In February of this year, the XV Pacific Science Congress will open in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. Almost four years have passed since the XIV Pacific Scientific Congress, which took place in our country in Khabarovsk.

The Congress attracted about two thousand scientists - representatives of all continents. It was attended as the largest country scientists world, who have been studying the Pacific Ocean for a long time and have made a significant contribution to its knowledge, as well as representatives of young developing countries just starting research.

A wide range of problems was discussed at the congress: from the geology of the seabed and its continental framing to the whole variety of biological and oceanological issues, from medicine to social and humanitarian issues - such is the range of reports and discussions of the congress. Particular attention was paid global issues protection and environmental protection.

Nearly half of the population lives in the Pacific the globe. The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest, it contains most of all the waters of the oceans. The natural processes taking place in the Pacific Ocean are the regulators of the life processes of the entire Earth. The water shell of the ocean forms the climate, controls the weather and is a source of moisture and a heat accumulator for a significant part of our planet. This determines its significance for the Earth and humanity.

Geological phenomena occurring in the crust of this ocean have a significant impact on the geological processes of the continents. Without knowing the geology of the ocean, we cannot uncover the whole story. geological development Earth, to understand the patterns of formation of its crust and the distribution of minerals. This problem is one of the leading problems of our time.

In our country, the study of the World Ocean is a state task. The reports at the 25th and 26th CPSU Congresses noted the need to explore and use the resources of the ocean as one of the most important tasks, on the solution of which the future of mankind depends.

The Pacific region is a huge treasure trove of natural resources, a source of biological, mineral and energy resources. To study this treasury and make it serve humanity is a task worthy of the attention of world science. The future of mankind is largely connected with the development of ocean resources. The Pacific Ocean is of particular importance in providing food; it provides over 60% of the world's fish catch, is in first place in the extraction of algae, crabs and other seafood.

AT recent times Geological studies of the bottom are of great practical importance. Large accumulations of iron-manganese nodules containing nickel, cobalt and a number of other rare elements so necessary for the national economy have been found here.

At great depths rift zones powerful deposits of metal-bearing silts containing polymetals were discovered. The Pacific shelf in the future may become one of the important suppliers of oil and gas.

Serious problems are facing scientists studying physical processes in the Pacific Ocean. Significant progress has been made in this area, but as researchers penetrate the secrets of the Pacific Ocean, they increasingly understand that the processes occurring in the ocean are global in nature and their study requires the organization of synchronous observations over a vast area. This is possible only on the basis of international cooperation, since none of the countries is able to concentrate in one area a sufficient number of ships, specialists and measuring equipment.

One of the most actual problems The Pacific region is to protect nature and protect it from pollution. Society armed modern technology, is increasingly being introduced into the ocean, and the ocean ceases to be as boundless and bottomless as it seemed before, and its natural resources are inexhaustible and the volume of water is such that an unlimited amount of industrial and domestic waste can be dumped there. All this was demonstrated at the congress. A number of reports on physical oceanology and marine biology have convincingly shown that not a single area of ​​the World Ocean can serve as a place for the disposal of any kind of waste. It has also been demonstrated that the violation of the ecological balance in the ocean due to its pollution can lead to irreparable consequences.

The congress revealed the most complex natural, environmental and socio-economic scientific problems of the Pacific region. He also showed that the solution of these problems is possible only under the condition of broad international cooperation, in the conditions of peaceful coexistence of the peoples of the planet.

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Mineral resources of the Pacific Ocean.

The bottom of the Pacific Ocean hides rich deposits of various minerals. On the shelves of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the United States of America (Alaska), Ecuador (Guayaquil Bay

), Australia (Bass Strait) and New Zealand produce oil and gas. According to existing estimates, the subsoil of the Pacific Ocean contains up to 30-40% of all potential oil and gas reserves of the World Ocean. The largest producer of tin concentrates in the world is Malaysia, and Australia is the largest producer of zircon, ilmenite and others. The ocean is rich in ferromanganese nodules, with total reserves on the surface of up to 7 1012 tons. The most extensive reserves are observed in the northern deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, as well as in the South and Peruvian basins. In terms of the main ore elements in nodules …
ocean contains manganese 7.1 1010 tons, nickel 2.3 109 tons, copper 1.5 109 tons, cobalt 1 109 tons. the Nankai Trough in the Sea of ​​Japan and around the coast of Japan, in the Peruvian Trench. In 2013, Japan intends to begin pilot drilling to extract natural gas from methane hydrate deposits on the Pacific Ocean floor northeast of Tokyo.

Red clays are widespread in the Pacific Ocean, especially in the northern hemisphere. This is due to the great depth of the ocean basins. In the Pacific Ocean, there are two belts (southern and northern) of siliceous diatom oozes, as well as a distinct equatorial belt of siliceous radiolarian deposits. Vast areas of the bottom of the southwestern ocean are occupied by coral-algal biogenic deposits. To the south of the equator, foraminiferal oozes are widespread. There are several fields of pteropod deposits in the Coral Sea

In the northern deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, as well as in the Southern and Peruvian basins, extensive fields of ferromanganese nodules are observed.

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.

In the waters of the Pacific Ocean is concentrated more than half of the living matter of the entire oceans Earth. This applies to both plants and animals. The organic world as a whole is distinguished by species richness, antiquity, and a high degree of endemism.

The fauna, numbering up to 100 thousand species in general, is characterized by mammals living mainly in temperate and high latitudes. A representative of toothed whales, the sperm whale, has a massive distribution, and several species of striped whales from 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.

very rich fauna fish. 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.

The predominant mass of living organisms inhabiting the Pacific Ocean (as well as other parts of the World Ocean) falls on invertebrates that live at different levels of ocean waters and at the bottom of shallow waters: these are protozoa, coelenterates, arthropods (crabs, shrimps), molluscs (oysters, squids, octopuses), echinoderms, etc. They serve as food for mammals, fish, sea birds, but also constitute an essential component of marine fisheries and are objects of aquaculture.

The Pacific Ocean, due to the high temperatures of its surface waters in tropical latitudes, is especially rich in various species corals, including those with a calcareous skeleton. No other ocean has such an abundance and variety of coral structures. various types like in the Pacific.

basis plankton are unicellular representatives of the animal and plant world. There are almost 380 species in the phytoplankton of the Pacific Ocean.

The greatest wealth of the organic world is characteristic of areas where the so-called upwelling(raising to the surface of deep waters rich in minerals) or mixing of waters with different temperatures occurs, which creates favorable conditions for the nutrition and development of phyto- and zooplankton, which feed on fish and other animals of the nekton. In the Pacific, upwelling areas are concentrated along the coasts of Peru and in divergence zones in subtropical latitudes, where there are areas of intensive fishing and other trades.

The Amundsen Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica.

Banda, the inter-island sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean in Indonesia.

Bellingshausen Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica

The Bering Sea is the largest and deepest among the seas of Russia

The Inland Sea of ​​Japan (Seto-Nikai) is located inside the straits between the islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku (Japan).

East China Sea (Donghai) - a semi-enclosed sea of ​​​​the Pacific Ocean, between the coast East Asia(China) and the Ryukyu and Kyushu islands (Japan).

The Yellow Sea is limited from the Yellow and East China Seas by a conditional border that runs from the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula to Chechzhudo Island and further to the coast somewhat north of the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Coral Sea, a semi-enclosed sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia.

Mindanao, an interisland sea in the southern part of the Philippine archipelago.

The Molucca Sea is an inter-island sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean, in the Malay Archipelago, between the islands of Mindanao, Sulawesi, Sula, Moluccas and Talaud. Area 274 thousand square meters. km, maximum depth 4970 m.

The New Guinea Sea lies to the northeast of the island of New Guinea.

The Sea of ​​Okhotsk is one of the largest and deepest seas in Russia.

The Ross Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica.

Seram is an inter-island sea in the Malay Archipelago.

The Solomon Sea is bounded by the islands of New Guinea.

Sulawesi (Celebes Sea) is located between the islands of Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Mindanao, Sangihe and the Sulu archipelago.

The Tasman Sea is located between Australia and the island of Tasmania.

Fiji is located between the islands of Fiji, New Caledonia, Norfolk, Kermadec and New Zealand.

The Philippine Sea is located between the islands of Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines in the west, underwater ridges and the Izu Islands.

FLORES is located between the island of Sulawesi in the north, the islands of Sumba and Flores in the south.

South China Sea, in the west of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Southeast Asia, between the Indochina peninsula.

JAVAN SEA, in the west of the Pacific Ocean, between the islands of Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan.

The Sea of ​​Japan lies between the Eurasian mainland and the Korean peninsula, the Sakhalin and Japanese islands, which separate it from other Pacific seas and the ocean itself.

The Pacific Ocean accounts for more than 50% of the total biomass of the World Ocean. Life in the ocean is abundant and varied, especially in the tropical and subtropical zones between the coasts of Asia and Australia, where vast areas are occupied by coral reefs and mangroves. The phytoplankton of the Pacific Ocean mainly consists of microscopic unicellular algae, numbering about 1300 species. About half of the species belong to the peridineans and somewhat less to the diatoms. In shallow water areas and in upwelling zones - ( Upwelling(English upwelling) or rise is a process in which the deep waters of the ocean rise to the surface. Most often observed at the western borders of the continents, where it moves colder, nutrient-rich waters from the depths of the ocean to the surface, replacing warmer, nutrient-poor ones. surface water. It can also be found in almost any area of ​​the oceans. There are at least four types of upwelling: coastal upwelling; large-scale wind upwelling in open ocean; upwelling associated with eddies; upwelling associated with topography.
The reverse process of upwelling is downwelling.) most of the vegetation is concentrated. The bottom vegetation of the Pacific Ocean has about 4 thousand species of algae and up to 29 species of flowering plants. In the temperate and cold regions of the Pacific Ocean, brown algae are massively distributed, especially from the kelp group, and in the southern hemisphere there are giants from this family up to 200 m long.

In the tropics, fucus, large green and especially well-known red algae are especially common, which, along with coral polyps, are reef-forming organisms.

The fauna of the Pacific Ocean is 3-4 times richer in species composition than in other oceans, especially in tropical waters. In the Indonesian seas, more than 2 thousand species of fish are known, in the northern seas there are only about 300 of them. In the tropical zone of the ocean, there are more than 6 thousand species of mollusks, and there are about 200 of them in the Bering Sea. For the fauna of the Pacific Ocean, the antiquity of many systematic groups and endemism. A large number of ancient species of sea urchins live here, primitive genera of horseshoe crabs, some very ancient fish that have not been preserved in other oceans (for example, Jordan, Gilbertidia); 95% of all salmon species live in the Pacific Ocean. Endemic species of mammals: dugong, fur seal, sea lion, sea beaver. Gigantism is characteristic of many species of the fauna of the Pacific Ocean. In the northern part of the ocean, giant mussels and oysters are known; in the equatorial zone, the largest bivalve mollusk, the tridacna, lives, weighing up to 300 kg. In the Pacific Ocean, the ultra-abyssal fauna is most clearly represented. In conditions of enormous pressure, low water temperature at a depth of more than 8.5 km, about 45 species live, of which more than 70% are endemic. These species are dominated by holothurians, leading a very sedentary lifestyle and capable of passing through the digestive tract a huge amount of soil, the only source of food at these depths.

Plant life (except bacteria and lower fungi) is concentrated in the upper 200th layer, in the so-called euphotic zone. 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 is 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 near the Japanese Islands, over 800 in the waters of the Malay Archipelago. 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.

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 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).

Microcystis pear-shaped

The largest algae in the world, Microcystis pear-shaped, lives in the Pacific Ocean.

Seaweed giant. Microcystis pear-shaped reaches 50 m in height and grows by 30 cm per day. Like any plant, it needs light and nutrition, so it is found only in clear, mineral-rich water. On earth, such giants are rare, even among trees.

Algae is a giant source of oxygen, organic matter and energy for the entire living world. Algae is a great value of our planet.
Red algae are just as tasty, tender and used to make salads. They are rich in vitamins A, C, D and are used as a remedy for sclerosis, rickets and other diseases. From red algae, a special substance, agar-agar, is produced industrially.

Agar-agar is added to many confectionery products: marmalade, marshmallow, ice cream, cheese, bread, cakes, biscuits, so that they would be tastier and not stale so quickly. This substance is needed even in the production of film. Glue is prepared from algae, plaster, cement are added so that they are strong. Physicians, biologists in scientific laboratories grow bacteria necessary for experiments on agar-agar.
Pacific salmon, as the name suggests, live in the Pacific Ocean. Representatives of this genus have from 10 to 16 branched rays in the anal fin, the scales are medium in size or small, the eggs are large and painted in red-orange color. They are migratory fish that spawn in fresh waters Asia and North America and walking in the sea. 6 well-distinguished species are known (chum salmon, pink salmon, chinook salmon, red salmon, coho salmon and sim). All Pacific salmon spawn only once in their lives, dying after the first spawning.

Kelp

Let's get acquainted with a large algae - kelp, which in everyday life is called sea kale, its length is 5-6 meters, individual specimens up to 20 meters. Laminaria is a valuable medicinal raw material from which iodine is obtained, which protects us from trouble - it is a disinfectant for treating wounds. Lack of iodine in the body leads to an enlarged thyroid gland.

Pyrophytic- a group of unicellular marine (rarely freshwater) flagellate algae, uniting about 2100 species from two subdivisions: cryptophytes and dinophytes. Chloroplasts are brown, the cell is usually enclosed in a shell of cellulose, often of a bizarre shape. Most pyrophytes are autotrophs. They reproduce by division and spores, the sexual process is rarely observed. Pyrophytic algae - the cause of the "red tides"; toxic substances released by many of these microorganisms cause the death of fish and shellfish. Other pyrophytes are symbionts of radiolarians and coral polyps.

diatoms- from 10 to 20 thousand species of microscopic (0.75–1500 microns) single or colonial algae, the cells of which are surrounded by a solid silicon shell, consisting of two valves. The walls of the shell have pores through which exchange with the external environment takes place. Many diatoms are able to move along the substrate, apparently due to the secretion of mucus. Colonial forms live in mucous tubes, forming brown bushes up to 20 cm tall. When breeding by division, each daughter individual receives one half of the shell, the second half grows again. Due to the fact that the old plate wraps its edges around the growing new one, generations of diatoms become smaller over and over again. Sometimes diatoms form spores; the contents of the cell at the same time leaves the shell and significantly increases in size.

diatoms- the most common group of algae; they live in plankton and benthos, in silt at the bottom of freshwater reservoirs, on aquatic plants and objects, on damp earth and in moss. Fossil diatoms have been known since the Jurassic; thick deposits of the remains of these organisms form sedimentary rock diatomite (tripoli) used by humans as a filler, insulator or filter.

red algae, or crimson, have a characteristic red color due to the presence of the phycoerythrin pigment. In some forms, the color is dark red (almost black), in others it is pinkish. Purplefish live mainly in the seas, sometimes at great depths, which is associated with the ability of phycoerythrin to use green and blue rays for photosynthesis, penetrating deeper than others into the water column (the maximum depth of 285 m, at which red algae were found, is a record for photosynthetic plants). About 4000 species are divided into two classes. Agar-agar and others are extracted from some scarlet chemical substances, porphyry is used in food. Fossil red algae have been found in Cretaceous sediments.

brown algae- perhaps the most perfect among algae, includes 1500 species (3 classes), most of which - marine organisms. Individual specimens of brown algae can reach a length of 100 m; they form real thickets, for example, in the Sargasso Sea. In some brown algae, for example, kelp, tissue differentiation and the appearance of conductive elements are observed. Multicellular thalli owe their characteristic brown color (from olive green to dark brown) to the fucoxanthin pigment, which absorbs a large amount of blue rays penetrating to great depths. Thallus secretes a lot of mucus that fills the internal cavities; this prevents water loss. Rhizoids or a basal disk attach the algae to the ground so tightly that it is extremely difficult to tear it off the substrate. Many representatives of brown algae have special air bubbles that allow floating forms to keep the thallus on the surface, and attached ones (for example, fucus) to occupy a vertical position in the water column. Unlike green algae, many of which grow along the entire length, brown algae have an apical growth point.

The organic world of the Pacific Ocean is the richest in terms of the number of species, ecological communities, total biomass and commercial biological resources due to the huge size of the water area and diversity natural conditions. It accounts for more than half of the total biomass of the oceans.

The largest number of species are found in the western regions of the Pacific Ocean at low latitudes. Thus, in the seas of the Malay Archipelago, there are more than 2,000 species of fish, while in the seas of the northern part of the ocean (North Pacific biogeographic region), only about 300 are known (however, here the number of fish species is twice as large as in the waters of the North Atlantic region). The organic world of the southern regions of the ocean (part of the Antarctic region) has many features in common with similar parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

The organic world of the Pacific Ocean is distinguished by the antiquity of many species, a high degree of endemism and the gigantism of many of their representatives. Here, for example, there are ancient sea ​​urchins, primitive horseshoe crabs, some ancient fish not found in other oceans (Jordan, Gilbertidia, etc.). Almost all salmon species (95%) live in the Pacific Ocean. There are also endemic forms among mammals - a fur seal, a sea beaver, a sea lion, which are not found in other oceans. In the northern part of the ocean, giant mussels and oysters are known; in the equatorial zone, the largest bivalve mollusk, the tridacna, weighing up to 300 kg, lives. In the southern part of the ocean, giant kelp algae grow, the length of which reaches 200 m.

Flora of the Pacific Ocean

The phytoplankton of the Pacific Ocean is represented mainly by unicellular algae, among which half of the species (about 1300) belong to the peridineans and diatoms. Most of the algae are concentrated in coastal, relatively shallow water areas and in upwelling zones.

In the high and middle latitudes of both hemispheres, there is a massive development of brown algae, especially from the kelp group. Fucus, large green algae and calcareous red algae are common in equatorial-tropical latitudes. The bottom vegetation of the Pacific Ocean is represented by 4 thousand species, of which about 30 species are flowering (sea grasses).

Fauna of the Pacific Ocean

The fauna of the Pacific Ocean is several times richer in species composition than in other oceans of the world. There are all groups of animal organisms that inhabit the oceans.

Coral fauna is widely developed in the area of ​​the Sunda Islands and northeast of Australia. The deep-sea fauna is peculiar. At depths of more than 8.5 km, a little more than 40 species of animals live, of which approximately 70% are endemic. Holothurians predominate, which can pass through their digestive system huge masses of soil, which at super-depths is practically the only source of nutrients. They are followed by lamellar-gill, polychaetes, brittle stars and other organisms adapted to life in ultra-abyssal conditions. High degree endemism (up to 60% or more) is characteristic of each individual deep-sea trench. AT last years near hydrotherms, a peculiar ecological community adapted to life in hot waters has been openly and partially studied. Thus, microorganisms living at a temperature of 250°C and above and a pressure of about 300 atm have been found.

(at a depth of 3 km). They were first identified in the Pacific Ocean in the region of the Galapagos Rift and in other rift valleys of the East Pacific Rise.

Biological resources of the Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is characterized by high biological productivity (about 200 kg/km2). The distribution of primary production and biomass is determined both by latitudinal geographic zonality and by the position of the main ocean water cycles and dynamic zones (convergence, divergence, upwelling).

Areas of high bioproductivity are confined to subpolar, temperate and equatorial zones (250-500 mg-s/m2, if the primary production is estimated in milligrams of carbon formed per day in the process of photosynthesis per 1 m2 of the surface of the water layer). The maximum values ​​of primary production and biomass are observed in upwelling zones associated with water divergences. In tropical latitudes, bioproductivity is lower, and in the central regions of subtropical circuits it is minimal.

Among the commercial biological resources of the Pacific Ocean, the first place is occupied by fish (85% of catches), the second - by mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms and other non-fish species, including algae (10%), and the third - by marine mammals (5%). Currently, approximately 45% of the fish caught worldwide is caught in the Pacific Ocean. The main fishing areas are located in the northwestern, northeastern, eastern and southeastern parts of the ocean. These are highly productive areas of interaction between the warm Kuroshio waters and the cold branches of the Kuril Current, the zone of penetration of the warm Alaska Current into high latitudes, shelf areas in the west of the ocean, and upwelling zones off the coast of the North and especially South America. The catch of fish in the Antarctic regions has increased noticeably.

The main commercial fish of the Pacific Ocean are pollock, anchovy, herring, sardine, horse mackerel, mackerel, saury, salmon, tuna (from pelagic), followed by cod, hake, flounder, halibut, sable fish, sea bass (bottom fish). In addition to fish, crabs, shrimp, scallops, mussels, oysters, trepangs, etc. are caught in the northern part of the ocean. However, their natural reserves are currently insignificant, and all these valuable invertebrates become objects of mariculture - they are artificially grown on marine plantations in Japan , countries of Southeast Asia, Russia (in the bays of Posyet and Peter the Great). Also, whales (baleen whales, sperm whales), squids, sharks, etc. are hunted in the ocean. Fur seals are harvested on the islands of the Bering and Okhotsk Seas (certain restrictions are imposed on this fishery). Some algae are harvested and cultivated, mainly kelp (seaweed).

The area off the coast of Peru and Northern Chile is the most fish-producing area in the entire World Ocean. Its productivity is determined by the penetration of the cold Peruvian current into low latitudes and by relatively stable and intense upwelling. The Peruvian anchovy serves as the object of constant fishing here.

In some years, the anchovy catch reaches 11-13 million tons per year (about 7000 kg/km2). This is explained by the fact that under the influence of the prevailing southeast winds and the transverse component in the Peruvian Current, cold (14-18 ° C) waters rise from depths of 100-200 m. , which serve as food for a large anchovy population. Numerous cormorants, pelicans, gulls feeding on anchovies live in the coastal zone of the mainland and on the islands. Once every few years, as a result of changes in atmospheric circulation, warm equatorial waters, usually penetrating into this area under the influence of the northeast trade wind in December-January, up to 5 ° S. sh., develop such power that they move south to 15 ° S. sh., and sometimes much to the south. The Peruvian current moves away from the coast. Upwelling near the coast stops. The water temperature rises significantly, the oxygen content decreases, and the biomass of cold-loving diatoms sharply decreases. Anchovy disappears from the area, a large number of them die. The birds that feed on it also die. Anchovy catches in such years fall by almost 3 times. The whole complex of phenomena associated with the flow of equatorial waters to the south was called El Niño. Such phenomena have been noted over the past half century in 1951-53, 1957-58, 1963-65, 1972-73, 1976-77, 1982-83, 1985-87, 1992-93, 1997-98. The emergence of El Niño is apparently connected with the global processes of the dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere and hydrosphere. This is a prime example of component interdependence. natural complexes and economic activities.

Creatures and growths of the Pacific Oceanphoto and description of underwater sacks - ribs, algae, corals.

The Pacific Ocean is a complex natural system, the history of which began long before the advent of civilization on the planet. Occupying 1/3 of the surface of the entire Earth, the wines in terms of area and depth turn over all the known oceans. The history of the appearance of the name "Quiet" in the past will be related to the names of the Portuguese navigator - F. Magellan, who sailed across the entire ocean in calm weather. Nature has generously endowed the waters with a rich biomass. Creatures and growths of the Pacific Ocean are wafted by unimaginable roses.

Creature world

The fauna of the Pacific Ocean, for its species warehouse, transfers signs of any other ocean. Here practically all the bagmen of the Light Ocean speak. The main ones are savtsiv and rich ribs that inhabit water, octopus, oysters, zooplankton, crayfish, squid, mussels, jellyfish and many others. Some of them enter the warehouse of industrial resources of the Pacific Ocean. The world of creatures is also rich with such savants, like sperm whales and different whales. In the middle of the baggers, it is also common to see the sea hedgehogs, swordtails, as well as ancient ribs, which are no longer saved in other oceans.

Roslinny svіt

The phytoplankton of the ocean is the main rank of one-celled algae, which together form 1300 species. Most of them are referred to as diatoms and peridineas. Donna fauna of the Pacific Ocean contains approximately 4,000 species of algae found near coastal waters, as well as up to 29 species (sea grasses) of flower dews.

In the calmer and more cold parts of the ocean, there is a massive expansion of brown algae, zocrema from a group of laminaria.

Roslinnist in tropical regions is represented by mangroves and coral reefs. Here, there is a large part of fucus, large green and red algae, which are the head reef-forming organisms with coral polyps.

The population of Siberian whales, which linger in the Pacific Ocean, is now in critical condition. That is why this ancient view of marine savts was included in the Chervona Book. The most serious threat to their population is in the unfriendly influx of oil and gas projects. This year, the fight for the conservation of orphan whales will be led by coalitions of rich environmental organizations.

Look at the obov’yazkovo:

Creatures and growths of Turechchiniopis, photos of the wild Turkish nature.Creatures and growths of the Atlantic Oceanphoto and description of underwater sandbags. Underwater world and bags of the seabed. F …Rosliny and creatures of Pivnіchnoi Americadescription from photo and video, peculiarities of pіvnіchn…Creative and growing world of Eurasіїopis of Meshkantsіv, photo of nature of Eurasia.

The Pacific Basin is one of the richest oil zones in the world, with vast deposits off the coast of Alaska, California and China. Also, the Pacific Ocean is an important source of geothermal energy, which is especially important for the New Zealand economy. Wind power has also proved suitable for generating electricity in many of the Pacific islands. Fishing in the Pacific Ocean is one of the most developed industries due to the fact that this ocean contains the richest flora and fauna in the world, especially fed by cold water currents along the coast of South America. . Birds that prey on fish produce one of the area's most important resources - their excrement accumulates year after year to create guano, one of the richest fertilizers in the world. The island of Nauru had huge reserves of phosphate, created over thousands of years by seabirds, which made it, for a short period of time, the smallest, and probably the richest state, with the highest per capita income, in the world. The Pacific Ocean has long been one of the world's top sources of pearls. Although natural pearls are still collected by divers, most Pacific pearls are now artificially grown in specially processed oysters.

133. Physical-geographical zoning of the Pacific Ocean. Usually the Pacific Ocean is divided into two regions - North and South, bordering on the equator. Some experts prefer to draw the boundary along the axis of the equatorial countercurrent, i.e. approximately 5°N Previously, the Pacific Ocean was more often divided into three parts: northern, central and southern, the boundaries between which were the Northern and Southern tropics. Individual sections of the ocean, located between islands or land ledges, have their own names. The largest water areas of the Pacific Basin include the Bering Sea in the north; the Gulf of Alaska in the northeast; Gulfs of California and Tehuantepec in the east, off the coast of Mexico; Gulf of Fonseca off the coast of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and somewhat to the south - the Gulf of Panama. There are only a few small bays off the western coast of South America, such as Guayaquil off the coast of Ecuador. In the western and southwestern parts of the Pacific Ocean, numerous large islands separate many inter-island seas from the main water area, such as the Tasman Sea southeast of Australia and the Coral Sea off its northeast coast; the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria north of Australia; the Banda Sea north of Timor Island; the Flores Sea north of the island of the same name; the Java Sea to the north of Java Island; the Gulf of Thailand between the peninsulas of Malacca and Indochina; Bakbo Bay (Tonkinsky) off the coast of Vietnam and China; Macassar Strait between the islands of Kalimantan and Sulawesi; the Moluccas and Sulawesi seas, respectively, to the east and north of the island of Sulawesi; finally, the Philippine Sea east of the Philippine Islands. A special area in the southwest of the northern half of the Pacific Ocean is the Sulu Sea within the southwestern part of the Philippine archipelago, where there are also many small bays, inlets and semi-enclosed seas (for example, seas Sibuyan, Mindanao, Visayan, Manila Bay, Lamon and Leyte Bays). Off the eastern coast of China are the East China and Yellow Seas; the latter forms two bays in the north: Bohaiwan and West Korean. The Japanese Islands are separated from the Korea Peninsula by the Korea Strait. In the same northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, several more seas stand out: the Inland Sea of ​​Japan among the southern Japanese islands; the Sea of ​​Japan to their west; to the north - the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, connected with the Sea of ​​Japan by the Tatar Strait. Even further north, directly south of the Chukotka Peninsula, is the Gulf of Anadyr. The greatest difficulty is the drawing of the border between the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the region of the Malay Archipelago. None of the proposed boundaries could satisfy botanists, zoologists, geologists and oceanologists at the same time. Some scientists consider the so-called dividing line. the Wallace line through the Makassar Strait. Others propose drawing the border across the Gulf of Thailand, the southern part of the South China Sea and the Java Sea.

134. Geographical position, size, boundaries, configuration of the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean is located around North Pole and is bounded by the coasts of Eurasia and North America. Its area is 14.75 million km 2, the average depth is 1225 m, the maximum is 5527 m, the volume of water is 18.07 million km 3 (according to some sources - 16.7 million km 3). The Arctic Ocean differs from other oceans in a number of specific properties: the peculiarity of its geographical position in the circumpolar region; negative radiation balance in the winter half of the year; the total annual heat flux with a negative sign, as a result of which the temperature at the surface is lower than at depth; the presence of ice cover; a small annual amount of precipitation over the ocean, which, however, exceeds evaporation; the presence of a significant shelf area, climatic unity, etc. A specific feature of the Arctic Ocean is its great isolation. For a considerable distance it is surrounded by land and has a limited connection with the oceans. Only in the west does the Arctic Ocean join the Atlantic. But even between them there are rises at the bottom - thresholds that prevent deep water exchange between the oceans. In the east, the narrow (82 km) and shallow (depth 40-50 m) Bering Strait further complicates water exchange with the Pacific Ocean. According to the most common point of view, the Arctic Ocean can be divided along the Lomonosov Ridge into two parts - Eurasian (eastern sector) and Amerasian (western sector). The ocean has 10 seas, most of which are located in the eastern sector - off the coast of Eurasia. There are many large islands and archipelagos in the ocean: Greenland, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, New Earth, Severnaya Zemlya, Svalbard, Novosibirsk, Franz Josef Land, etc.

Mineral resources

The oceans are rich in mineral resources that are mined from the ocean floor. The most significant among them are oil and gas. They cost 90% of all resources extracted from the seabed. Offshore oil production in the total volume is approximately 1/3. The World Ocean is a source of such ores as: iron, tin, copper-nickel. Rich seams of coal lie at the bottom of the ocean.[*]

Table 1 - Explored oil and gas reserves for 2012

		Explored reserves in barrels
	Saudi Arabia
	Venezuela
		Explored reserves in m3
		47 570 000 000 000
		33 070 000 000 000
		25 200 000 000 000
	Turkmenistan	24 300 000 000 000
	Saudi Arabia	8 028 000 000 000
		7 716 000 000 000
		6 089 000 000 000
	Venezuela	5 524 000 000 000
		5 110 000 000 000
		4 502 000 000 000

The main wealth of the deep-sea bed of the ocean is ferromanganese nodules containing up to 30 different metals. They were discovered at the bottom of the ocean back in the 70s of the XIX century by the English research vessel Challenger. The largest volume of ferromanganese nodules is located in the Pacific Ocean (16 million km²). The first experience in the extraction of nodules was undertaken by the Americans in the Hawaiian Islands. [*]

Brief description of the mineral resources of the oceans

1. The Pacific Ocean is the largest basin of the World Ocean. Oil and gas deposits have been discovered in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, and placers of heavy minerals and other minerals have been found at the bottom. The main oil and gas bearing regions are concentrated on the periphery of the ocean. Oil and gas fields have been discovered in the Tasman Basin - Barracuta (over 42 billion m3 of gas), Marlin (more than 43 billion m3 of gas, 74 million tons of oil), Kingfish, and the Kapuni gas field (15 billion m3) has been explored off the island of New Zealand. m3). Of the solid minerals, placer 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). On many seamounts and slopes of oceanic islands, iron-manganese crusts and nodules enriched in cobalt and platinum have been found. Phosphorite deposits are known on the shelves of California and the island of New Zealand.

2. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest basin of the World Ocean. Among the mineral resources of the Atlantic Ocean, oil and gas are of paramount importance. In North America, the shelves of the Labrador Sea, bays of St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia, Georges Bank are oil and gas bearing. Oil reserves on the eastern shelf of Canada are estimated at 2.5 billion tons, gas 3.3 trillion. m3, on the eastern shelf and the continental slope of the United States - up to 0.54 billion tons of oil and 0.39 trillion. m3 of gas. More than 280 fields have been discovered on the southern shelf of the United States, more than 20 fields off the coast of Mexico. The total reserves of the Caribbean Sea shelves are up to 13 billion tons of oil and 8.5 trillion. m3 of gas. Oil and gas bearing areas have been identified on the shelves of Brazil (Toduz-yc-Santos Bay) and Argentina (San Xopxe Bay). Oil fields have been discovered in the North (114 deposits) and the Irish Seas, the Gulf of Guinea (50 offshore Nigeria, 37 off Gabon, 3 off the Congo, etc.).

Sulfur is mined in the Gulf of Mexico. Coal is mined on sea extensions of continental basins - in Great Britain (up to 10% of national production) and Canada. Off the east coast of the island

Newfoundland is the largest iron ore deposit of Waban (total reserves of about 2 billion tons). Heavy minerals (ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite) are mined off the coast of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. off the coast of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, the Scandinavian and Iberian Peninsulas, Senegal, South Africa. The shelf of South-West Africa is an area of ​​industrial diamond mining (reserves of 12 million carats). Gold-bearing placers have been discovered off the Nova Scotia Peninsula. Phosphorites are found on the shelves of the USA, Morocco, Liberia, on the Agulhas Bank.

3. Indian Ocean. Oil and gas deposits have been discovered almost throughout the entire shelf of the Indian Ocean. The largest reserves are concentrated on the shelf South-East Asia, where geological reserves are estimated at 2.4 billion tons of oil and 2.3 trillion. m3 of gas. The largest deposits are located in the oil and gas basin of the Persian Gulf. On the western and northwestern shelves of Australia, 10 oil fields are known (potential recoverable reserves are 600-900 million tons), 7 gas fields have been discovered off the coast of Bangladesh. Gas deposits have been discovered in the Andaman Sea, oil and gas bearing areas in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, along the coast of Africa. The most important alluvial deposits in Indian Ocean found off the coasts of Southeast Asia and Australia. In the open ocean, large fields of ferromanganese nodules have been found at the bottom of the West Australian, Central, South Arabian, and Crozet basins; relatively small fields have been found in the Somali, Mascarene, and other basins. iron, copper, zinc, etc.

4. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean on Earth. On the continental margin of the Arctic Ocean, large oil and gas bearing basins (OGB) are known that extend to its shelves: the West Siberian, the northern periphery of which is located in the southwestern part of the Kara Sea shelf, the Pechora (Barents Sea shelf), the North Slope of Alaska oil and gas bearing basin (USA ), Sverdrup (on the Arctic islands of Canada). Oil and gas bearing areas have also been identified on the shelf of the Norwegian Sea and in the part of the Barents Sea adjacent to Norway, as well as on the shelf of northeastern Greenland. The depths of the Arctic Ocean are favorable for the formation of gas hydrates due to their thermobaric conditions. Placers of cassiterite are known on the coast of the Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas. The rift gorges of the Mid-Arctic Ridge are apparently promising for metal-bearing silts and polymetallic hydrothermal deposits of massive sulfides.

Energetic resources

The potential for using the energy resources of the waters of the World Ocean is enormous. The greatest progress has been made in the use of tidal energy. It has been established that the best opportunities for creating large tidal stations are available in 25 places on the Earth. Such countries as France, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Argentina, USA, Russia have large resources of tidal energy. The best opportunities of these countries are explained by the fact that the height of the tide here reaches 10-15 m.

Scientists have calculated that rational use energy of ocean tides, humanity can receive an astronomical amount of electricity - approximately 70,000,000 billion kilowatt-hours per year.

biological resources

We must not forget about the biological resources of the oceans: plants (algae) and animals (fish, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans). The volume of the entire biomass of the ocean is 35 billion tons, of which 0.5 billion tons are fish. As on land, there are more and less productive territories in the World Ocean. They cover the areas of the shelf and the peripheral part of the ocean. The most productive in the world are the Norwegian, Bering, Okhotsk, and Japan seas. Ocean spaces, characterized by low productivity, occupy almost 2/3 of the ocean area.

More than 85% of the biomass that humans use is fish. A small proportion is accounted for by algae. Thanks to fish, mollusks, crustaceans caught in the oceans, humanity provides itself with 20% of animal proteins. Ocean biomass is also used to produce high-calorie feed meal for livestock.

Rice. one

Summarizing, we can say that the World Ocean is an important supplier of almost all substances necessary for existence. The oceans are the most valuable source of important mineral resources such as oil and natural gas. It is also not necessary to deny the role of biological resources, because they account for about 20% of animal proteins consumed by mankind. A huge role is assigned to the oceans as a new source of energy, it is possible to use the energy of waves, ebb and flow. Possible use sea ​​water to get fresh.