Atlantic Ocean: Characteristics, Flora and Fauna

Let’s start this post indicating some curious characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean. The ancient Greeks were the ones who put him the Atlantic Ocean Name And this comes from Titan Atlaswhich possessed the columns that held the sky.

On the other hand, if we talk about surfaces, the Atlantic Ocean is second largest ocean on the planet (The first is the Pacific Ocean), its extension is so large that it includes some bodies of water such as, for example, the Caribbean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Strait of Davis, among many others.

As for the location of the Atlantic Ocean, this is between America, Europe and Africa. So, if you wonder What continents bathe the Atlantic Oceanthey are the newly appointed ones: America, Europe and Africa, and also Asia, since it bathes the coasts of a few Asian countries through the Mediterranean Sea. In this way, there are more than 30 countries that have their ports and coasts in the Atlantic Ocean.

Due to its great extension, it is very difficult to determine what climate there is in the Atlantic Ocean, but we can mention some of its generalities:

• Atlantic ocean temperature: In areas near the line of Ecuador, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean are warm and reach an average temperature of 29 ° C, while in areas near the poles, the water is rather icy and has a temperature less than 5 ° C.
• Precipitation in the Atlantic Ocean: Like temperature, rainfall vary according to latitude. In tropical areas near Ecuador (0 ° latitude), annual rainfall is around 200 centimeters. Meanwhile, the subtropical areas (23 ° of north and 23 ° latitude southern latitude), rainfall declines, reaching 150 – 190 centimeters per year.

Finally, with respect to what are the Atlantic Ocean Movementswe can say that they are 2:

• The currents in the North Atlantic that moves in the direction of the clock needles.
• The currents in the South Atlantic that move in the opposite direction.

This difference is explained from the Coriolis effect.

Thanks to the variety of climates and ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean, there is a great wealth of plant species very different from each other. Most of the flora species that inhabits the Atlantic Ocean are close to the surface, where the rays of sunlight penetrate, such as, for example, for example, Sea algae that in some cases can form up to algae forests. Many so many plant species are suspended in water columns, as is the case with Phytoplanktonmainly formed by cyanobacteria, diatomas and other photosynthetic protistsalthough taxonomically the protists do not belong to the kingdom of plants. Finally, there is a minor minority of plant species that is in the depths of the ocean.

We recommend reading these other articles related to the fauna of the oceans:

• Classification of algae.
• What is phytoplankton.
• Cyanobacteria: What are, characteristics and examples.
• What is the earth of diatoms and what is it for.

As we mentioned in the previous section, the wide variety of Atlantic Ocean ecosystems allows the existence of an enormous diversity of animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates. Next, we will list some of the species of Atlantic Ocean Animals:

• Green turtle (Chelonia Mydas)
• Blue whale (BALENAPTERA MUSCULUS)
• Southern frank whale (Eubalaena Glacialis)
• Dolphin of the Atlantic (Lagenorhynchus acutus)
• Stained dolphin (STETELLA FRONTALIS)
• Harp seal (PAYARPHILUS GROENLADECUS)
• Marine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
• Albatros (Diomedeidae spp.)
• Balear Pardel (Puffinus Mauretanicus)
• Corals of various taxonomic groups
• Medusa Melón Melón (Cyanea Capillata)
• Cushion star (OASTER RESTICULATUS)
• Seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus)
• Sea crab (Carcinus Maenas)
• Lirio de Mar (Davidaster Rubiginosus)

The Atlantic Ocean is important from multiple perspectives, let’s see some of them:

• Ecosystem perspective: The Atlantic Ocean provides numerous ecosystem services, among them, absorption of greenhouse gases, climate regulation, cycling of nutrients and more. It is also the habitat of incredible species of flora and fauna. And we cannot ignore that it is a source of natural resources such as oil, gas, minerals, precious stones and more.
• Cultural perspective: The Atlantic Ocean has a very important value for coastal peoples, since mostly, these peoples have developed thanks to the resources that the ocean offers. Also, the Atlantic Ocean is the protagonist of several myths and legends.
• Geopolitical perspective: The Atlantic Ocean constitutes an intercontinental communication and transport. In addition, from the Atlantic Ocean, political alliances have been created between countries, such as NATO (for its acronym, organization of the North Atlantic Treaty).
• Economic perspective: As we mentioned, the Atlantic Ocean is a transportation between continents. This allows countries from different continents to market their products. Therefore, the Atlantic Ocean is essential for the economy of the countries.

If you want to read more articles similar to Atlantic Ocean: Characteristics, Flora and Faunawe recommend that you enter our category of other environment.