oceany

Oceany is a neologism used in some environmental science and literary contexts to refer to the oceanic realm as a single, interconnected system. In this usage, oceany encompasses the surface and interior waters of the world's oceans and seas, as well as their interactions with the overlying atmosphere, seafloor, and marine life.

The term is not standardized and does not denote a formal category in oceanography. It is often employed to highlight system-level thinking about ocean processes and to draw attention to the ocean as a unified environmental domain rather than as separate basins.

Physically, oceany covers about 71% of the Earth's surface and contains the majority of Earth's liquid freshwater. It is structured into basins and vertical layers, with currents such as gyres and upwelling zones distributing heat, nutrients, and organisms. The marine environment hosts diverse life from microscopic plankton to large whales and supports major climate-regulating processes, including carbon storage and heat transport. Ocean chemistry is shaped by salinity, temperature, and dissolved gases, with pH influenced by atmospheric CO2.

Human activity intersects with oceany in shipping, fishing, tourism, and energy extraction. It faces threats from overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, including warming, acidification, and sea-level rise. Policy and science increasingly advocate integrated, ecosystem-based management and expanded marine protected areas to safeguard resilience and biodiversity.

Usage of oceany in discourse emphasizes interdependence across basins and disciplines, encouraging cross-border cooperation and holistic research approaches. It is more common in environmental writing and advocacy than in formal scientific literature.