The ocean is the source of life on the earth, but also the most vast and mysterious place on the earth, and there are still many places in the ocean that humans have not set foot in, facing the vast sea, I believe that everyone has been curious about the ocean. The following Xiaobian sorted out 21 cold knowledge about the ocean, let's raise knowledge together.
1. The oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface, and the oceans hold about 96 percent of the Earth's water, and it's the oceans that make our planet look blue.
2. So why is the ocean blue? This is actually caused by the sun. When the sunlight hits the surface of the sea, the seawater will selectively absorb the seven colors of sunlight - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, and the long waves such as red, orange, and yellow will be absorbed, and the short waves such as blue and purple will be reflected.
3. The deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench, is about 11,000 meters deep, and even if the entire Everest is thrown here, the summit cannot be seen on the surface of the sea. And it is more difficult to conquer the Mariana Trench than to conquer Mount Everest, and only a few manned deep-sea probes have reached here so far.
4. On October 27, 2020, the Chinese manned submersible "Strivers" successfully sat at the bottom of the Mariana Trench at a depth of 10,909 meters, and 3 submariners ate omelette and fried noodles on the bottom of the sea.
5. Sperm whales have the heaviest brains in the animal kingdom, weighing up to 9 kg! However, considering that sperm whales can grow to 25,000 kg to 40,000 kg (25 tons to 40 tons), the proportion of the brain is very low.
6. Peeing in the ocean is no problem, don't worry about polluting the ocean, although urine is waste for humans, but urea contains many compounds that are beneficial to marine plants, so peeing in the ocean is equivalent to another way of "watering flowers".
7. According to the assessment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 50% to 80% of the oxygen on the earth comes from the ocean, mainly from algae, phytoplankton and some bacteria that can photosynthesize in the ocean. Unexpectedly, it is these humble plants that maintain the ecology of the earth.
8. Every year, 8 million tons of garbage are dumped into the ocean, and most of it is plastic waste. This garbage forms an "island" in the northern Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Belt.
9. The most serious marine crude oil spill in history was the 1991 Gulf War oil spill, the Iraqi army in order to prevent the landing of U.S. troops, opened the valve of Kuwait's offshore oil terminal, estimated 520 million gallons of oil into the ocean, forming a 16 km long, 3 km wide oil belt on the sea surface.
10. The blue whale is the largest known animal on Earth, reaching up to 33 meters long and weighing 181 tons, and its footprints can be found in all oceans of the world. And it is currently classified as an "endangered" animal.
11. Although our technology seems to be well developed, 95% of the oceans are still unexplored, and in fact we know more about the moon than we do about the oceans. That's why planes and boats that crash at sea are so hard to find.
12. Why does the ocean rise and fall every day? This is due to the fact that the surface of the ocean is caused by the gravitational (tidal force) of the Moon and the Sun, collectively known as tides. Tidal energy, on the other hand, is an inexhaustible renewable energy source that requires no fuel, using the flow or rise and fall of seawater to generate electricity.
13. In the course of human history, between 1 million and 3 million ships have sunk to the bottom of the sea, of which less than 1% have been salvaged, and countless treasures and artifacts lie quietly on the seabed. This also makes the ocean the "museum" with the richest collection.
14. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth, stretching for 2011 km and reaching a maximum width of 161 km, so large that it can be seen even on the moon.
15. The most poisonous creature in the ocean is the box jellyfish, which looks harmless to humans and animals in appearance, but its toxin can kill people in a few minutes, and the venomous poison on a tank jellyfish is enough to poison 60 adults.
16.In 2005, the U.S. military admitted that between 1944 and 1970, they dumped 64 million pounds (about 29,000 tons) of nerve gas and mustard gas, 400,000 chemical explosives, and more than 500 tons of radioactive waste into the ocean. No wonder the United States will support Japan to dump nuclear waste, it turns out that it has a previous crime...
17. Coral reefs are important not only for marine life, but also for humans, and it can act as a buffer zone between oceans and offshore settlements, reducing the damage of waves and storms. But coral reefs are threatened by climate change and destructive human fishing.
18. "Mid-Ocean Ridge" is the world's longest mountain range, located on the seabed, refers to the series of submarine mountains that run through the world's four oceans, have the same origin and similar characteristics, also known as the Central Ridge, with a total length of 80,000 kilometers and an area of about 120 million square kilometers, accounting for 1/3 of the world's total ocean area.
19. There are 20 million tons of gold scattered throughout the ocean, but the concentration is too low, only a few parts per trillion, resulting in almost no purification, and there is undissolved gold on the seabed, but there is a lack of effective and cost-effective mining methods.
20. Most volcanic eruptions on Earth occur on the unseen seafloor, and most are concentrated in the Pacific Ring of Volcanoes. Sometimes volcanic eruptions on the ocean floor create new islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, which are the product of submarine volcanoes.
21. In the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, there is a place called "Jaw Cafe", why is it called? Because scientists have found that every year, a large number of sharks leave the food-rich area and come to this barren place to gather as if they were on vacation, but scientists do not understand why great white sharks love this place.
Doesn't it feel like you've gained a lot of insight? Give it a thumbs up and go.