Ocean world

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ocean-world

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is the Ocean world?Approximately 361 million square kilometers (139 million square miles)
2. How deep is the Ocean world?Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench, approximately 10,984 meters (36,037 feet)
3. What is the location?Global, covering approximately 71% of Earth's surface
4. What is the primary oxygen producers?Phytoplankton, contributing an estimated 50-85% of global oxygen
5. How do ocean currents help the planet?Ocean currents are like giant rivers in the sea that move warm and cold water around, helping to keep the Earth's weather balanced and feeding fish and plants.
6. Where is the deepest part of Earth's oceans?The deepest part is the Mariana Trench, a very deep hole in the ocean floor where one tectonic plate slides under another.

Thermohaline Circulation: Global ocean currents driven by differences in temperature and salinity, influencing climate.
Ocean Acidification: The ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of atmospheric CO2.
Paleoceanography: The study of the history of oceans in the context of long-term Earth system changes.