Climatic conditions over the territory of the Pacific Ocean are due to its location in all climatic zones, except polar. Most precipitation falls around the equator – up to 2000 mm. Due to the fact that the Pacific Ocean is protected by land from the influence of the Arctic Ocean, its northern part is warmer than the southern one.
The Pacific Ocean, despite its name, is the most troubled on the planet. In the central part, trade winds predominate, and in the west, monsoon circulation, known for its devastating tropical hurricanes-typhoons. In the temperate latitudes, the Western shift predominates – the movement of air masses in the west. In the north and in the south there are often storms.
Pacific typhoons – a natural phenomenon of nature, leading to significant destruction and loss of life. They fall on the Japanese every year. The Philippine Islands, the eastern coast of China and Vietnam. The diameter of the typhoon ranges from 200 to 1800 km. and in its center is often calm and even clear weather. On the periphery of the typhoon, heavy rain falls, hurricane winds blow, and storm waves reach a height of 10-12 m. One of the peculiar features of the Pacific Ocean is the giant waves – tsunamis, resulting from underwater volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. These waves, in contrast to the wind, cover the entire thickness of the water. Moving with great speed, they remain almost invisible, since they have a height of only 0.5-1.0 m, but in shallow water it increases to tens of meters.
To prevent danger, the International Tsunami Warning Service was established. Seismic stations determine the time and place of the earthquake, assess the possibility of tsunami formation and, in case of danger, notify the approach of the wave.
The considerable length of the ocean from north to south causes changes in the average annual water temperatures on the surface from -1 to +30 ° C. Due to the precipitation of a significant amount of precipitation, exceeding the amount of evaporating water, the salinity of the surface waters in it is somewhat lower than in other oceans.
In the northeastern part of the ocean, large fogs are observed, approaching the mainland in the form of huge white waves. The real “country of fogs” is called the Bering Sea.
In the north of the Pacific Ocean, there is almost no floating ice, since the narrow Bering Strait limits the connection to the Arctic Ocean where it forms. Only the Okhotsk and Bering Sea in winter are covered with ice.
The currents in the Pacific correspond to the general pattern of their formation in the World Ocean. Due to the fact that the ocean is very stretched from west to east, it is dominated by significant latitudinal movements of water.
The most troubled is the ocean between 40-50 ° S. Here the height of the waves sometimes reaches 15-20 m. In the Pacific Ocean, the highest wind waves were registered – up to 34 m.
The climate and properties of oceanic waters of the Pacific Ocean