Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean. The Pacific Ocean covers 69,375,000 square miles, or 35% of the earth. The Pacific Ocean is almost half of all the oceans, as big as the other four oceans combined. As the earth spins around, there is a viewpoint from outer space where all you can see is the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is between Asia on the west and North and South America on the east. The Pacific Ocean connects to the Indian Ocean to the west, to the Antarctic Ocean to the south, and to the Arctic Ocean to the north.

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean. The Atlantic Ocean covers 41,105,000 square miles, or 21% of the earth. The Atlantic Ocean is a little bigger than half as big as the Pacific Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean is between North and South America on the west and Europe and Africa on the east. The Atlantic Ocean connects to the Arctic Ocean to the north, and to the Antarctic Ocean to the south.

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean. The Indian Ocean covers 28,900,000 square miles, or 15% of the earth. The Indian Ocean is between Africa on the west and Asia on the north. The Indian Ocean connects to the Antarctic Ocean to the south, and to the Pacific Ocean to the east.

Antarctic Ocean

The Antarctic Ocean circles the globe and surrounds the southern continent of Antarctica. The Antarctic Ocean is also called the Southern Ocean. The Antarctic Ocean is connected to the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.

• Note: some textbooks do not recognize the Southern Ocean as an ocean. Those books consider the Southern Ocean to be merely a part of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. However, most scientists recognize the Southern Ocean in their research. For an example, see the article by Wallace Broeker, et al., "A Possible 20th-Century Slowdown of Southern Ocean Deep Water Formation," in Science, Vol. 286, November 5, 1999. Ask your librarian or teacher for help in finding this scientific journal! What do you think? Where does one ocean end and the next ocean begin? E-mail your comments to ReefNews@ReefNews.com

Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean covers the earth's north pole. This ocean is so cold that its surface is often frozen during the winter. The vast Arctic icecap is the source of many icebergs. The Arctic Ocean is between North America and Asia. The Arctic Ocean is connected to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.