Some sources provide data characterizing the area of the Atlantic Ocean without taking into account the marginal and inland seas of this basin. But more often you have to operate with indicators related to the entire water area. Consider several options for answering the question posed in the title of the article. In addition, we will compare the area of the Atlantic basin with other parts of the World Ocean (IO). We will also touch on the topic of a possible increase in water level, which threatens flooding of vast coastal areas, densely populated and having complex infrastructure.
Problems of determining the area and boundaries of water areas
The calculation of sizes and the comparison of the territories of individual parts of the Moscow Region make it difficult for different views on their number. The division into 4 oceans is widely recognized: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Northern Arctic. There is another point of view when the North and South Atlantic are separated, or the southern parts of the basins are combined into one part of the Moscow Region. The signs on which the division is based are the nature of the bottom topography, atmospheric and water circulation, temperature and other indicators. The situation is complicated by the fact that some sources attribute the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic, considering one of the seas the entire territory near 90 ° C. w. This point of view did not find official recognition.
General characteristics of the Atlantic (briefly)
The ocean occupies a vast territory stretched in the meridional direction. The length of the Atlantic from north to south is 16 thousand km, which leads to significant differences in the natural and climatic conditions of the basin. The smallest width of the water area is in the region of the equator; here, the influence of the continents is stronger. Taking into account the seas, the area of the Atlantic Ocean is 91.66 million km 2 (according to other sources - 106.46 million km 2).
Two powerful mid-ocean ridges stand out in the bottom topography - the North and the South. The Atlantic Ocean reaches its maximum depth in the area of the Puerto Rican depression - 8742 m. The average distance from the surface to the bottom is 3736 m. The total volume of water in the basin is 329.66 million km 3.
The considerable extent and vast area of the Atlantic Ocean have an impact on climate diversity. At a distance from the equator to the poles, significant fluctuations in air and water temperatures and the content of dissolved substances in it are observed. The lowest salinity was found in the Baltic Sea (8%), in tropical latitudes this indicator increases to 37%.
Large rivers flow into the seas and bays of the Atlantic: the Amazon, Congo, Mississippi, Orinoco, Niger, Loire, Rhine, Elba and others. The Mediterranean Sea communicates with the ocean through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar (13 km).
Atlantic shape
The ocean configuration on the map resembles the letter S. The widest parts are located between 25 and 35 ° C. N, 35 and 65 ° S w. The magnitude of these water areas has a significant impact on the total area of the Atlantic Ocean. Its basin is characterized by significant dismemberment in the Northern Hemisphere. It is here that the largest seas, bays and archipelagos are located. Tropical latitudes abound in coral buildings and islands. If you do not take into account the marginal and inland seas, then the area of the Atlantic Ocean (million km 2) is 82.44. The width of this water basin varies significantly from north to south (km):
- between the islands of Ireland and Newfoundland - 3320;
- at the latitude of Bermuda the water area is expanding - 4800;
- from the Brazilian cape San Roque to the coast of Liberia - 2850;
- between Cape Horn in South America and Cape of Good Hope in Africa - 6500.
Frontiers of the Atlantic in the West and East
The natural boundaries of the ocean are the shores of North and South America. Previously, these continents were connected by the Isthmus of Panama, through which the canal of the same name was laid about 100 years ago. He connected a small Pacific Gulf with the Caribbean Sea of the Atlantic Ocean, at the same time dividing the two American continents. In this part of the basin there are many archipelagos and islands (Big and Small Antilles, Bahamas and others).
The shortest distance between South America and Antarctica is in the Drake Channel. This is where the southern border with the Pacific Basin passes. One of the options for differentiation is along the meridian of 68 ° 04 s. from the South American Cape Horn to the nearest point on the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The easiest way to find the border with the Indian Ocean. It is laid exactly 20 ° in. d. - from the coast of Antarctica to the South African metro station Igolny. In the southern latitudes, the area of the Atlantic Ocean reaches the highest values.
Borders in the North
It is more difficult to separate the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans on a map. The border runs in the region of the Labrador Sea and south of Fr. Greenland. In the Danish Strait, the waters of the Atlantic reach the Arctic Circle, in the area of about. Iceland borders down a little to the south. The western coast of Scandinavia is almost completely washed by the Atlantic Ocean, here the border is 70 ° C. w. Large marginal and inland seas in the east: North, Baltic, Mediterranean, Black.
