Ocean

Three quarters of the surface of the Earth is covered by ocean. The ocean is given five names, or there are five "oceans" as follows:

• Arctic Ocean
• Atlantic Ocean
• Indian Ocean
• Pacific Ocean
• Southern Ocean

Subregions of the oceans are known as seas, gulfs, strait?s etc.

The boundaries between the oceans are apparently set by the International Hydrographic Organization. E.g., the Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica to 60 degrees south latitude.

The oceans are filled with [salt water]?--which is called brine?--through which swim many fish, [marine mammal]?s, cephalopod?s such as the octopus?, and many other forms of life.

One of the most dramatic forms of weather occur on the oceans: hurricanes, which are known as typhoons? in the Pacific Ocean. Ocean currents greatly affect the earth's weather--for example, [El Nino]? and [La Nina]? in the southern Pacific Ocean greatly affect the weather of The Americas.

The study of the earth's oceans is called oceanography?.