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Intro - Ocean Formation

The document provides an introduction to oceanography by discussing how the oceans formed over billions of years from water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere condensing as the planet cooled. It explains that oceans now cover around 71% of the Earth's surface and contain over 80% of the planet's hydrologic water supply.

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Jellie Mae Payba
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17 views9 pages

Intro - Ocean Formation

The document provides an introduction to oceanography by discussing how the oceans formed over billions of years from water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere condensing as the planet cooled. It explains that oceans now cover around 71% of the Earth's surface and contain over 80% of the planet's hydrologic water supply.

Uploaded by

Jellie Mae Payba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Oceanography

Origin of Earth and Ocean


Why Study Oceanography?
 Earth is the water planet
 Oceans Modulate the Climate
 Human Civilization (waves
govern the coastal processes
and habitat)
The Oceans
cover ~71% of earth’s surface and have an
average depth of ~3.8 km;
carry most (80-97.5%) of the hydro spheric
water supply;
The ocean formed billions of years ago.
The Oceans
• Over vast periods of time, our primitive
ocean formed. Water remained a gas until
the Earth cooled below 212 degrees
Fahrenheit. At this time, about 3.8 billion
years ago, the water condensed into rain
which filled the basins that we now know
as our world ocean.
The Oceans
• Most scientists agree that the atmosphere
and the ocean accumulated gradually over
millions and millions of years with the
continual 'degassing' of the Earth's
interior.
The Oceans
 According to this theory, the ocean formed
from the escape of water vapor and other
gases from the molten rocks of the Earth to
the atmosphere surrounding the cooling
planet.
The Oceans
 After the Earth's surface had cooled to a
temperature below the boiling point of
water, rain began to fall—and continued to
fall for centuries. As the water drained into
the great hollows in the Earth's surface, the
primeval ocean came into existence. The
forces of gravity prevented the water from
leaving the planet.
Thank You

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