When Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago, it would not have been called the water planet. There were no oceans then. In fact, there was no liquid water at all. Early Earth was too hot for liquid water to exist. Earths early years were spent as molten rock and metal. Over time, Earth cooled. The surface hardened to become solid rock. Volcanic eruptions, like the one in Figure 14.1, brought lava and gases to the surface. One of the gases was water vapor. More water vapor came from asteroids and comets that crashed into Earth. As Earth cooled still more, the water vapor condensed to make Earths first liquid water. At last, the oceans could start to form. Earths crust consists of many tectonic plates that move over time. Due to plate tectonics, the continents changed their shapes and positions during Earth history. As the continents changed, so did the oceans. About 250 million years ago, there was one huge land mass known as Pangaea. There was also one huge ocean called Panthalassa. You can see it in Figure 14.2. By 180 million years ago, Pangaea began to break up. The continents started to drift apart. They slowly moved to where they are today. The movement of the continents caused Panthalassa to break into smaller oceans. These oceans are now known as the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. The waters of all the oceans are connected. Oceans cover more than 70 percent of Earths surface and hold 97 percent of its surface water. Its no surprise that the oceans have a big influence on the planet. The oceans affect the atmosphere, climate, and living things. Oceans are the major source of water vapor in the atmosphere. Sunlight heats water near the sea surface, as shown in Figure 14.3. As the water warms, some of it evaporates. The water vapor rises into the air, where it may form clouds and precipitation. Precipitation provides the freshwater needed by plants and other living things. Ocean water also absorbs gases from the atmosphere. The most important are oxygen and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is needed by living things in the oceans. Much of the carbon dioxide sinks to the bottom of the seas. Carbon dioxide is a major cause of global warming. By absorbing carbon dioxide, the oceans help control global warming. Coastal areas have a milder climate than inland areas. They are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Thats because land near an ocean is influenced by the temperature of the oceans. The temperature of ocean water is moderate and stable. Why? There are two major reasons: 1. Water is much slower to warm up and cool down than land. As a result, oceans never get as hot or as cold as land. 2. Water flows through all the worlds oceans. Warm water from the equator mixes with cold water from the poles. The mixing of warm and cold water makes the water temperature moderate. Even inland temperatures are milder because of oceans. Without oceans, there would be much bigger temperature swings all over Earth. Temperatures might plunge hundreds of degrees below freezing in the winter. In the summer, lakes and seas might boil! Life as we know it could not exist on Earth without the oceans. The oceans provide a home to many living things. In fact, a greater number of organisms lives in the oceans than on land. Coral reefs, like the one in Figure 14.4, have more diversity of life forms than almost anywhere else on Earth. You know that ocean water is salty. But do you know why? How salty is it? Ocean water is salty because water dissolves minerals out of rocks. This happens whenever water flows over or through rocks. Much of this water and its minerals flow in rivers that end up in the oceans. Minerals dissolved in water form salts. When the water evaporates, it leaves the salts behind. As a result, ocean water is much saltier than other water on Earth. Have you ever gone swimming in the ocean? If you have, then you probably tasted the salts in the water. By
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