Thalassophobia is the technical name for people who have a phobia of the sea or other large bodies of water. However, while the ocean harbors some of the most terrifying creatures ever to exist, it also contains many marvels – the majority of which are yet to be explored. Check out these facts about oceans below.
1 The majority of the World’s oxygen comes from tiny ocean organisms called phytoplankton.
Phytoplankton as seen from space. Image source: www.esa.int
According to scientists, in every breath we take, there is oxygen that has been produced by ocean plants. The majority of which come from photosynthesizing microscopic organisms called phytoplankton.(source)
2 Our ocean is a deep, dark and mysterious void which is full of undiscovered wonders. National Geographic speculated in 2011, that 86% of the World’s species have yet to be classified.
This 86% could well include some of the largest, scariest animals that mother nature has ever brought into existence. The 2011 study estimates that our planet is home to 8.7 million species.(source)
3 If you think we’ve discovered everything the Earth has to offer, in fact, we’ve only explored 5-7% of the ocean floor and less than 1% of the ocean itself.
Only around 5% of the ocean floor has been mapped to a certain degree. With 70% of the Earth’s surface covered in ocean, this means 65% of the Earth has yet to be explored. (source)
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4 The giant squid was thought to be a myth until it was seen alive in 2001.
The giant squid belongs to the family Architeuthidae and is a deep-ocean dwelling creature. It can grow to an impressive size of up to 13m (43ft) for females and 10m (33ft) for males thanks to deep-sea gigantism. Japanese researchers took the first images of a live giant squid in it’s natural habitat in 2004. In July 2012 a live adult was first filmed off Chichi-jima. (source)
5 The ocean has canyons, mountains and volcanoes bigger than mt. Everest.
If measuring mountain summits by their height above sea level, then Mount Everest is the highest in the World at 8,850m (29,035ft). However, when measured from it’s base deep in the pacific ocean, an inactive volcano by the name of Mauna Kea is the tallest at 10,210m (33,500ft).(source)
