gulf Stream. In these places the temperature usually does not exceed 10 degrees. Due to the clash of temperatures, fog often forms here, striking the imagination of overly impressionable sailors. In addition, the speed of the Gulf Stream reaches about 10 km/h. For comparison: the speed of modern ships ranges from 13 to 30 km/h. It is therefore not surprising that many small ships in the past were simply blown off course or sank in the ocean depths. In addition to the Gulf Stream, in the area Bermuda Triangle Spontaneous currents arise, the direction of which is impossible to guess. As a result, terrible whirlpools are formed here.
The Bermuda Triangle is located in the trade wind zone. Stormy winds blow here almost all the time. According to statistics, there are an average of 80 storm days per year, which means that every fourth day in the Bermuda Triangle area the weather is disgusting.
Why did the ships die?
However, it was not only the powerful winds and currents of the Bermuda zone that caused the death of numerous ships. The ocean here is capable of generating infrasound signals that cause severe panic in any living organism, be it a person or aquatic animal. Due to psychological pressure, people were even able to throw themselves overboard.
In the process of generating these waves, a significant role is played by storm winds beating against high waves. When air strikes against wave crests, a low-frequency wave is formed and immediately rushes forward. She catches up with the sailing ship and finds herself in its cabins.
When an infrared signal enters the confined space of a ship's cabin, its effect on people is almost unpredictable. Many people begin to hallucinate and begin to see their worst nightmares. Unable to withstand the psychological pressure, the entire crew may be thrown into the ocean abyss, and the ship will be found empty.
Modern scientists believe that the cause of mystical phenomena is methane deposits at the bottom of the Bermuda Triangle. Not only the Atlantic Ocean is rich in them. The geographical location of many places in the World Ocean is such that other zones can be comparable in danger to the Bermuda Triangle.
The Atlantic Ocean and the modern world
The Atlantic has a huge diversity of biological species. The largest quantity of fish is caught here every year, amounting to millions of tons. In addition, the Atlantic Ocean is one of the busiest shipping lanes. There are many resort areas on the shores of the Atlantic. Despite the geographic location of the Atlantic Ocean, it is constantly polluted by factory waste. Pesticides and fertilizers are dumped into its waters. Sometimes tanker accidents lead to huge oil pollution. Preserving the Atlantic is a global task for all humanity.
Basic questions: What are the features of the geographic location of the Atlantic Ocean? What is its role in the implementation of international economic relations?
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest and deepest. Its area is 91.6 million km2.
Geographical position. The ocean extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the coast of Antarctica in the south. On South Drake Passage connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific. A characteristic feature of the Atlantic Ocean is its many internal and marginal seas. Of the total ocean area, approximately 11% is in the seas, while in the Pacific - 8%, and in the Indian - only 2%. The presence of internal and marginal seas is mainly associated with tectonic movements. (Show on the map Sargasso, Mediterranean Sea. ). The ocean has the most saline surface waters, its average salinity is 36-37‰. ( Study the salinity of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean using the textbook map).
Relief The Atlantic Ocean, according to scientists, is the youngest and more leveled. Runs along the entire ocean Mid-Atlantic Ridge with a length of more than 18,000 km. A rift system runs along the ridge, where the largest volcanic island on Earth, Iceland, was formed. It can be considered as a “product” of the expansion of the ocean floor. The vast territory of the Atlantic Ocean is dominated by depths of 3000 - 6000 m. Unlike the Pacific Ocean, there are few deep-sea trenches in the Atlantic Ocean. The most famous Puerto Rico(8742 m) in the Caribbean Sea - the greatest depth in the Atlantic Ocean. The shelf is becoming increasingly important for the economic activities of the population of coastal countries.
Currents in the Northern Hemisphere they form two rings. (Study the current system on the map. Show on the map Brazilian, Labrador, Benguela and other currents) The most famous current in the Atlantic Ocean is Gulf Stream(translated as “Gulf Current”) - originates in the Gulf of Mexico. It carries 80 times more water than all the rivers on the globe. The thickness of its flow reaches 700-800 m. This mass of warm water with a temperature of up to 28°C moves at a speed of about 10 km/h. North of 40° N. w. The Gulf Stream turns to the shores of Europe and here it is called North Atlantic Current. The water temperature of the current is higher than in the ocean. Therefore, warmer and more humid air masses dominate over the current and form cyclones. The ocean is characterized by rhythmically repeating tides And low tides. The highest tidal wave in the world reaches 18 m in the bay Fundy off the coast of Canada . (Fig. 1) (Show on map Brazilian and Benguela currents)
Climate. The elongation of the Atlantic Ocean from north to south determined the diversity of its climate . It is located in all climatic zones. In the north, near the island of Iceland, an area of low pressure is formed above the ocean, which is called the Icelandic minimum. The island of Iceland is the center of cyclone formation. Prevailing winds over the ocean in tropical and subequatorial latitudes - trade winds, in moderate - westerly winds. Differences in atmospheric circulation cause uneven distribution of precipitation (study "Annual precipitation" map). The average surface water temperature in the Atlantic Ocean is +16.5°C. Salinity indicators of surface waters are varied compared to other oceans. The maximum salinity of 36-37‰ is typical for tropical areas with low annual precipitation and strong evaporation. The decrease in salinity in high latitudes (32-34‰) is explained by the melting of icebergs and floating sea ice.
Natural resources and environmental issues. The Atlantic Ocean is rich in a variety of mineral resources. The largest oil and gas deposits have been explored in the shelf zone off the coast of Europe (North Sea region) (Figure 2,3,4), America (Gulf of Mexico, Maracaibo Lagoon), etc. Phosphorite deposits are significant, but ferromanganese nodules are much less common.
Organic world in terms of species, it is poorer than in the Pacific and Indian, but the richest in quantitative terms. The ocean is the youngest and has been isolated from other oceans for a long time. IN tropical part the greatest diversity of the organic world, the number of fish species is measured in tens of thousands. These are tuna, mackerel, sardines. IN temperate latitudes– herring, cod, haddock, halibut. Jellyfish, squid, and octopuses are also inhabitants of the ocean. IN cold waters large marine mammals live whales, pinnipeds), various types of fish ( herring, cod), crustaceans. The main fishing areas are northeastern off the coast of Europe and northwestern off the coast of North America. The wealth of the ocean is brown and red algae, kelp.
In terms of economic use, the Atlantic Ocean ranks first among other oceans. The use of the ocean plays a major role in the economic development of many countries. The ocean is called “the element that unites peoples.” There are more than 90 coastal states on the shores of four continents facing the ocean. They are home to over 2 billion people. 70% of the world's largest cities are located on its shores.
The expanses of the Atlantic Ocean are most polluted with oil and petroleum products. Modern methods are used to purify water, and the discharge of production waste is prohibited.
The importance of the Atlantic Ocean in the implementation ofinternational economic relations. INFor five centuries it has occupied first place in world shipping. The ocean is located in the “habitat center” of the peoples of various countries, which determine the development of the economy and culture of the world.
1.Practical work. Draw large seas, bays, and straits in the Atlantic Ocean on a contour map. *2. Determine the influence of the North Atlantic Current on the nature of the European coast. 3. Show countries on the map and big cities on the Atlantic coast. **4. Using an analysis of the textbook map, determine the importance of oil fields in the North Sea basin for European countries?
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