The Earth consists of mainly water bodies. A large majority of these water bodies are oceans. However, the story is quite different when it comes to water bodies near land. That is where there is a difference between oceans, seas, gulfs, and more are present.
Ocean vs Gulf
The main difference between an Ocean and Gulf is that an Ocean refers to a large water body that consists of saltwater. These regions are far from the mainland. On the other hand, a gulf consists of a smaller water body present close to the land.
Comparison Table Between Ocean and Gulf
| Parameters of Comparison | Ocean | Gulf |
| Size | The size of an ocean is much bigger than any other water body in the world. | A gulf is considerably big but smaller than an ocean and sea. |
| Surrounding land | There is no land surrounding an ocean. The ocean closest to land is known as the sea. | A gulf is almost completely surrounded by land. However, there is a small region that connects to the sea. |
| Human Interaction | Because of the large size, there is not much human inhabitation in the majority of the ocean. | The gulf does see more human activity. There are a few human settlements and many ships and fishing activities. |
| Depth | The depth of the ocean can go down to 36000 feet, as in the Mariana Trench case. | A gulf possesses a depth of only 5000 feet. |
What is an Ocean?
An Ocean consists of a large expanse of water. They are known to be the main source of distribution of water to other water bodies. This is because an ocean divides into seas. One considers a sea to a gulf in certain circumstances. An ocean can also become a bay upon dividing further.
In addition to this, every river flows into a sea and then an ocean.
An ocean consists of saltwater. The salt concentration is barely two percent of the total water concentration. Marine fish thrive in this water. Other organisms like invertebrates are also present.
The Earth possesses four oceans:
- Pacific
- Atlantic
- Indian Ocean
- The Arctic Ocean.
The Pacific Ocean is the largest. It also contains the world’s deepest point. The Mariana Trench is home to a number of deep-sea creatures. It is around 36,200 feet or 11 kilometers in depth. The pacific ocean contains more than half of all the liquid water present on earth.
The Ocean is also home to a variety of cnidarians, also known as corals. The Pacific Ocean contains the most coral formation in the entire world. Australia has a special formation of a reef known as the Great Barrier Reef. This region possesses the highest concentration of corals. It is present on the eastern side of the Australian subcontinent. A reef is the most populated region in an ocean.
Oceans are also present on other planets. This fact is a source of fascination as it implies that life might be present in the oceans.
Oceans are also known to house volcanoes. These are known as Submarine Volcanoes. The Tamu Massif is the largest submarine volcano. It is present at the bottom of the pacific ocean.
Oceans also see a fair share of earthquakes. Sometimes, the tectonic plates present below the ocean floor shift and cause an Earthquake. The energy dissipated from this event leads to a Tsunami on the land.
The Ocean also plays an important role in maintaining the water cycle. It is the primary source of water that undergoes evaporation. The evaporation leads to the formation of clouds.