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There is a vast amount of water on planet earth. In fact, over 70% of the earth's surface is covered by the oceans and seas. The total area mentioned equals over 360,000,000 sq km with a volume of approximately 1370 million cu km. The world's largest ocean, the Pacific, occupies up to 36% on its own. The depths of our seas often reach 12,000m, and the seas stop where the land starts to form coastlines. At below the Abyssal Plain of 5000m, light can not penetrate any further and life forms cease to exist. The deepest oceans are the North and South Pacific although the North and South Atlantic as well as the Indian Ocean are not far behind. Other seas worthy of note include the Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, South China Sea, Yellow Sea, North Sea, Red Sea, Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. Winds above the surface of the earth's oceans churn phenomenal ocean currents that change the shape of the earth's structure. Certain currents on or near to the Equator reverse their flow, affecting monsoonal rains in parts of the world. Tidal times are affected by lunar cycles and alter by approximately 1 hour everyday for 365 days of the year which is almost a 360 degree turning circle.
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