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Sci-fi writer H.P. Lovecraft once said that the ocean
"is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and
the dreams of Time." We land-dwellers can sometimes take the ocean for
granted, but we really shouldn't, since the Earth's surface is 70%
water. When you think of it that way, this is the ocean's planet, and
we're just guests.
Here are some crazy facts about oceans that will instill upon you a
healthy fear of water.
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Spanning an astonishing 1,600 miles, the Great Barrier Reef is the
largest living structure on the planet. It can even be seen from space.
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The Rockall --- a 30-meter-wide rock protruding from the ocean 290 miles
off the coast of Great Britain --- has had less than 20 humans stand
upon it throughout history.
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Sea monsters might really exist! With so
much of the ocean still left unexplored, it's estimated that 86% of
Earth's species have yet to be discovered.
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50% of all United States territory lies below the ocean.
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There's a spot in the Pacific Ocean called the "White Shark Cafe." This
is where great white sharks congregate to mate.
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99% of all shark species have been eradicated.
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The longest mountain range on the planet is actually below the ocean.
The Mid-Ocean Ridge, which cuts down the center of the Atlantic ocean,
is 23,000 miles long, with peaks far higher than those of the Alps. It
takes up 23% of the Earth's total surface.
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Most of the oxygen on this planet comes from microscopic, ocean-dwelling
animals called phytoplankton.
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The average depth of the ocean is 12,400 feet. Light can only
penetrate about 330 feet, therefore most of our planet is in constant
darkness.
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Jellyfish have claimed 15--30 times more lives than
sharks have.
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Experts estimate that there are 20 million tons of
gold still under the ocean.
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One milliliter of ocean water contains one million
bacteria and ten million viruses. Most of them are harmless. Most of
them...
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There are more artifacts from human history at the
bottom of the ocean than there are in all the museums on the planet
combined.
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