8 A TEXTBOOK OF OCEANOGRAPHY 



Classification of the Océans and Seas. 



1. Position. 



2. Size. 



3. Form. 



4. Water salinity. 



5. Tides and currents. 



6. Origin. 



I. Position, or Situation. 



Tlie nomenclature of the océans and seas is quite unscien- 

 tific, but the names are so well known and so fïrmly fixed there 

 is no object in changing them. 



To give one example. Seas of a mediterranean type hâve 

 the following names — Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf, 

 Hudson Bay, Gulf of MeXico, and Arctic Océan. In this type 

 the sea pénétrâtes deeply into the land, and access to the océan 

 is by a narrow strait or straits. Seas of this kind hâve a marked 

 individuality, as will be seen later. A second type of sea is 

 one with access to the océan by means of a fairly wide connec- 

 tion. For instance, the North Sea, English Channel, Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence, Sea of Okhotsk, Gulf of California, and Bass 

 Straits. 



Several attempts hâve been made to classify seas according 

 to their situation. The Germans hâve excelled at this, and we 

 get Randmeere, Nebenmeere, Vormeere, Durchgangsmeere, 

 and so on. 



2. Classification according to Sise. 



This is the chief différence between océans and seas. The 

 so-called Arctic Océan has an area of 14 million square kilo- 

 mètres, whereas the Indian Ocean's area is 73, the Atlantic 82, 

 and the Pacific 166 million square kilomètres. (A square kilo- 

 meter = o"386 of a square mile.) 



For comparison : The area of the Mediterranean is 3 million 

 square kilomètres, Bering Sea 2^, Sea of Okhotsk ij, and the 

 North Sea J million square kilomètres. 



