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Countries |
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Guide to DXing |
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Real Radio |
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Introduction |
Atlantic Ocean |
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Background:
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The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceans
(after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern
Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund
(Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar
(Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are
important strategic access waterways. The decision by the
International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to
delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion
of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.
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Location:
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body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the
Western Hemisphere
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Geographic coordinates:
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0 00 N, 25 00 W
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Map references:
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Political Map of the World
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Area:
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total: 76.762 million sq km
note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea,
Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage,
Gulf of Mexico, Labrador Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea,
Norwegian Sea, almost all of the Scotia Sea, and other
tributary water bodies
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
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Coastline:
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111,866 km
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Climate:
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tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa
near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea;
hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent
from August to November
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Terrain:
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surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark
Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to
June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of
currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water
gyre in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the
entire Atlantic basin
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico
Trench -8,605 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
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Natural resources:
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oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales),
sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic
nodules, precious stones
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Natural hazards:
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icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the
northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have
been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands;
ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern
Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime
hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)
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Environment - current issues:
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endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions,
turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline
of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes;
municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and
eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of
Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea;
industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea,
North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea
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Geography - note:
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major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar,
access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include
the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound
(Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the
Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic
Ocean
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Economy - overview:
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The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily
trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western
Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of
natural resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of aragonite sands (The
Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean
Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).
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Transportation |
Atlantic Ocean |
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Ports and terminals:
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Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona
(Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon
(Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland),
Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands,
Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille
(France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy),
New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),
Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam
(Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)
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Transportation - note:
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Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important
waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational use
of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard
and Gulf of Mexico coast of US
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Transnational Issues |
Atlantic Ocean |
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Disputes - international:
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some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
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This page was last updated on 1 May,
2008
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MW Guide:
Introduction
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