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Definition: ocean from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

pronunciationpronunciation

(14c) 1 a : the whole body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the earth b : any of the large bodies of water (as the Atlantic Ocean) into which the great ocean is divided 2 : a very large or unlimited space or quantity

ocean

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
interconnected mass of saltwater covering 70.78% of the surface of the earth, often called the world ocean. It is subdivided into four (or five) major units that are separated from each other in most cases by the continental masses. See also oceanography . Of the major units that comprise the world ocean, three—the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans—extend northward from Antarctica as huge “gulfs” separating the continents. The fourth, the Arctic Ocean, nearly landlocked by Eurasia and North America and nearly circular in outline, caps the north polar region. The Southern Ocean (also called the Antarctic Ocean) is now often considered a fifth, separate ocean, extending from the shores of Antarctica northward to about 60°S. The major oceans are further subdivided into smaller regions loosely called seas, gulfs, or bays. Some of these seas, such as the Sargasso Sea of the North Atlantic Ocean, are only vaguely defined, while others, such as the Mediterranean Sea or the Black Sea, are…
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Full text Article ocean

From Astronomy Encyclopedia
ocean The Conamara Chaos region of Jupiter's...
Great body of salt water on the surface of a planet. At the present geological epoch, oceans are known only on the Earth. There is strong evidence, however, that in the geological past an ocean covered the northern part of MARS . The Martian northern plains are very flat, and their borders with the…
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Full text Article ocean

From Philip's Encyclopedia
Continuous body of salt water that surrounds the continents and fills the Earth's great depressions. Oceans cover c .71% of the Earth's surface (more than 80% of the Southern Hemisphere), and represent c .98% of all the water on the face of the Earth. There are five main oceans, the Atlantic , …
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Full text Article ocean

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
interconnected mass of saltwater covering 70.78% of the surface of the earth, often called the world ocean. It is subdivided into four (or five) major units that are separated from each other in most cases by the continental masses. See also oceanography . Of the major units that comprise the world…
| 3,211 words
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Full text Article Oceans

From International Encyclopedia of Human Geography
© 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 8, pp 21–26, ©2009 Elsevier Ltd., with an updated Further Reading supplied by the Editor. Glossary Containerization A series of practices that are associated with the use of shipping containers, …
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Full text Article ocean

From The Chambers Dictionary
the vast expanse of salt water that covers the greater part of the surface of the globe; any one of its great divisions (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic; also Southern (ie the belt of water round the earth between 40° and 66 1/2° south) and German (ie the North Sea)); any immense…
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Full text Article OCEAN

From Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations
Greek playwright Ye waves That o'er th’ interminable ocean wreathe Your crisped smiles. Prometheus Bound l. 95 Heritage Press. New York New York USA . 1966. The mighty voice of ocean is like the wallowing of a river and the windroar of a forest, sometimes low and sometimes loud, but ever fitful, …
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Full text Article ocean

From The American Heritage Student Science Dictionary
The continuous saltwater body that covers about 72 percent of the surface of the Earth. Any of the principal divisions of this body of water, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. ocean/sea The word ocean refers to one of the Earth’s four distinct, large areas of salt water, …
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Full text Article oceans.

From The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea
The waters of the oceans provide the most voluminous habitat on the planet; 71% of the earth's surface is covered by sea to an average depth of 3,800 metres (12,470 ft). The volume of water in the oceans is estimated to be 1.368 × 10 9 cub. km (3.283 × 10 8 cub. mls.), which is 97% of all the water…
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Full text Article ocean

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Continuous body of salt water covering over 70% of the Earth's surface. Geographically speaking, five oceans exist – the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Southern (or Antarctic), and the Arctic. The approximate volume of the world's oceans is 1,370 million cu km/329 million cu mi, and they…
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(A) Schematic representation of the...
Abstract Ocean circulation is a fundamental process in the Earths’ climate system, as it transfers heat, freshwater and carbon around the planet. This chapter discusses how the ocean circulation is measured and how models are used to improve our understanding of the circulation as well as predicting…
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