Portal:Oceans


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Introduction

The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as oceans (in descending order: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Antarctic/Southern Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean), and are themselves mostly divided into seas, gulfs and subsequent bodies of water. The ocean contains 97% of Earth's water and is the primary component of Earth's hydrosphere, acting as a huge reservoir of heat for Earth's energy budget, as well as for its carbon cycle and water cycle, forming the basis for climate and weather patterns worldwide. The ocean is essential to life on Earth, harbouring most of Earth's animals and protist life, originating photosynthesis and therefore Earth's atmospheric oxygen, still supplying half of it. (Full article...)

A sea is a large body of salt water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly refers to the ocean, the interconnected body of seawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular seas are either marginal seas, second-order sections of the oceanic sea (e.g. the Mediterranean Sea), or certain large, nearly landlocked bodies of water. (Full article...)

Oceanography (from Ancient Greek ὠκεανός (ōkeanós) 'ocean' and γραφή (graphḗ) 'writing'), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. (Full article...)

Selected article -

Human activities have substantial impact on coral reefs, contributing to their worldwide decline. Damaging activities encompass coral mining, pollution (both organic and non-organic), overfishing, blast fishing, as well as the excavation of canals and access points to islands and bays. Additional threats comprise disease, destructive fishing practices, and the warming of oceans. Furthermore, the ocean's function as a carbon dioxide sink, alterations in the atmosphere, ultraviolet light, ocean acidification, viral infections, the repercussions of dust storms transporting agents to distant reefs, pollutants, and algal blooms represent some of the factors exerting influence on coral reefs. Importantly, the jeopardy faced by coral reefs extends far beyond coastal regions. The ramifications of climate change, notably global warming, induce an elevation in ocean temperatures that triggers coral bleaching—a potentially lethal phenomenon for coral ecosystems.

Scientists estimate that over next 20 years, about 70 to 90% of all coral reefs will disappear. With primary causes being warming ocean waters, ocean acidity, and pollution. In 2008, a worldwide study estimated that 19% of the existing area of coral reefs had already been lost. Only 46% of the world's reefs could be currently regarded as in good health and about 60% of the world's reefs may be at risk due to destructive, human-related activities. The threat to the health of reefs is particularly strong in Southeast Asia, where 80% of reefs are endangered. By the 2030s, 90% of reefs are expected to be at risk from both human activities and climate change; by 2050, it is predicted that all coral reefs will be in danger. (Full article...)

Interesting facts -

Selected list articles and Marine habitat topics

Tasks


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General images -

The following are images from various ocean-related articles on Wikipedia.

In the news

17 December 2025 – War on drugs, Operation Southern Spear
The United States Southern Command says the U.S. Navy attacked an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing at least four people. (AP)
15 December 2025 – War on drugs, Operation Southern Spear
The United States Southern Command says the U.S. Navy has carried out airstrikes on three alleged drug smuggling vessels in international waters of the Eastern Pacific, killing at least eight people. (Reuters)
9 December 2025 –
A Sudanese Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft crashes while landing at an air base in Port Sudan, Red Sea State, Sudan, killing all crew members. (Al Jazeera)
7 December 2025 – 2025 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Cyclone Ditwah
The death toll from the floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Sri Lanka increases to 618. (Al Jazeera)

WikiProjects

  • WikiProject Oceans
  • WikiProject Limnology and Oceanography
  • WikiProject Marine life
  • WikiProject Cetaceans
  • WikiProject Fishes
  • WikiProject Sharks

Related WikiProjects
  • WikiProject Arthropods
  • WikiProject Fisheries and Fishing
  • WikiProject Lakes
  • WikiProject Rivers

Topics


More topics

Categories

Select [►] to view subcategories Oceans
Oceans
Categories by ocean
Categories by sea or ocean
Landforms by sea or ocean
Oceans-related lists
Seas
Oceans surrounding Antarctica
Arctic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Submarine cables
Coasts
Ocean currents
Marine energy
Oceans and seas in fiction
Historical oceans
Indian Ocean
Indo-Pacific
Law of the sea
Ocean maps
Marine conservation
Oceanaria
Pacific Ocean
Submarine pipelines
Ocean pollution
Southern Ocean
Works set on oceans
World Ocean


Seas
Seas
Categories by sea
Categories by sea or ocean
Seas by country
Seas by continent
Seas of the Arctic Ocean
Seas of the Atlantic Ocean
Sea in culture
Sea and river deities
Oceans and seas in fiction
Seas of Greenland
Seas of the Indian Ocean
Lists of seas
Marginal seas
Marine energy
Maritime transport
Seas of the Pacific Ocean
Seas of the Southern Ocean


Oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanographers
Marine geophysicists
Oceans
Seas
Oceanography awards
Biological oceanography
Chemical oceanography
Oceanographic expeditions
Ocean exploration
Fracture zones
Oceanographic instrumentation
Oceanography journals
Marine biology
Marine geology
Marine meteorology
Maritime culture
Oceanographic Time-Series
Oceanographical terminology
Oceanography of Canada
Oceanographic organizations
Paleoceanography
Physical oceanography
Research vessels
Underwater diving companies
Underwater diving sites
Underwater explorers
United States Exploring Expedition
Oceanography stubs

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Admiralty law

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