structure and physical-chemical characteristics of the Atlantic ocean

With an area of ​​106.57 million square kilometers, the Atlantic is the second largest ocean in the world.

the salinity of its waters oscillates between the minima reached in the polar regions (less than 33%) and the maximums superior to 37% that register in two concrete areas: the central region, located at the height of the tropic of cancer, and the Coast of Brazil, north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

the temperature of the water also varies between the 29 degrees that are registered in summer in the Caribbean, and two or three degrees below zero, which are measured in the Arctic glacial sea and off the Antarctic coasts. furthermore in these polar regions there are large areas in which the water remains frozen, forming the large polar ice caps.

Water richness varies depending on the concentration of nutrients, reaching some maximum levels in specific areas, such as Antarctica and outcrop areas.
all these regions produce a large amount of phyto plankton and, consequently, sustain enormous populations of fish and other marine inhabitants (cephalopods, cetaceans, birds, etc.).

the wind regime, which determines the swell, is variable depending on the latitude: for example, in the northern Atlantic, above the 40th parallel, the farmer who bathes the entire western coast of North America until Florida is very frequent; the one that from the south of the Iberian Peninsula crosses the African coast until near the equator, and the one of drift of the western winds, that after bathing the South end of the American continent, runs against the South African coast and ascends until near the mouth of the Congo river.

finally we will talk about the relief. a great submerged mountain range, the great Atlantic ridge, extends from the north of Iceland to a point equidistant between Antarctica and the Cape of Good Hope. this mountain chain is crossed, in the direction of the parallels, by numerous fractures and canyons. the Atlantic reaches its maximum depth in front of the American coasts, with the pit of Puerto Rico, at 9,219m depth. the continental shelf has a variable extension, from very wide, in front of the coasts of the northern half of the European continent and in Argentina, to very narrow, in front of the Iberian peninsula and the north of Brazil.