15 Strange and Interesting Facts about the Ocean

While more than 70% of the Earth is taken by the ocean, less than 5% of it has been explored. The underwater world is mysterious, with all kinds of strange creatures, covered landscapes, and just phenomena that look more like something out of science fiction. Today, I will tell you 15 interesting facts about the ocean, that you probably don't know.

1. The Ocean Is Home to the Largest Living Structure
The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Australia, is the largest living structure in the world. It is so large that it can be seen from space, a stretch of over 1,400 miles (2,300 km). If you are in Australia, you might want to see it.

2. More Historical Artifacts Are in the Ocean Than in All the World's Museums
From shipwrecks and lost cities to sunken treasures, the ocean floor is literally the largest museum in the world;  yet most of it remains unexplored.

3. There's an "Upside-Down" Lake Under the Ocean
There are underwater lakes which are called brine pools in the Gulf of Mexico. Brine pools have such high salinity that they can actually exist separate from the surrounding seawater. And, if marine life enters, they sure won't survive.

4. More People Have Been to the Moon Than the Deepest Part of the Ocean
Only a few humans have made it to Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest known part of the ocean, which is about 36,000 feet (11,000 meters) below the surface. 

5. There Are Lakes and Rivers Under the Ocean
Due to the variation in salinity, certain parts of the ocean develop underwater rivers and lakes. These come complete with banks and currents, looking just like any other river on land.  

6. The Ocean Has Waterfalls Taller Than Anything on Land
The Denmark Strait Cataract is an underwater waterfall that cascades more than 11,500 feet, 3,505 meters down, three times as tall as Angel Falls which is the tallest waterfall on the land.

7. The Deepest Part of the Ocean Can Squish a Human in an Instant
The pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is approximately 1,000 times that at sea level, enough to crush a human body in an instant.  
 
8. Some Fish Can Survive Being Frozen and Thawed 
Certain species, like the Antarctic icefish, make antifreeze proteins in their blood that allow them to live in subzero waters. Well, evolution is really amazing.

9. There Are More Volcanoes in the Ocean Than on Land
About 75% of Earth's volcanoes are found underwater. Some even form new islands, such as the one currently under construction near Tonga in the Pacific.

10. The Ocean Contains 20 Million Tons of Gold
There are about 20 million tons of gold existing in seawater around the world. However, it is too diluted to be extracted economically, at least with current technology humans have.  

11. 99% of Earth's Living Space is Composed of the Ocean
Being very deep and huge in area, 99% of the space that life can exist on Earth is composed of the ocean.

12. Some Jellyfish Are Technically Immortal
The Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish is able to revert its cells to an earlier stage of its life, which, for all intents and purposes, makes it not age and possibly live indefinitely.

13. The Ocean Is Getting Louder
Noise from human activities - shipping, oil drilling, sonar use - has increased underwater noise pollution, disturbing sea creatures that use sound to communicate in general.

14. There's a Hidden Ocean Inside the Earth
Scientists discovered an underground ocean three times the volume of surface oceans, trapped within the Earth's mantle, about 400 miles below the surface.

15. We Have Better Maps of Mars Than the Ocean Floor
Despite huge advances in technology, only about 20% of the ocean floor has been mapped in any detail, less than that of Mars or the Moon.  

The ocean is something like a world of mystery full of amazing phenomena and creatures, so often our imagination is puzzled by life and nature. Much is left unexplored, with the deep sea still constituting one of the last frontiers of Earth. Who can imagine what an incredible secret might lie beneath the waves, still to be uncovered?