![]() ![]() The directions of the circulation are governed by factors, including the shapes of the continents and Earth's rotation (the Coriolis effect). Winds also create surface currents through friction, setting up slow but stable circulations of water throughout the oceans. Winds blowing over the surface of the sea produce waves, which break when they enter the shallow water. Salinity varies widely, being lower near the surface and the mouths of large rivers and higher in the depths of the ocean however, the relative proportions of dissolved salts vary little across the oceans. The water also contains salts of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and mercury, amongst many other elements, some in minute concentrations. The most abundant solid dissolved in seawater is sodium chloride. Humans harnessing and studying the sea have been recorded since ancient times, and evidenced well into prehistory, while its modern scientific study is called oceanography. The sea moderates Earth's climate and has important roles in the water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, as well as certain large, entirely landlocked, saltwater lakes, such as the Caspian Sea. The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71 percent of the Earth's surface. Coastal sea waves at Paracas National Reserve, Ica, Peru ![]()
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