Facts about the Atlantic Ocean
- 10
Gulf Stream currents transport warm water northward at speeds up to 2 meters per second, delivering heat equivalent to 27 million power plants to the North Atlantic region.
- 09
Atlantic cod populations collapsed in the 1990s due to overfishing, with catch rates dropping from 810,000 tons in 1968 to near commercial extinction by 1992.
- 08
Hurricane Ophelia in 2017 traveled 3,000 kilometers across the Atlantic Ocean and maintained tropical storm strength farther north than any Atlantic hurricane on record.
- 07
Beneath the Atlantic Ocean, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge extends roughly 16,000 kilometers and generates new oceanic crust at a rate of 2 to 3 centimeters per year.
- 06
The Atlantic Ocean's thermohaline circulation, driven by differences in water temperature and salinity, completes one full cycle approximately every 1,000 years and significantly influences global climate patterns.
- 05
Salty water in the Atlantic Ocean averages 35 parts per thousand, with salinity varying from 33 to 37 ppt depending on evaporation, rainfall, and river input at different latitudes.
- 04
Every year, the Atlantic Ocean absorbs approximately 90 billion tons of carbon dioxide, making it a critical carbon sink in regulating Earth's climate.
- 03
Spanning roughly 82 million square kilometers, the Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean on Earth, covering about 23 percent of the world's water surface.
- 02
In 1985, Robert Ballard discovered the wreck of the RMS Titanic 3,797 meters below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean using remotely operated submersibles.
- 01
Approximately 20 percent of the world's ocean oxygen is produced by phytoplankton in the Atlantic Ocean.