Oceans

An Original: By Mia S.

Oceans are large bodies of saltwater. Oceans cover more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface. They hold about 97 percent of all the water on Earth. People need oceans. They eat plants and animals from the ocean. People also travel on oceans. Oceans also affect weather and climate.

Earth has five oceans. The largest is the Pacific Ocean. The smallest is the Arctic Ocean. The other oceans are the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is located between North and South America and Asia. It covers about 60 million square miles (155 million square kilometers). This area is 30 percent of Earth’s surface. The Arctic Ocean is located above the Arctic Circle. It covers about 5 million square miles (13 million square kilometers). The Atlantic Ocean is located between North and South America and Europe and Africa. It covers about 41 million square miles (106 million square kilometers). The Indian Ocean is located between Africa and Australia. It covers 26 million square miles (67 million square kilometers). The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica. It covers 8 million square miles (21 million square kilometers).

The average depth of the oceans is about 12,100 feet (3,688 meters). The deepest place in the oceans is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. It is about 35,750 feet (10,897 meters) deep. People cannot travel to the bottom of the trench because it is too deep.

Oceans affect Earth’s weather. In the summer, oceans absorb, or take in, heat from the sun. In winter, oceans release this heat into the air. When the sun heats the oceans’ surface, water evaporates. It turns into vapor and rises into the air. The vapor then forms clouds. The clouds cool off and release rain. Almost all the rain that falls on Earth comes from water that was in the oceans. Ocean water moves in patterns called currents. Some currents carry warm water from the equator toward the North or South Pole. (The equator is an imaginary line that circles Earth halfway between the North and South Pole.) Other currents carry cold water from the poles toward the equator. As these currents flow along the edges of landmasses, they affect the temperature on land.

Many types of animals and plants live in the oceans. These living things are important to humans and the rest of the world. People use some of the animals and plants for medicine and food. Plankton are tiny organisms that live in the ocean. They drift on ocean currents. Some plankton are plants. Some are animals. Many other ocean animals eat plankton. Many kinds of fish live in oceans. They include eels, sharks, swordfish, and tuna. Shellfish live in oceans, too. They include shrimp, crabs, and lobsters. Mammals also live in oceans. Mammals are warm-blooded animals that give birth to live babies instead of laying eggs. Some ocean mammals are manatees, dolphins, seals, walruses, and whales.

Rainforests

By Lana L

Introduction

Rainforests are humid forests that usually live in warm areas. Many types of plants and animals live there. There are 3 main levels of trees the highest being the emergent and one lower the canopy which is sometimes 200 feet thick and lastly the understory which includes small shrubs and plants that live near the ground. Below the canopy hardly any rain and sunlight get there because of how many trees live there.

Where Can Rainforests Be Found?

Rainforests have to live in warm areas and be humid so the plants and animals that live there can survive. Tropical rainforests are found near the equator in places like Central America, South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Another type of rainforest is temperate rainforests which are found in colder areas. The largest rainforest in Brazil is called the Amazon Rainforest which has one of the largest rivers in the world.

What Weather Occurs In the Rainforest?

The rainforest gets 80-390 inches of rain per year because it rains almost everyday . In the morning it begins to mist and starts raining later in the day. It follows this cycle almost every day. The rainforest must be hot and moist so the animals can live there. Also The rainforest is around 90 degrees fahrenheit every day!

What Animals Can Live There?

The rainforest is home to many types of animals including mammals, reptiles, insects and amphibians. Some animals, for example some frogs, need warm moist air to survive. Tropical fruits grow in the rainforest and animals eat them while other animals eat bugs and insects. Mammals that live there are tigers, jaguars , lion sloths, monkeys and some very colorful birds.

What Plants Can Live There?

There are hundreds of different types of plants that can be found in the rainforest. Some plants have to grow very tall to reach sunlight above the canopy because there are so many plants blocking the sunlight. These are some commonly found plants in the rainforest: Palm trees, bamboo plants, cocoa trees and rubber trees. The trees that live there have wide leaves to absorb as much sunlight and water as possible while other smaller plants like flowers even grow on bigger trees!

How Do Humans Make an Impact?

Many species of animals and plants that live in the rainforests are becoming endangered because people are cutting down trees to make room for roads and selling wood to build houses and buildings. Some animals are losing their homes and the way animals eat and behave is slowly changing because of climate change. The animals living in the rainforest are eating the trash and human waste that is not good for their heath.

Interesting facts

• Rainforests cover 5% of the earth’s surface

• Almost 200 acres of rainforest is destroyed each year

• The amazon rainforest covers 40% of Brazil

• Rainforests produce a lot of cocoa beans which are used to make chocolate!