Oceans

By: Sydney Rickels

Table of Contents
1. About Oceans............ 4

2. Ice.................................. 6

3. Hurricanes.................. 8

4. Seamounts................ 10

5. Let's Learn More..... 12

6. Glossary..................... 14

7. Sources........................ 16
About Oceans are large
bodies of saltwater that
Oceans make up 70% of Earth's
surface. There are four
Click the sound icon to different oceans here
listen to the ocean!
on Earth: the Pacific,
Atlantic, Indian, and
Arctic Oceans. Ocean
currents create the
different weather
patterns we face every
time we go outside.
 Ice
Depending on location, ocean water
temperatures can be either warm or
cold. The Arctic Ocean water is so
cold ice covers most of it. In order to
freeze, the seawater must reach
temperatures of 28.4°F or less. Also,
covering the South Pole is the
Antarctic sheet of ice which is the
largest slab of ice in the world. Some
spots are over 3 miles thick.
Watch a video of a
drone flying over
ice and glaciers.
Fun Facts:
When ice is formed, the salt in the water is
forced out. When the ice melts, the water is
fresh enough to use as drinking water. This
means that in the spring, polar bears and
other animals can drink the melting ice as it
forms ponds on floating ice sheets.
Icebergs
Icebergs are huge pieces of ice that have
broken away from glaciers, ice sheets, and
other icebergs and now float at sea. They can
get as large the states of Vermont or Rhode
Island, but only a small part, about one-
eighth, of them remain visible above the
water. These hidden parts are extremely
dangerous to ships because those on the
ship can't see the icebergs, and crashing into
one could result in a sinking ship. Today,
satellites are used to keep track of these
icebergs and warn ships not to get too close
to them.
Hurricanes Hurricanes are giant storms that occur in
tropical ocean waters. They usually happen
during the late summer and early autumn
months. Hurricanes occur when warm,
moist air rises and leaves a low pressure
Watch a video system below. This brings dense clouds and
air from other areas, rising the pressure and
of a hurricane winds which create the storm. A storm
here. becomes a hurricane when the wind speeds
reach 74 miles per hour. As the hurricane
goes across the oceans, there is a storm
surge, or a huge wave.

Fun Facts:
In the Atlantic Ocean, the term "hurricane" is
used. However, in the Pacific Ocean these
storms are called "typhoons" and in the
Indian Ocean they're called "cyclones". All
three words describe the same type of
storm.
 Fun Facts:
Seamounts There are hundreds of different species
living in each seamount. Seamounts
form a barrier to ocean currents, act as
shelter, and provide food and nutrient-
rich water for organisms.
Seamounts are undersea mountains that
rise up from the ocean floor. They are at
least 3,280 feet high, and those that are
shorter are called sea knolls. Anything
smaller than a sea knoll is called a sea hill.
Flat-topped undersea volcanic mountains
are called guyots, or table-mounts, and
they used to be islands above the ocean
surface.

Oceanic islands are seamounts that can be

seen above the ocean surface. These start
as undersea volcanoes which grow from
the rising of lava that come out of the Watch a video about
Earth's crust beneath the ocean floor. seamounts here.
Let's Learn More!
All About
Want to learn more about
Oceans
oceans and the different
parts that they are made
of? These websites will
Sea Ice
help you gain more
understanding for the
oceans that make up
Hurricanes
Earth!

Seamounts
 Glossary
Crust: the outer layer of Earth's surface directly beneath oceans and continents

Glaciers: huge mountains of ice

Hurricanes: giant storms that occur in tropical ocean waters

Ice sheets: massive areas of ice that cover land

Icebergs: huge pieces of ice that float at sea

Oceanic islands: seamounts that can be seen above the ocean's surface

Sea hill undersea mountains shorter than 1,640 feet tall

Sea knoll undersea mountains between 1,640-3,280 feet tall

Seamounts undersea mountains that rise up from the oceans floor

Storm surge huge wave during a hurricane

 Sources
Brasch, Nicolas. A Moving World.
Harcourt Achieve, 2005.

National Ocean Service

Simon, Seymour. Seymour Simon's

Extreme Oceans. Chronicle Books,
2013.