There are still many unexplored parts of the underwater world. And this also counts true for the Pacific Ocean. Here are some amazing facts about the Pacific Ocean that not a lot of people know!
How did it get its name?
In the 1500s, when Ferdinand Magellan was sailing through what’s now known as the Magellan Straight, he entered this ocean. The waters were much calmer than he had experienced on his journey thus far. So he decided to name this body of water after the Latin word pacificus which means tranquil.
It is HUGE
If you combined all of the areas of the world’s land, the Pacific Ocean would still be bigger. And if that is not enough, this ocean is the Earth’s deepest as well. Some of its depths are still completely unexplored by scientists and explorers, because of pressure levels that are far under the surface.
Islands & Volcanoes
The Pacific Ocean has no shortage of islands. It’s actually the home of the majority of our islands, with over 25 thousand islands within the Pacific’s borders. But there are even more underwater volcanoes in this ocean. Over 75 thousand volcanoes lie in the Pacific, leading to tons of underwater earthquakes and eruptions.
The most polluted ocean
Unfortunately, the Pacific Ocean is our most polluted ocean mass, and it's getting worse each year. The majority of the pollution comes from plastics and micro-plastics. Additionally, some debris comes from satellite crashes that land pieces in the ocean.
Redistributing waters
Each year, the Pacific Ocean loses around one inch of its size, and the Atlantic Ocean gains that equal amount. This is because of the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates. It occurs on three different sides of the basin in the Pacific Ocean.