Sunset over the Pacific Ocean as seen from the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA
Scientists say we have explored more of the surface of Mars than our own oceans.
While that may be true, we are constantly developing new technology to combat the challenges in ocean exploration.
We may never know everything there is to know about those mysterious depths, but here are a few lesser known facts that can get you started in your ocean education.
1. Shark bites injure around 70 people each year.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Though these stories get a lot of media attention, consider that its less than a millionth of one percent of the population.
More people are injured by crocodiles, elephants, bees and lightening each year. Actually, humans kill millions of sharks each year as a consequence of fishing activities.
2. There are at least 226,408 marine species, according to the World Register of Marine Species.
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More than 500 of those known species are sharks. More than 17,000 of ocean animals live in the deep sea where they never see sunlight.
3. 90 percent of all volcanic activity occurs in the ocean.
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The last known eruption of a submarine volcano was in 2011. The unnamed volcano is located of the island of El Hierro in the Atlantic Ocean.
4. The speed of sound in water is five times faster than the speed of sound in air.
Photo credit: NOAA
The speed of sound in water is 1,435 meters per second.
5. The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is 3,332 meters.
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The greatest depth is in the Puerto Rico Trench, 8,381 meters.
6. The ice found in Antarctica is by volume larger than the amount of water in the Atlantic Ocean.
Photo credit: bluesci.org
Ice covers about 98 percent of the Antarctic continent.
7. A mouthful of seawater may contain millions of bacterial cells, hundreds of thousands of phytoplankton and tens of thousands of zooplankton.
This photo from the Dartmouth Electron Microscope Facility shows the millions of organisms found in just one milliliter of sea water.
8. Swordfish and marlin are the fastest fish in the ocean.
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They can reach speeds up to 121 kilometers per hour. Bluefin tuna can also maintain a speed of 90 kilometers per hour.
9. Blue whales alive today have hearts the size of small cars.
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They are considered the largest animal ever, larger than any known dinosaurs.
10. Coral has been used to replace bone grafts.
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These bone grafts help humans heal broken bones quickly, because the chemistry of coral is very similar to human bone.
11. Refined oil is polluting the ocean.
Photo credit: Wikipedia.
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but here’s the facts. Each year, more oil is deposited in the ocean as a result of leaking cars and other sources than the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon.
12. The average ocean temperature is pretty cold.
Photo credit: NASA
When factoring in all the ocean water from the arctics to the tropics, the average temperature is 3.5 degrees Celsius, or about 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
13. The deepest point of the ocean has a pressure of more than 11,318 tons per square foot.
Photo credit: DeepSeaNews.com
What does that mean? Marion Bio says that the equivalent of one person trying to hold up 50 jumbo jets. Wowza.