Oceans | Changing properties
Changing properties
On average, the ocean extends about 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometers) downwards from the surface. Sea-water has different properties depending on its depth, from the surface to the ocean floor. As the water deepens, its pressure increases. The water near the ocean's surface has very little water pressing down on it and so the water pressure is low. On the bottom of the ocean, the weight of all the water above presses down and the water pressure is high. At the deepest point in the ocean, the pressure is more than 8 tons per square inch (1.1 metric tons per square centimeter)—equal to one person trying to support fifty jumbo jets.
Sunlight gives the surface water warmth. On average, sunlight extends down to a depth of about 650 feet (250 meters). Water near the ocean floor gets no sunlight and is cold and dark. Both temperature and salinity affect the densityThe...
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