What distinguishes the sea from the ocean: the main features

Rarely does anyone wonder why the sea differs from the ocean in addition to size. Many of the water bodies are located on the same square kilometers. In addition, these terms are often misused. And this is a common mistake. It is necessary to know the main features of the ocean and the sea. There are certain subtleties that allow you to determine the type of pond.

What is the sea?

To understand what distinguishes the sea from the ocean, it is necessary to understand what each of the reservoirs represents. There are several main differences. So, the sea is a certain part of the World Ocean. As a rule, the boundaries of this reservoir are separated by land. It can be underwater terrain. For example, the Sargasso Sea. It can also be separated by a series of islands or archipelagos. In this case, Baffin or the South China Sea can be cited as an example. Often this type of reservoir is separated by the outlines of continents or peninsulas. An example is the Mediterranean or Arabian Sea. But this is not the main sign.

So, how do the seas differ from the oceans? Between them there is a stricken relationship. Therefore, the sea has several features of the hydrological regime. Here, the parameters of transparency, salinity and water temperature are often measured. In addition, the sea has its own system of currents, as well as fauna and flora, which differs from the oceanic one.

Basic Groups

What is the difference between the sea and the ocean? Visually you can determine the difference. After all, the ocean is ten times larger. At the moment there are 63 seas on the surface of the Earth. Conventionally they are divided into several groups and classified according to the degree of isolation from the parent ocean. There are marginal and internal seas. The latter are embedded deep into the continents. Examples include the Baltic, Black, Marmara and the Mediterranean. With the ocean, they are connected only by a system of straits. In addition, these reservoirs have a clear difference. They have their own index of water salinity and the endemicity of living organisms that inhabit them.

As for the marginal seas, they are located along the coast of the mainland. These ponds are less isolated from the ocean. At the same time, their water is regularly and actively mixed. Examples include the Tasmanian, East China and the Norwegian Sea.

An exception

Of course, any rule can have an exception. What distinguishes the sea from the ocean, if it does not have shores? This should include Sargassovo. He has no coast. It is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. And to be more precise, it is in the tropical latitudes.

There are also water bodies that are only called seas. Take at least the Dead and the Caspian. In fact, they are not seas. According to some indicators, they fit the category of "lakes".

In addition, there are historical names. This includes the Tyrrhenian or the Ligurian Sea, which is one of the parts of the Mediterranean Sea.

What is the ocean?

Of course, not everyone understands the difference between the seas from the oceans and how to determine whether a reservoir belongs to a certain category. So what's the difference? What is the ocean? This is also part of the World Ocean. At the moment, there are four such reservoirs: North-Arctic, Indian, Atlantic and the largest - Quiet. In some foreign schools, the fifth ocean, the Southern one, is also singled out. It surrounds the coast of Antarctica. Its second boundary is the course of the Western winds. In some countries, the Arctic Ocean is not even considered an oceans. It is called a giant sea. Here the Arctic Ocean is one of the parts of the Atlantic Ocean.

With this classification it is very difficult to understand what the sea is different from the ocean. Each of the reservoirs has its own bottom relief, salinity index, temperature regime and current system. However, the active exchange of water masses is noted. If desired, you can get from one point to another without stepping on land.

The borders of the oceans are the slopes of the continents, individual islands, and also the meridians passing through the points from Australia, Africa and South America to Antarctica. Unites and their system of straits: Magellanova, Drake or Bering.

It is worth noting that all the oceans occupy up to 71% of the planet's surface. That is why scientists believe that the Earth is called wrongly. It was more logical to call it Aqua or Ocean.

What is the difference between the sea and the ocean?

At the moment, we can distinguish the following differences:

1. The sea is a unit of a certain ocean. The ocean is an essential part of the World Ocean, which occupies 2/3 of the planet.
2. Dimensions of water bodies.
3. On the Earth are counted 4 oceans and 63 seas.
4. System of currents. The ocean has surface cold and warm water masses. The sea has only one current. It can be a shallow warm or cold current.
5. The bottom of the ocean is the terrestrial oceanic crust, and by the sea - the mainland plume. The exception are the Sargasso and Philippine seas.