As humanity, although we are talking more about space full of unknowns, other planets and galaxies, we are much closer to the unresolved there is a great mystery; oceans. The oceans, with their dark waters reaching depths of thousands of meters and their gigantic size covering 70% of the Earth, also host the vast majority of the Earth’s living species.

These great, mysterious and fascinating waters are also still There is so much we don’t even know about the planet we live on. shows. What we know provides sufficient motivation to better understand the oceans.

Only 20% of the oceans have yet been mapped

Even though the oceans appear as blue spaces when we take a world map and look at it, It has a ground full of volcanoes, mountains and plains. Just like blacks. But we only have maps of just under 20% of these huge areas that cover 70% of the entire planet. The rest is still a big unknown to us.

Oceans are home to 94% of life on Earth

on different planets ‘water’ is the first indispensable sign we look for in our search for life.† Because we know that a small pond can provide the necessary conditions for life. These puddles where it all started were oceans for our planet. The oceans formed on our planet, which began to cool, became the source of life.

This source is still the main plane of existence of life on Earth. Because despite the countless number of creatures that live on land, the oceans are home to about 94% of life on our planet. Besides, in the oceans many creatures we haven’t met yet thought to be possible.

The world’s largest and many “smallest” creatures also live in the oceans

The greatest creatures of our planet, Blue whales, with a length of up to 33 meters and a weight of up to 150 tons. These fascinating creatures are unfortunately facing extinction due to their hunting activities and the reasons such as ocean pollution and marine traffic in the oceans.

The oceans, home to giant blue whales, are also the world’s It is also home to the tiniest creatures. Many ultra-small bacteria and protozoa, and many small fish in the “animal” class, continue to live in the ocean while bearing the title of “smallest.”

The oceans are the source of more than half of our breath.

While forests are the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to the world’s source of oxygen, the correct answer is actually the oceans. Although an exact rate cannot be given, 50% to 80% of the oxygen we breathe oceans do.

The reason the oceans are such a rich source of oxygen is that: phytoplankton and marine plants. Given that 70% of the planet is covered by oceans and many more plants live in these oceans than on land, the situation is quite plausible.

Oceans regulate and maintain the climate balance of our planet

The oceans, which temper our planet’s climate and also allow precipitation largest source of water vapor in position. Already very critical to climate in this regard, the oceans are also trying to repair some of the greatest damage we’ve done to the planet.

human origin natural removal of most carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere The oceans that feed it do this by ‘absorbing’ carbon dioxide. The oceans, which absorb other greenhouse gases in addition to carbon dioxide and try to keep the climate in balance, unfortunately continue to warm up.

While it seems to maintain natural balance by minimizing the damage we do at first glance, it actually is oceans that absorb anthropogenic greenhouse gases gets hotter. The warming of the oceans, on the other hand, leads to many bad situations, from deterioration of the balance and from precipitation to temperatures, from disturbance of the ecological balance in the oceans to harmful oxygen production.

The only gigantic ‘structure’ of living organisms on Earth is in the ocean

Ever heard of the Great Barrier Reef? Composed of millions of coral polyps Great Barrier Reef, It is known as the largest reef system in the world, with an area of ​​344,400 km² spread over 2,600 km, consisting of 2,900 separate reefs and 900 islands. This gigantic structure is made up of living organisms and is home to many species of fish and creatures.

The Great Barrier Reef, which has unfortunately entered a serious process of extinction due to global warming, is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland in Australia. Intensified in recent years post ‘disappearance’ trend Although the Australian government has started to save the reef, the danger to the reef remains.

‘World’s Greatest Migration’ Happens Every Day in Oceans

Scientists who study the oceans actually examine this massive body of water in three parts. The first 200 meters below the surface is called the ‘sunlight zone’, while the part after 200 meters to a depth of 1000 meters ‘Twilight zone’ known as. Then comes the batial zone, where the sunlight never comes.

The twilight zone is the part that has attracted the most attention from scientists, as we still have a lot to learn about the creatures that inhabit the area and the ecosystem in general. Known information is rather remarkable.

Further deep these 800 meters under water some of the creatures that live in the area Every night it swims hundreds of meters to the surface. Then they return to their nests in the depths of the ocean. This ‘ritual’, which takes place every night and is practiced by perhaps millions of living things, has been called the greatest migration in the world by scientists.

There are rivers, waterfalls, lakes in the oceans…

Strange as it may sound, there are rivers, waterfalls and “lakes” that have formed in the oceans. What is effective in the formation of these impressive structures is: different salinity and density ratios found in ocean water variation in water temperature.

The deepest trench in the world, the Mariana Trench, is located in the Pacific Ocean.

The Mariana Trench is the deepest known point on Earth. About 11,000 meters deep The well is so deep that almost 1.5 of the highest mountain in the world above sea level, Everest, would fit in it.

The first to enter this terrifying pit, which descends 11 thousand meters underwater, on January 23, 1960 US Navy Lieutenant Donald Walsh and Swiss scientist Jacques Piccard had landed. The first dive that followed was performed in 2012 by noted director James Cameron. Finally, in 2019, Victor Vescovo made a splash. During this dive, the plastic waste, which was found at a depth of 11 thousand kilometers, caused a lot of controversy at the time.

‘Point Nemo’, the world’s most isolated and far from land, is also a ‘space dump’ in the middle of the ocean

Think of a point on Earth, thousands of miles from land and humanity, completely isolated. Even so that May the closest people in space be…

There is such a point and it is known as ‘Point Nemo’. Approximately from the nearest strip of land To Point Nemo, 1600 kilometers away The nearest settlement is 2,700 kilometers away. So much so that the astronauts on the International Space Station, which orbits the world at an altitude of about 415 kilometers, are the people who can get closest to the region from time to time.

But we managed to turn even “the most isolated place in the world” hundreds of kilometers away from this person into a kind of garbage. At the same time ‘spacecraft cemeterySpacecraft, satellites, and other space junk that have expired are thrown into this area, known as ‘.

BONUS: The oceans contain about 8 million tons of new plastic waste every year…

Unfortunately, the oceans are rapidly and irreversibly turning into giant plastic dumps. Average per year Another 8 million tons of plastic waste is dumped into the oceans. These wastes turn the ecological fabric of the oceans upside down, creating gigantic waste islands and nearly destroying life.

Unfortunately, we as humanity insist on preparing our own end in this matter, as in many other issues.We will continue to use tires. We leave the scenarios of what could happen to us if there is no life in the oceans in the future, based on the information in this article, to your imagination….