1 00:00:14,694 --> 00:00:17,055 Imagine yourself standing on a beach, 2 00:00:17,055 --> 00:00:19,239 looking out over the ocean, 3 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:21,253 waves crashing against the shore, 4 00:00:21,253 --> 00:00:24,451 blue as far as your eyes can see. 5 00:00:24,451 --> 00:00:26,214 Let it really sink in, 6 00:00:26,214 --> 00:00:28,910 the sheer scope and size of it all. 7 00:00:28,910 --> 00:00:30,727 Now, ask yourself, 8 00:00:30,727 --> 00:00:32,701 "How big is it? 9 00:00:32,701 --> 00:00:35,684 How big is the ocean?" 10 00:00:35,684 --> 00:00:37,397 First thing, we need to understand 11 00:00:37,397 --> 00:00:39,355 that there really is only one ocean, 12 00:00:39,355 --> 00:00:42,150 consisting of five component basins that we call 13 00:00:42,150 --> 00:00:43,234 the Pacific, 14 00:00:43,234 --> 00:00:43,818 the Atlantic, 15 00:00:43,818 --> 00:00:44,485 the Indian, 16 00:00:44,485 --> 00:00:45,072 the Arctic, 17 00:00:45,072 --> 00:00:46,654 and the Southern. 18 00:00:46,654 --> 00:00:47,696 Each of these five, 19 00:00:47,696 --> 00:00:49,491 while generally referred to as oceans 20 00:00:49,491 --> 00:00:50,951 in and of themselves, 21 00:00:50,951 --> 00:00:52,536 are really and truly a part of 22 00:00:52,536 --> 00:00:54,669 a single, massive body of water, 23 00:00:54,669 --> 00:00:55,731 one ocean, 24 00:00:55,731 --> 00:00:58,542 which defines the very face of planet Earth. 25 00:00:58,542 --> 00:01:02,226 The ocean covers roughly 71% of our planet's surface, 26 00:01:02,226 --> 00:01:05,397 some 360 million square kilometers, 27 00:01:05,397 --> 00:01:09,548 an area in excess of the size of 36 U.S.A.'s. 28 00:01:09,548 --> 00:01:10,641 It's such a vast spread, 29 00:01:10,641 --> 00:01:12,018 when viewed from space, 30 00:01:12,018 --> 00:01:16,645 the ocean is, by far, the dominant feature of our planet. 31 00:01:16,645 --> 00:01:17,896 Speaking of space, 32 00:01:17,896 --> 00:01:22,034 the ocean currently holds over 1.3 billion, 33 00:01:22,034 --> 00:01:23,736 that's billion with a "b", 34 00:01:23,736 --> 00:01:25,651 cubic kilometers of water. 35 00:01:25,651 --> 00:01:26,697 Put another way, 36 00:01:26,697 --> 00:01:28,271 that's enough water to immerse 37 00:01:28,271 --> 00:01:30,231 the entire United States 38 00:01:30,231 --> 00:01:31,666 under a body of salt water 39 00:01:31,666 --> 00:01:34,530 over 132 kilometers tall, 40 00:01:34,530 --> 00:01:37,501 a height well beyond the reach of the highest clouds 41 00:01:37,501 --> 00:01:41,009 and extending deep into the upper atmosphere. 42 00:01:41,009 --> 00:01:42,219 With all that volume, 43 00:01:42,219 --> 00:01:44,978 the ocean represents 97% 44 00:01:44,978 --> 00:01:47,713 of Earth's total water content. 45 00:01:47,713 --> 00:01:49,309 On top of all that, 46 00:01:49,309 --> 00:01:52,366 the ocean contains upwards of 99% 47 00:01:52,366 --> 00:01:54,230 of the world's biosphere, 48 00:01:54,230 --> 00:01:57,780 that is, the spaces and places where life exists. 49 00:01:57,780 --> 00:01:59,903 Now let that sink in for a second. 50 00:01:59,903 --> 00:02:02,197 The immediate world as we know it, 51 00:02:02,197 --> 00:02:05,191 indeed the totality of all the living space 52 00:02:05,191 --> 00:02:07,327 encompassed by the continents themselves, 53 00:02:07,327 --> 00:02:11,791 all of that only represents only 1% of the biosphere. 54 00:02:11,791 --> 00:02:13,566 1%! 55 00:02:13,566 --> 00:02:16,711 The ocean is everything else. 56 00:02:16,711 --> 00:02:20,424 So, the ocean is physically massive. 57 00:02:20,424 --> 00:02:24,025 It's importance to life is practically unparalleled. 58 00:02:24,025 --> 00:02:25,981 It also happens to hold 59 00:02:25,981 --> 00:02:29,295 the greatest geological features of our planet. 60 00:02:32,048 --> 00:02:35,674 Quickly, here are four of the most notable. 61 00:02:35,674 --> 00:02:38,481 The ocean contains the world's largest mountain range, 62 00:02:38,481 --> 00:02:40,110 the mid-ocean ridge. 63 00:02:40,110 --> 00:02:43,021 At roughly 65,000 kilometers long, 64 00:02:43,021 --> 00:02:46,014 this underwater range is some 10 times 65 00:02:46,014 --> 00:02:48,004 longer than the longest mountain chain 66 00:02:48,004 --> 00:02:50,510 found purely on dry land, the Andes. 67 00:02:50,510 --> 00:02:52,417 Beneath the Denmark Strait exists 68 00:02:52,417 --> 00:02:55,056 the world's largest waterfall. 69 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,462 This massive cataract carries roughly 116 times 70 00:03:03,462 --> 00:03:06,368 more water per second over its edge 71 00:03:06,368 --> 00:03:08,340 than the Congo River's Inga Falls, 72 00:03:08,340 --> 00:03:11,760 the largest waterfall by volume on land. 73 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,555 The world's tallest mountain is actually found in the ocean, 74 00:03:14,555 --> 00:03:16,265 hiding in plain sight. 75 00:03:16,265 --> 00:03:18,684 While 4200 meters of Hawaii's Mauna Kea 76 00:03:18,684 --> 00:03:20,643 sit above sea level, 77 00:03:20,643 --> 00:03:22,713 its sides plummet beneath the waves 78 00:03:22,713 --> 00:03:25,065 for another 5800 meters. 79 00:03:25,065 --> 00:03:26,483 From its snow-covered top 80 00:03:26,483 --> 00:03:28,654 to it's silt-covered bottom, then, 81 00:03:28,654 --> 00:03:31,829 this Hawaiian mountain is roughly 10,000 meters in height, 82 00:03:31,829 --> 00:03:34,122 dwarfing tiny Everest's paltry peak 83 00:03:34,122 --> 00:03:35,950 by well over a kilometer. 84 00:03:35,950 --> 00:03:38,105 Then, since we're picking on poor Everest, 85 00:03:38,105 --> 00:03:40,831 let's consider the world's deepest canyon, 86 00:03:40,831 --> 00:03:42,443 the Challenger Deep, 87 00:03:42,443 --> 00:03:45,378 existing 11 kilometers below the ocean's surface, 88 00:03:45,378 --> 00:03:47,829 some six times deeper than the Grand Canyon. 89 00:03:47,829 --> 00:03:50,470 That's deep enough to sink Mount Everest into 90 00:03:50,470 --> 00:03:53,639 and still have over 2.1 kilometers of water 91 00:03:53,639 --> 00:03:56,046 sitting atop its newly submerged peak. 92 00:03:56,046 --> 00:03:58,584 Put another way, the depth of the Challenger Deep 93 00:03:58,584 --> 00:04:00,169 is roughly the same height 94 00:04:00,169 --> 00:04:02,255 that commercial airliners travel. 95 00:04:02,255 --> 00:04:04,901 So, pretty much however you choose to slice it, 96 00:04:04,901 --> 00:04:06,942 the ocean is capital B 97 00:04:06,942 --> 00:04:07,761 capital I, 98 00:04:07,761 --> 00:04:08,892 capital G, 99 00:04:08,892 --> 00:04:10,049 BIG! 100 00:04:10,049 --> 00:04:11,990 It defines our planet, 101 00:04:11,990 --> 00:04:14,476 home to the greatest geological features, 102 00:04:14,476 --> 00:04:16,895 comprises the largest living space, 103 00:04:16,895 --> 00:04:19,522 and accordingly, is home to the greatest numbers 104 00:04:19,522 --> 00:04:21,906 and forms of life on Earth. 105 00:04:21,906 --> 00:04:25,733 It is practically incomprehensible in scope. 106 00:04:25,733 --> 00:04:28,652 But, it is not so big, 107 00:04:28,652 --> 00:04:29,881 so vast, 108 00:04:29,881 --> 00:04:31,242 so extraordinary 109 00:04:31,242 --> 00:04:33,328 as to be untouchable. 110 00:04:33,328 --> 00:04:37,073 In fact, with roughly 50% of the world's population 111 00:04:37,073 --> 00:04:39,722 living within 100 kilometers of the coastline 112 00:04:39,722 --> 00:04:41,720 and with most of the remainder 113 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,506 living close enough to lakes, rivers, or swamps, 114 00:04:44,506 --> 00:04:46,987 all of which ultimately lead to the ocean, 115 00:04:46,987 --> 00:04:49,572 virtually every single person on the planet 116 00:04:49,572 --> 00:04:52,994 has the opportunity to influence the general health 117 00:04:52,994 --> 00:04:55,544 and nature of the world ocean. 118 00:04:55,544 --> 00:04:57,224 Evidence of human influence is seen 119 00:04:57,224 --> 00:04:59,217 in every part of the ocean, 120 00:04:59,217 --> 00:05:00,480 no matter how deep, 121 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:02,380 no matter how distant. 122 00:05:02,380 --> 00:05:05,273 The ocean defines our planet, 123 00:05:05,273 --> 00:05:07,415 but, in a very real sense, 124 00:05:07,415 --> 00:05:09,621 we define the ocean.