Discover Canada's Oceans - Middle School Oceans Homework Help

Discover Canada's Oceans
Canada's Aquatic Environments
CyberNatural Software Group,
University of Guelph

Ninety-seven percent of all water on Earth is contained in its oceans. The present distribution of ocean basins on the planet is generally attributed to continental drift. Canada is bounded by three oceans: the Atlantic (82 million sq. km), the Pacific (708 million sq. km) and the Arctic (13.6 million sq. km). These giant bodies of water are interconnected yet each has its own distinguishing features. These features include currents, water masses, sub-marine ridges and definable land boundaries. The ocean currents are a result of prevailing winds and water density differences ("thermohaline") and are complicated by interactions with the continents. The water masses within the oceans retain characteristic salinities, temperatures, densities and trace element composition over large areas. The topography, slope, depth below sea level and composition of the ocean floor are also features that define an ocean.

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