This page created by 6th grade students from
Fall Creek
as part of a Goals 2000 grant/ created 3/17/99/
Updated 3/17/99/ mah
Pacific Ocean
Characteristics
This page created by 6th grade students from
Fall Creek
as part of a Goals 2000 grant/ created 3/17/99/
Updated 3/17/99/ mah
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. This ocean has
one of the largest coral reefs. The Pacific Ocean is very deep and covers
more than one third of our planet's surface. Water temperature in
the pacific ocean may vary from freezing at the poles to about 29 c near
the equator. It extends 15,500 km from the Bering Sea to the Ors Sea. It
contains 25,000 Islands. The Pacific oceans Depth is 4,270 m.
There are many ways the Pacific Ocean has been useful to man throughout
history. Ferdinand Magellan was the first human to sail all
the way across the ocean in 1520-1521.
It has also been used for food and oil production. The many islands
of this ocean are a source of homes for many people.
The ocean also provides many recreational activities such as fishing,
surfing, swimming, sailing, or cruising.
The ocean is a good source for the following resources: chromate, gas,
gold, gravel, iron, momozite, petroleum, phosphate, sand, tin, titanium,
zircon, cobalt, copper, maganeese, and nickel.
Water Quality, Problems
Pollution is a big problem in the Pacific Ocean waters. Many of the ocean areas are polluted with industrial wastes and sewage. Oil spills from offshore tankers threaten the ocean and the marine life. The worst oil spill happened in 1989 from a supertanker called Exxon Valdez. It leaked 11 million gallons of oil. Within a week, it spilled over one thousand square miles of oil in the ocean. The water washed along the shore unto the rocks, which were then coated with oil. The oil poisoned huge amounts of fish, seabirds, and sea mammals.
Another
problem in the Pacific Ocean is the hurricanes. When they occur, the storm
washes the waves on the shore and causes lots of destruction in the town
or city. These areas have water problems because of the destruction
of sewage and water systems.
Many very interesting kinds of aquatic life live in the Pacific Ocean.
There are whales, seals, fish ( including cod, sardines, tuna ), shellfish,
clams, mussels, tube worms, birds, seaweed, and coral.
Some varieties of fish live in hot vents which make them enormous!
The clams and mussels can get to be at least one foot in length.
The tube worms can get up to 3 feet in length. Many of them live
in the Great Barrier Reef, which is off the coast of Australia. The
Great Barrier Reef contains many different kinds of coral.
If
you want to learn more about whales click here 
