Atlantic Ocean Important Facts and Features for Competitive Exams

The Atlantic Ocean is the youngest of the world’s ocean, formed about 180 million years ago when the landmasses of the eastern and western hemisphere separated.

Its underwater topography is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a huge mountain system running north to south along the centre of the ocean.

Although most of the ridge’s peaks lie below the sea, some emerge as volcanic island, like-Iceland and the Azores.

The Atlantic Ocean contains a wealth of resources, including substantial oil and gas reserves and rich fishing grounds.

Until the 1950s’ the Atlantic was the world’s busiest shipping route, cheaper air route and alternative routes have shifted patterns of world trade.

Fishing in the seas around north-western Europe dates back over 1500 years. The high nutrients content of the sea makes them ideal breading grounds for many species of fish.

The floor of the Atlantic is spreading by about one inch (2.5 cm) a year.

Most of the whales in the Atlantic Ocean are found in cooler water of the South Atlantic, although many species migrate north to tropical waters to breed.

Ice breaking away from the Greenland ice sheet presents a constant threat to shipping in the north Atlantic. Icebergs are carried out of the Davis Strait by sea currents.

The South Sandwich Trench is the deepest part of the Atlantic, its base lies 30,000 ft (9144 m) below sea level.

The overall salinity of the North Atlantic is increased by highly saline water flowing out from the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Silt, mud and clay deposited at the delta of the Amazon have been carried over the continental shelf by under water currents, forming a deep-water fan on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.