The ocean is incredibly deep, with more than a mile of distance between the highest point on land and the deepest point in the oceans. The oceans contain 99% of all living space on Earth and have an immense amount of water, equivalent to filling a bathtub that is 685 miles long on each side. The depths of the ocean are home to various marine life and present unique challenges for exploration.
Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, can dive to depths of around 330 feet, while the USS Triton submarine became the first to circumnavigate the Earth at a depth of 700 feet. At 831 feet, the deepest free dive in recorded history occurred, and at 2,722 feet, the pressure becomes so intense that submarines would implode.
The ocean's midnight zone begins at 3,280 feet, where sunlight can no longer reach, and temperatures drop significantly. In the hadal zone, which includes the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean, depths reach 36,000 feet. Only a small percentage of the ocean has been explored, and there is still much to learn about the mysterious world beneath the surface.
Vocabulary:
• Bathtub
A large container for holding water in which a person may bathe.
• Depth
The distance from the top or surface to the bottom of something.
• Dive
To plunge into water headfirst.
• Squid
A marine cephalopod mollusk with a long body, eight arms, and two tentacles.
• Trench
A long, narrow excavation in the ground.
• Unmanned
Not operated or controlled by a person.
• Submersible
Capable of being submerged or placed underwater.