Okyanusu

Okyanusu is the Turkish term for the ocean, the interconnected system of vast saltwater bodies that covers about 71 percent of Earth's surface and drives climate, weather, and biology. It is commonly divided into five major basins—the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern (Antarctic), and Arctic Oceans—though the boundaries between them are conventional and sometimes fluid.

Average depth is around 3,700 meters, with the deepest point at the Challenger Deep in the western Pacific, near 11,000 meters. Ocean salinity averages about 35 practical salinity units. The ocean’s vertical structure includes a surface mixed layer, a thermocline, and the deep ocean. Global water movement is produced by winds, Earth's rotation, and density differences, creating currents and the thermohaline circulation that links all basins.

It harbors extensive biodiversity and provides resources such as fish and minerals, while regulating global climate by storing heat and carbon. It also supports transportation and international trade through sea routes. Human pressures include overfishing, habitat destruction, plastic pollution, chemical contamination, and ocean acidification from rising CO2, which contribute to ecosystem disruption and sea-level rise.

Beyond its physical and ecological aspects, the Okyanusu plays a central cultural and economic role in Turkey and worldwide, shaping maritime policy, science, and everyday life as societies rely on its health for food, climate regulation, and connectivity.