Pacific Geography Project. Environmental problems of the first among the oceans - the Pacific

General characteristics The deepest ocean in the world The deepest ocean in the world Is the warmest ocean Is the warmest ocean Restless, regardless of its name Restless, regardless of its name One of the densely populated oceans One of the densely populated oceans The Pacific Ocean is usually divided into two regions - North and South, bordering on the equator. The boundary is also drawn along the axis of the equatorial countercurrent, that is, approximately 5 ° north latitude. Previously, the water area of ​​the Pacific Ocean was more often divided into three parts: northern, central, and southern, the boundaries between which were the Northern and Southern tropics.

The Pacific Ocean is the greatest ocean on Earth. It accounts for about half (49%) of the area and more than half (53%) of the volume of the waters of the World Ocean, and the surface area is equal to almost a third of the entire surface of the Earth as a whole. In terms of the number (about 10 thousand) and the total area (more than 3.5 million km 2) of islands, it ranks first among the rest of the oceans of the Earth.

In the northwest and west, the Pacific Ocean is bounded by the shores of Eurasia and Australia, in the northeast and east by the shores of North and South America. The border with the Arctic Ocean is drawn through the Bering Strait along the Arctic Circle. The southern border of the Pacific Ocean (as well as the Atlantic and Indian) is considered the northern coast of Antarctica. When identifying the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean, its northern boundary is drawn along the waters of the World Ocean, depending on the change in the regime of surface waters from temperate latitudes to Antarctic ones. It runs approximately between 48 and 60°S.

The bed of the modern Pacific Ocean is formed by a system of lithospheric plates bounded from the ocean by mid-ocean ridges, which are part of the global system of mid-ocean ridges of the World Ocean. These are the East Pacific Rise and the South Pacific Ridge, which, reaching a width of up to 2,000 km in places, join together in the southern part of the ocean and continue to the west, into the Indian Ocean. The East Pacific Ridge, stretching to the northeast, to the coast of North America, in the Gulf of California region, connects with the system of continental rift faults of the California Valley, the Yosemite Trench and the San Andreas Fault.

The basins are separated from each other or crossed by arched uplifts or blocky ridges, on which volcanic structures are planted, often crowned with coral structures within the intertropical space. Their peaks protrude above the water in the form of small islands, often grouped into linearly elongated archipelagos. Some of them are still active volcanoes, spewing basaltic lava flows. But for the most part, these are already extinct volcanoes built on coral reefs. Some of these volcanic mountains are located at a depth of 200 to 2000 m. Their peaks are leveled by abrasion; the position deep under water is obviously associated with the lowering of the bottom. Formations of this type are called guyots.

The maximum depth of the Pacific Ocean is m (Marian Trench).

Oil and gas deposits have been discovered in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, and placers of heavy minerals and other minerals are found at the bottom. The main oil and gas bearing regions are concentrated on the periphery of the ocean. In the Tasman Basin, the oil and gas fields of Barracut (over 42 billion m 3 of gas), Marlin (more than 43 billion m 3 of gas, 74 million tons of oil), Kingfish were discovered, and the gas field of Kapuni (15 billion m3) was explored off the island of New Zealand. m 3). The Indonesian seas, areas near the coast of South Alaska and the western shores of North America are also promising for oil and gas. Of the solid minerals, alluvial deposits of magnetite sands (Japan, the western coast of North America), cassiterite (Indonesia, Malaysia), and gold and platinum (the coast of Alaska, etc.) have been discovered and are being partially developed.

Large accumulations of deep-sea iron-manganese nodules, also containing a significant amount of nickel and copper, have been found in the open ocean (the Clarion-Clipperton fault). Ferromanganese crusts and nodules enriched in cobalt and platinum have been found on many seamounts and slopes of oceanic islands. Large deposits of sulfide ores containing zinc, copper, lead, and rare metals (East Pacific Rise, Galapagos Rift) have been discovered within the mid-ocean rifts and in the area of ​​back-arc spreading (in the western part of the Pacific Ocean). Phosphorite deposits are known on the shelves of California and the island of New Zealand. In many shallow areas of the shelf, deposits of non-metallic minerals have been identified and are being exploited.

Most of the Pacific Ocean is located in the subequatorial, tropical, subtropical and temperate climatic zones, the smaller one - in the equatorial and subarctic. Atmospheric circulation over the ocean is determined by 4 main areas of atmospheric pressure: the Aleutian Low, North Pacific, South Pacific and Antarctic Highs. This distribution of pressure determines the advantage in tropical and subtropical latitudes of stable northeast winds in the north and southeast winds in the south - trade winds (weaker than in other oceans, and stronger in the east than in the west) and strong westerly winds in temperate latitudes. In the west of the tropical zone, from June to November, tropical hurricanes - typhoons are frequent. The northwestern part of the ocean is characterized by monsoon circulation of the atmosphere.

The main currents in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean include the warm Kuroshio Current, or the Japanese Current, which passes into the North Pacific (these currents play the same role in the Pacific Ocean as the system of the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Current in the Atlantic Ocean); cold California current; Northern Equatorial (Equatorial) current and cold Kamchatka (Kuril) current. In the southern part of the ocean, the warm East Australian and South Tradewind (Equatorial) currents stand out; cold currents of the West Winds and Peruvian. In the Northern Hemisphere, these major current systems move clockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere they move counterclockwise. Tides are generally low for the Pacific Ocean; the exception is Cook Inlet in Alaska, which is famous for its exceptionally high rise in water during high tides and is second only to the Bay of Fundy in the northwest Atlantic Ocean in this respect.

More than half of the living matter of the entire World Ocean of the Earth is concentrated in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. This applies to both plants and animals. The fauna, totaling up to 100 thousand species, is characterized by mammals that live mainly in temperate and high latitudes. The sperm whale, a representative of toothed whales, has a massive distribution, and several species of striped whales are among toothless whales. Their fishing is strictly limited. Separate genera of the eared seal family (sea lions) and fur seals are found in the south and north of the ocean. Northern fur seals are valuable fur-bearing animals, the trade of which is strictly controlled. In the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean, there are also very rare sea lions (from eared seals) and walrus, which has a circumpolar range, but is now on the verge of extinction.

The fish fauna is very rich. In tropical waters there are at least 2000 species, in the northwestern seas about 800 species. The Pacific Ocean accounts for almost half of the world's fish catch. The main fishing areas are the northern and central parts of the ocean. The main commercial families are salmon, herring, cod, anchovies, etc. At the moment, the Pacific Ocean is subject to severe pollution. Plastic waste negatively affects the life of marine creatures, but what is the strength of this influence, what is the magnitude of the concentration in different parts of the ocean, which types of organisms and animals are most affected by plastic garbage, this is what specialists will have to study in the coming weeks. Scientists from California will spend about three weeks in the ocean, collecting water samples in different parts of the ocean. Pieces of garbage that float in the seas and oceans are called "garbage islands". Of course, such a name does not quite reflect the essence of this phenomenon, since a continuous layer of garbage is not observed. And it would be good if such a situation never happened, for now, for a few square meters of ocean space, there is a relatively small piece of plastic debris, which is very difficult to see from above.

The largest and oldest of all oceans. Its area is 178.6 million km2. It can freely accommodate all the continents and combined, which is why it is sometimes called the Great. The name "Quiet" is associated with the name of F., who made a round-the-world trip and sailed across the Pacific Ocean under favorable conditions.

This ocean is really great: it occupies 1/3 of the surface of the entire planet and almost 1/2 of the area. The ocean has an oval shape, especially it is wide.

The peoples inhabiting the Pacific shores and islands have long sailed the ocean and mastered its riches. Information about the ocean was accumulated as a result of the voyages of F. Magellan, J.. The beginning of its wide study was laid in the 19th century by the first round-the-world Russian expedition of I.F. . At present, a special department has been set up for the study of the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, new data on its nature have been obtained, the depth has been determined, currents, the topography of the bottom, and the ocean are being studied.

The southern part of the ocean from the shores of the Tuamotu Islands to the shores is an area of ​​​​calm, and stable. It is for this calmness and silence that Magellan and his companions called the Pacific Ocean. But west of the Tuamotu Islands, the picture changes dramatically. Calm weather is rare here, usually stormy winds blow, often turning into. These are the so-called southern squalls, especially fierce in December. Tropical cyclones are less frequent but more severe. They arrive in early autumn from , at the northern tip they turn into warm westerly winds.

The tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean are clean, transparent and have an average salinity. Their deep dark blue color amazed observers. But sometimes the waters here turn green. This is due to the development of marine life. In the equatorial part of the ocean, favorable weather conditions. The temperature above the sea is around 25°C and almost does not change throughout the year. Moderate winds blow here. At times there is complete silence. The sky is clear, the nights are very dark. The equilibrium is especially stable in the zone of islands. In the belt of calm, strong, but short-lived showers are frequent, mostly in the afternoon. Hurricanes are extremely rare here.

The warm waters of the ocean contribute to the work of corals, of which there are many. The Great Reef stretches along the eastern coast of Australia. This is the largest "ridge" created by organisms.

The western part of the ocean is under the influence of monsoons with their sudden vagaries. Terrible hurricanes arise here and. They are especially fierce in the northern hemisphere between 5 and 30 °. Typhoons are frequent from July to October, in August there are up to four in a month. They originate in the area of ​​the Caroline and Mariana Islands and then "make raids" on the coast, and. Since in the west of the tropical part of the ocean it is hot and rainy, the islands of Fiji, New Hebrides, New are not without reason considered one of the most unhealthy places on the globe.

The northern regions of the ocean are similar to the southern ones, only as if in a mirror image: the circular rotation of the waters, but if in the southern part it is against, then in the northern part it is clockwise; unsettled weather in the west where typhoons move north; cross currents: Northern Equatorial and Southern Equatorial; there is little floating ice in the north of the ocean, since the Bering Strait is very narrow and protects the Pacific Ocean from the influence of the Arctic Ocean. This distinguishes the north of the ocean from its south.

The Pacific Ocean is the deepest. Its average depth is 3980 meters, and the maximum reaches 11022 m. The coast of the ocean is located in the seismic zone, as it is the boundary and the place of interaction with other lithospheric plates. This interaction is accompanied by ground and underwater and.

Bottom relief: East Pacific Rise, Northeast, Northwest, Central, East, South and other basins, deep-sea trenches: Aleutian, Kurile-, Mariana, Philippine, Peruvian and others.

Inhabitants: a large number of unicellular and multicellular microorganisms; fish (pollock, herring, salmon, cod, sea bass, beluga, chum salmon, pink salmon, sockeye salmon, cinnamon and many others); seals, seals; crabs, shrimps, oysters, squids, octopuses.

: 30-36.5‰.

Currents: warm -, North Pacific, Alaska, South Tradewind, East Australian; cold - California, Kuril, Peruvian, for the Western winds.

Additional Information: The Pacific Ocean is the largest in the world; for the first time he crossed it in 1519, the ocean was called "Pacific", because in all three months of travel they did not fall into a single storm; The Pacific Ocean is usually divided into northern and southern regions, the border of which runs along the equator line.

The Pacific Ocean has ecological problems, at least for the time being, only in its coastal zones. This is probably because it is the largest on Earth. Its area is about 179.7 million square meters. km. The volume of water is 710.36 million cubic meters. m, the average depth is 3984 m, and the maximum is 11022 m. The ocean is located between Eurasia, Australia, Antarctica and the east of North and South America.

The Pacific Ocean occupies 49.5% of the surface and contains about 53% of the water volume of the World Ocean. Most of it lies in the southern latitudes. The main part of its seas is located along the coast of Eurasia, and there are none at all along North and South America. It has several thousand islands formed after volcanic eruptions.

It is impossible to name the exact dates of the beginning of its development. But, of course, this happened even before the advent of writing in humans. The first European to set foot on the shore of this ocean was the Spaniard Nunez de Balboa. In 1513, he gave the name to the South Sea he saw. Ferdinand Magellan crossed the ocean seven years later. Not once during this time did the traveler get into a storm, the ocean was calm and peaceful, and therefore he called it the Pacific. In the 18th century, the French geographer Jean-Nicolas Buache proposed calling the ocean, due to the fact that it is the largest, the Great. But the name given by Magellan remains and is used.

The future Pacific Ocean arose towards the end of the Mesozoic period, when the continents Gondwana and Laurasia separated. The plates continue to move even now, because the ocean continues to increase at a rate of about 3-6 cm per year.

Climate, flora and fauna, minerals

The Pacific Ocean is located in all climatic zones of the Earth. Its western part is warmer than the eastern one, and the northern part is drier than the southern one. The salinity of water is increased in tropical latitudes and decreases near the equator and to the east. The water column is divided into five layers: surface up to 100 m, subsurface up to 1700 m, below are intermediate, deep and bottom.

The richness of flora and fauna corresponds to the size. It has 50% of the biomass of the World, and the species diversity is 3-4 times greater than that of all the others. Almost 95% of all salmon fish live in its waters, as well as ancient and relic living organisms. Even at depths that are not found anywhere else on the planet, which is more than 8500 m, 45 species of inhabitants. Gigantism is inherent in Pacific animals and fish.

And this is only discovered and used by man, and how much is still unknown.

Human resource use

Fish and other marine life were the first things that people began to extract from the water to meet their vital needs. And by the end of the 18th century, sea cows were completely exterminated, in the middle of the 20th century, northern fur seals and whales were put on the brink of extinction.

The Pacific Ocean accounts for 60% of the world's fisheries. The salmon, herring, cod, perch and flounder species are of the greatest importance for the fishery. In addition, whales, fur seals, sea otters and sea lions are still being hunted. Shellfish, crabs, shrimp, oysters and scallops are caught. Harvest seaweed. The largest fishing countries are Japan, Russia, Peru, Thailand, the USA and Chile.

Quiet became a testing ground for weapons of mass destruction - atomic and hydrogen. The first nuclear explosions were carried out by the United States in 1946. The result was the disappearance of Bikini Atoll and the largest contamination and exposure of the inhabitants of the nearby coast in 1954. Great Britain joined these tests in 1957, and France in 1966.

Active maritime traffic contributes to ocean pollution. In addition to accidents, flooding of ships, spills of oil and its products, solid insoluble and non-sinking wastes enter the waters. This mainly applies to plastic products, which, thanks to the currents, have already formed the Great Garbage Patch, located 500 miles from California, USA. The spot area is estimated at 1 million square meters. m. and a volume of 4 million tons.

The southern part of the ocean is actively filled up with "space debris" - decommissioned space objects.

Video - Garbage dump in the Pacific Ocean

Lesson 26 Grade 8

THEME: The Pacific Ocean

Target: study of the physical and geographical features of the Pacific Ocean, features of nature, human economic activity in the ocean.

Tasks:

1. To form knowledge about the geographical position, about the indentation of the coastline, relief, currents, climate, natural resources and environmental problems of the ocean.

2. To develop in students the ability to set a cognitive task, evaluate the result of work.

3. To educate the ecological, cartographic culture of students.

Lesson type: learning new material.

Equipment:textbook 8 cells, atlases.

During the classes

I . Organizational stage of the lesson

II . Updating the basic knowledge and skills of students

Today we will study a geographical object, and which one, try to determine for yourself.

1. Part of this geographical feature is the dirtiest sea on Earth - the Yellow.

2. This geographical feature also includes the deepest sea on Earth - the Philippine Sea.

3. Only in this geographical feature can you see the Great Barrier Reef, built by small animals, and it is so huge that it can even be seen from the moon.

4. It is here that you can observe the most gigantic destructive waves - tsunamis.

5. This geographical object is so huge in area that it can fit all the land on itself, and there will still be a place.

Many of you have probably guessed what geographical object we are talking about. Pacific Ocean.

Often this ocean is also called the Great. And today in the lesson we will try to correlate the characteristic features of this ocean with its names, and also agree or disagree with the names of this ocean.

III . Learning new material

"Research History"

Many peoples inhabiting the Pacific shores and islands from ancient times made voyages on the ocean, mastered its riches. The beginning of the penetration of Europeans into the Pacific Ocean coincided with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. The ships of F. Magellan for several months of navigation crossed a huge body of water from east to west. All this time, the sea was surprisingly calm, which gave Magellan reason to call it the Pacific Ocean.

Much information about the nature of the ocean was obtained during the voyages of J. Cook. A great contribution to the study of the ocean and islands in it was made by Russian expeditions led by I. F. Kruzenshtern, M. P. Lazarev, V. M. Golovnin, Yu. F. Lisyansky. In the same 19th century complex studies were carried out by S. O. Makarov on the ship "Vityaz". Regular scientific voyages since 1949 were made by Soviet expeditionary ships. A special international organization is engaged in the study of the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth. The area of ​​the Pacific Ocean is 179.7 million km 2, its average depth is 3984 m, the maximum is 11022 m (Marian Trench).

The Pacific Ocean occupies half of the entire water surface of the Earth, and more than thirty percent of the planet's surface area.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest, deepest and oldest of the oceans. Its main features are great depths, frequent movements of the earth's crust, many volcanoes at the bottom, a huge supply of heat in its waters, and an exceptional diversity of the organic world.

IV . Consolidation of the studied material

1. About the Pacific Ocean, you can say:

A) it is the deepest, most ancient, has many volcanoes, a huge supply of heat;

B) it stretched from the subarctic latitudes to Antarctica, according to the theory of lithospheric plates, it is relatively young;

C) the shallowest, occupies the space of the North Pole

2. Who and why gave the name to the Pacific Ocean?

3. What is its area?

4. Why is the Pacific Ocean the most turbulent?

5. List the features of the Pacific Ocean.

v . Evaluation stage. Reflection

Today in class :
I found out…
I learned…
I didn't understand…

VI . Homework § 23.Question 1, p.92

Magellan discovered the Pacific Ocean in the autumn of 1520 and called the ocean the Pacific Ocean, “because, according to one of the participants, during the transition from Tierra del Fuego to the Philippine Islands, more than three months, we never experienced the slightest storm.” By the number (about 10 thousand) and the total area of ​​the islands (about 3.6 million km²), the Pacific Ocean ranks first among the oceans. In the northern part - the Aleutian; in the western - Kuril, Sakhalin, Japanese, Philippine, Greater and Lesser Sunda, New Guinea, New Zealand, Tasmania; in the central and southern - numerous small islands. The bottom relief is varied. In the east - the East Pacific Rise, in the central part there are many basins (North-Eastern, North-Western, Central, Eastern, Southern, etc.), deep-water trenches: in the north - Aleutian, Kuril-Kamchatsky, Izu-Boninsky; in the west - Mariana (with a maximum depth of the World Ocean - 11,022 m), Philippine, etc.; in the east - Central American, Peruvian, etc.

The main surface currents: in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean - warm Kuroshio, North Pacific and Alaska and cold California and Kuril; in the southern part - warm South Trade Winds and East Australian and cold West Winds and Peruvian. The water temperature on the surface near the equator is from 26 to 29 ° C, in the subpolar regions up to −0.5 ° C. Salinity 30-36.5 ‰. The Pacific Ocean accounts for about half of the world's fish catch (pollock, herring, salmon, cod, sea bass, etc.). Extraction of crabs, shrimps, oysters.

Important sea and air communications between the countries of the Pacific basin and transit routes between the countries of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans run through the Pacific Ocean. Major ports: Vladivostok, Nakhodka (Russia), Shanghai (China), Singapore (Singapore), Sydney (Australia), Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, Long Beach (USA), Huasco (Chile). The International Date Line runs along the 180th meridian across the Pacific Ocean.

Plant life (except bacteria and lower fungi) is concentrated in the upper 200th layer, in the so-called euphotic zone. Animals and bacteria inhabit the entire water column and the ocean floor. Life develops most abundantly in the shelf zone, and especially near the coast at shallow depths, where the flora of brown algae and a rich fauna of mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, and other organisms are diversely represented in the temperate zones of the ocean. In tropical latitudes, the shallow water zone is characterized by the widespread and strong development of coral reefs, and mangroves near the shore. With the advancement from cold zones to tropical ones, the number of species sharply increases, and the density of their distribution decreases. About 50 species of coastal algae - macrophytes are known in the Bering Strait, over 200 off the Japanese Islands, over 800 in the waters of the Malay Archipelago. There are about 4000 known species of animals in the Soviet Far Eastern seas, and at least 40-50 thousand in the waters of the Malay Archipelago . In the cold and temperate zones of the ocean, with a relatively small number of plant and animal species, due to the mass development of some species, the total biomass greatly increases; in the tropical zones, individual forms do not receive such a sharp predominance, although the number of species is very large.

With distance from the coasts to the central parts of the ocean and with increasing depth, life becomes less diverse and less abundant. In general, the fauna of T. o. includes about 100 thousand species, but only 4-5% of them are found deeper than 2000 m. At depths of more than 5000 m, about 800 species of animals are known, more than 6000 m - about 500, deeper than 7000 m - slightly more than 200, and deeper than 10 thousand m - only about 20 species.

Among coastal algae - macrophytes - in temperate zones, fucus and kelp are especially distinguished by their abundance. In tropical latitudes, they are replaced by brown algae - Sargasso, green - Caulerpa and Galimeda and a number of red algae. The surface zone of the pelagial is characterized by the massive development of unicellular algae (phytoplankton), mainly diatoms, peridiniums and coccolithophorids. In zooplankton, the most important are various crustaceans and their larvae, mainly copepods (at least 1000 species) and euphausids; a significant admixture of radiolarians (several hundred species), coelenterates (siphonophores, jellyfish, ctenophores), eggs and larvae of fish and benthic invertebrates. In T. o. one can distinguish, in addition to the littoral and sublittoral zones, a transitional zone (up to 500-1000 m), bathyal, abyssal and ultraabyssal, or a zone of deep-water trenches (from 6-7 to 11 thousand m).

Planktonic and benthic animals serve as abundant food for fish and marine mammals (nekton). The fish fauna is exceptionally rich, including at least 2,000 species in tropical latitudes and about 800 in the Soviet Far Eastern seas, where, in addition, there are 35 species of marine mammals. The most commercially important fish are: anchovies, Far Eastern salmon, herring, mackerel, sardine, saury, sea bass, tuna, flounder, cod and pollock; from mammals - sperm whale, several species of minke whales, fur seal, sea otter, walrus, sea lion; from invertebrates - crabs (including Kamchatka), shrimps, oysters, scallops, cephalopods and many others; from plants - kelp (seaweed), agaronos-anfeltia, sea grass zoster and phyllospadix. Many representatives of the fauna of the Pacific Ocean are endemic (pelagic cephalopod nautilus, most Pacific salmon, saury, greenling fish, northern fur seal, sea lion, sea otter, and many others).

The large extent of the Pacific Ocean from North to South determines the diversity of its climates - from equatorial to subarctic in the North and Antarctic in the South. Most of the ocean surface, approximately between 40 ° north latitude and 42 ° south latitude, is located in the zones of equatorial, tropical and subtropical climates. The circulation of the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean is determined by the main areas of atmospheric pressure: the Aleutian Low, the North Pacific, South Pacific and Antarctic Highs. The indicated centers of action of the atmosphere in their interaction determine the great constancy of northeast winds in the North and southeast winds of moderate strength - trade winds - in the tropical and subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean and strong westerly winds in temperate latitudes. Especially strong winds are observed in the southern temperate latitudes, where the frequency of storms is 25-35%, in the northern temperate latitudes in winter - 30%, in summer - 5%. In the West of the tropical zone, from June to November, tropical hurricanes - typhoons are frequent. The monsoon circulation of the atmosphere is typical for the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. The average air temperature in February decreases from 26-27°C near the equator to -20°C in the Bering Strait and -10°C off the coast of Antarctica. In August, the average temperature varies from 26-28°C near the equator to 6-8°C in the Bering Strait and to -25°C off the coast of Antarctica. Throughout the Pacific Ocean, located north of 40 ° south latitude, there are significant differences in air temperature between the eastern and western parts of the ocean, caused by the corresponding dominance of warm or cold currents and the nature of the winds. In tropical and subtropical latitudes, the air temperature in the East is 4–8 °C lower than in the West. In the northern temperate latitudes, the opposite is true: in the East, the temperature is 8–12 °C higher than in the West. The average annual cloudiness in areas of low atmospheric pressure is 60-90%. high pressure - 10-30%. The average annual precipitation at the equator is more than 3000 mm, in temperate latitudes - 1000 mm in the West. and 2000-3000 mm to the east. The least amount of precipitation (100-200 mm) falls on the eastern outskirts of the subtropical regions of high atmospheric pressure; in the western parts, the amount of precipitation increases to 1500-2000 mm. Fogs are typical for temperate latitudes, they are especially frequent in the area of ​​the Kuril Islands.

Under the influence of the atmospheric circulation developing over the Pacific Ocean, surface currents form anticyclonic gyres in subtropical and tropical latitudes and cyclonic gyres in northern temperate and southern high latitudes. In the northern part of the ocean, circulation is formed by warm currents: the Northern Trade Wind - Kuroshio and the North Pacific and cold California currents. In the northern temperate latitudes, the cold Kuril Current dominates in the West, and the warm Alaska Current dominates in the East. In the southern part of the ocean, the anticyclonic circulation is formed by warm currents: the South Equatorial, East Australian, zonal South Pacific and cold Peruvian. To the north of the equator, between 2-4° and 8-12° north latitude, the northern and southern circulations are separated during the year by the Intertrade (Equatorial) countercurrent.

The average temperature of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean (19.37 ° C) is 2 ° C higher than the temperature of the waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which is the result of the relatively large size of that part of the Pacific Ocean area, which is located in well-heated latitudes (over 20 kcal / cm2 per year). ), and limited communication with the Arctic Ocean. The average water temperature in February varies from 26-28 °С near the equator to -0.5, -1 °С north of 58° north latitude, near the Kuril Islands and south of 67° south latitude. In August, the temperature is 25-29 °С near the equator, 5-8 °С in the Bering Strait and -0.5, -1 °С south of 60-62 ° south latitude. Between 40 ° south latitude and 40 ° north latitude, the temperature in the eastern part of the T. o. 3-5 °C lower than in the western part. To the north of 40 ° north latitude - on the contrary: in the East, the temperature is 4-7 ° C higher than in the West. To the south of 40 ° south latitude, where zonal transport of surface waters prevails, there is no difference between water temperatures in the East and in the West. In the Pacific Ocean, there is more rainfall than evaporating water. Taking into account the river runoff, more than 30 thousand km3 of fresh water comes here annually. Therefore, the salinity of the surface waters of the T. o. lower than in other oceans (average salinity is 34.58‰). The lowest salinity (30.0-31.0‰ and less) is observed in the West and East of the northern temperate latitudes and in the coastal regions of the eastern part of the ocean, the highest (35.5‰ and 36.5‰) - respectively in the northern and southern subtropical latitudes. At the equator, water salinity decreases from 34.5‰ or less, in high latitudes - to 32.0‰ or less in the North, to 33.5‰ or less in the South.

The density of water on the surface of the Pacific Ocean increases fairly evenly from the equator to high latitudes in accordance with the general nature of the distribution of temperature and salinity: near the equator 1.0215-1.0225 g/cm3, in the North - 1.0265 g/cm3 and more, in the South - 1.0275 g/cm3 and more. The color of the water in the subtropical and tropical latitudes is blue, the transparency in some places is more than 50 m. In the northern temperate latitudes, the dark blue color of the water prevails, off the coast it is greenish, the transparency is 15-25 m. In the Antarctic latitudes, the color of the water is greenish, the transparency is up to 25 m .

Tides in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean are dominated by irregular semidiurnal (height up to 5.4 m in the Gulf of Alaska) and semidiurnal (up to 12.9 m in the Penzhina Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk). Near the Solomon Islands and off part of the coast of New Guinea, daily tides, up to 2.5 m. 40° north latitude. The maximum height of wind waves in the Pacific Ocean is 15 m or more, the length is over 300 m. Tsunami waves are characteristic, especially often observed in the northern, southwestern and southeastern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Ice in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean is formed in seas with severe winter climatic conditions (Bering, Okhotsk, Japanese, Yellow) and in bays off the coast of Hokkaido, the Kamchatka and Alaska peninsulas. In winter and spring, ice is carried by the Kuril current to the extreme northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Small icebergs are found in the Gulf of Alaska. In the South Pacific, ice and icebergs form off the coast of Antarctica and are carried by currents and winds into the open ocean. The northern limit of floating ice in winter passes at 61-64 ° S, in summer it shifts to 70 ° S, icebergs at the end of summer are carried up to 46-48 ° S. Icebergs form mainly in the Ross Sea.