Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean
CIA · Public domain · source
Name	Atlantic Ocean
Area	~106,460,000 km²
Max-depth	8,486 m (Puerto Rico Trench)
Basin countries	United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Spain, Portugal, France, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Mauritius, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Belize, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay, Chile
Islands	Bermuda, Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira, Faroe Islands, Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, Santo Antão, São Vicente

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean, separating the Americas from Europe and Africa and connecting to the Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean. It has played a central role in transoceanic navigation, trade, and climate modulation through major currents such as the Gulf Stream and geological features like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Its basin encompasses a wide range of nations, territories, and maritime jurisdictions including United Kingdom Overseas Territories and island groups like the Azores.

Geography and extent

The basin extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by continental margins of North America, South America, Europe, and Africa and defined by features such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Bay of Biscay. Major marginal seas and gulfs include the Labrador Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Celtic Sea, the English Channel, the Gulf of Guinea, the Bight of Benin, the Benguela Current region, the Rio de la Plata, and the Patagonian Shelf. Notable island groups include the Bermuda, the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde, the Madeira, the Azores, and the Shetland Islands.

Geology and oceanography

The ocean basin is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent plate boundary between the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate in the north and the South American Plate and the African Plate in the south, producing seafloor spreading and features such as the Iceland hotspot and volcanic islands like Iceland and São Miguel. Trenches and deeps include the Puerto Rico Trench and abyssal plains like the Sargasso Sea region. Sediment transport is influenced by continental rivers including the Amazon River, the Mississippi River, the Congo River, and the Orinoco River. Oceanographic institutions such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea shape research and governance.

Climate and circulation

Large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation features include the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Drift, the Canary Current, the Benguela Current, the Labrador Current, and the Brazil Current, all interacting with atmospheric systems like the North Atlantic Oscillation and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation teleconnection. These currents influence climates of coastal regions including Western Europe, the Northeastern United States, the Caribbean, and the West African coast, and affect weather extremes linked to phenomena observed by agencies such as the Met Office and the National Hurricane Center during Atlantic hurricane season events.

Biodiversity and ecosystems

The basin hosts diverse ecosystems from polar fjords in Greenland and the Norwegian Sea to tropical coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea and the Floridian Banks, upwelling zones off Senegal, Peru (via inter-basin links), and productive fisheries on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and the Barents Sea margins. Key species and habitats include Atlantic bluefin tuna, North Atlantic right whale, humpback whale, Atlantic cod, kelp forests in Norway and Iceland, and coral communities near Bermuda and The Bahamas. Conservation and management involve organizations like the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the European Union's fisheries policy, the Marine Stewardship Council, and treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Human history and exploration

Exploration and exploitation include early seafaring by Phoenicians, Norse voyages led by Leif Erikson to Vinland and settlements in Greenland, Age of Discovery transatlantic crossings by Christopher Columbus, the Magellan expedition's Atlantic passages, and colonization efforts by Spain, Portugal, France, England, and Netherlands. The ocean was central to the Transatlantic slave trade, events like the Battle of the Atlantic, and maritime migrations to United States colonies and Caribbean plantations. Scientific voyages by figures and institutions such as James Cook, the HMS Challenger expedition, the Royal Society, and Alexander von Humboldt advanced oceanography and biogeography.

Economic importance and maritime activity

The ocean underpins major trade routes linking ports such as New York City, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Lisbon, Shanghai (via interoceanic connections), Santos, São Paulo, Cape Town, and Valparaiso through choke points like the Strait of Gibraltar and the Dover Strait. Fisheries and aquaculture in zones off Iceland, Norway, Canada, Peru (via Pacific linkage), and West Africa supply global markets; energy extraction includes offshore oil and gas basins in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and the Niger Delta, and growing interest in offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea and the Baltic Sea. Maritime governance involves institutions such as the International Maritime Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Seabed Authority, and national agencies like the United States Coast Guard. Environmental pressures from shipping, invasive species, and pollution engage actors such as Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, and international law frameworks including the London Convention.

Category:Oceans