Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of Earth’s five oceans, following the Pacific Ocean. It covers approximately 20 percent of Earth’s surface and about 29 percent of its water body.

Geographically, it extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to South America’s Caribbean Sea in the south; eastward across North and South America between Europe and Africa; then southeastward towards Australia through Indian oceanic waters around Antarctica. Its average depth is 3,930 meters (12,910 feet) while its maximum measured depth is 8 kilometers (5 miles). The two most important seas are Gulf Stream (North Atlantic Drift), which runs along western coastlines bringing warm tropical currents up into colder northern seas; and Antarctic Circumpolar Current that circles Antarctic continent pushing cold southern waters outwards.

It was named after Atlas from Greek mythology by early explorers who thought they had reached a new world when entering this vast expanse for first time. Subsequently divided into four major subregions: North Atlantic – bounded by Labrador Sea on northeast side & Caribbean sea on southwest side with midpoint at Grand Banks off Newfoundland Island; Central & South Atlantic – extending from equator down past Cape Horn encompassing Falkland Islands ; Brazilian Basin – encircling massive continental shelf lying around Brazil coastline where highest point lies at Fernando de Noronha Seamount over 4500 metres below seabed level ; And lastly Mediterranean Outflow – connecting Adriatic/Ionian Seas via Strait Gibraltar flowing right out into heart OFOceans depths beyond Azores archipelago .

Atlantic has strong tidal systems causing large volume changes throughout day as well as powerful undersea mountain ranges such as Mid-Atlantic Ridge running lengthwise like backbone dividing continents apart creating unique deepwater canyons filled exotic marine life forms found nowhere else planet earth! Additionally many submarine cables lay hidden amongst these submerged hillsides allowing global communications take place without interruption or interference due their extremely remote locations away human activity.. In terms climate change , recent studies have shown that warming trends being seen across entire region particularly within shallower coastal areas near shorelines leading potential sea rise levels higher than ever before possibly affecting millions people living nearby if not addressed soon enough properly managed plans put place protect against future consequences could arise due lack adequate response times taken now address such issues head-on prevent them occurring later down line …