Pacific Ocean is the largest body of water on earth

The Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest body of water on earth. It is twice the size of the Atlantic Ocean, four times the size of the Indian Ocean, and more than ten times larger than the Arctic Ocean or the Antarctic Ocean. Its length from north to south measures nearly 8,000 miles, and along the Equator where it is widest the ocean measures more than 9,000 miles. When marked out on a map, it is seen that the Pacific Ocean occupies more space than all the continents combined and covers more than one third of the entire surface of the earth.

Borders of the Pacific

The Pacific is bounded in part by land and in part by water. On the east and northeast it is walled in by land extending from Cape Horn along South America, Central America, Mexico, the United States mainland, Canada, and Alaska, a distance equal to nearly one third of the circumference of the earth. Until the Panama Canal was dug and opened for navigation in 1914, this wall was unbroken and the Pacific was entirely shut off from the Atlantic. On the north the Pacific is connected with the Arctic Ocean by Bering Strait -only 54 miles wide. On the northwest the Pacific is bounded by the continent of Asia, which is bordered by the long chain of islands known as the Kuriles, Kamchatka, Japan, and Taiwan. On the west the waters of the Pacific join the waters of the Indian Ocean by passing through straits between the Philippines, Borneo, Celebes, Sumatra, Java, and Australia. On the south the Pacific Ocean is united with the Antarctic Ocean by two great branches; one of them, that between Australia and New Zealand, is 1,200 miles wide, and the other, that between New Zealand and South America, 5,000 miles wide.

Depths of the Pacific

The Pacific Ocean is not only very broad but also very deep. Its waters rest in an enormous basin with steep sides and a wrinkled bottom. In several places the water covering the bottom of the basin is 25,000 feet deep, and at one place near Mindanao, one of the Philippine Islands, it is 32,088 feet deep. The average depth of the whole Pacific is nearly 14,000 feet, which means that, if placed almost anywhere on the bottom of the ocean, the great mountain Mauna Kea, 13,823 feet in height, would be entirely covered with water. Only near the continental shores of America, Asia, and Australia and near islands is the depth of the Pacific less than 1,000 feet.

From this deeply sunken floor of the Pacific masses of land project upward. Many of them do not reach the surface of the water; some of them, called reefs, come just about to the surface and may be covered by water during high tide and exposed to view at low tide; others remain above the surface as islands.

The birth of the Hawaiian Islands

The birth of the Hawaiian Islands has been matchlessly chronicled in the gospel according to Michener, always a wonder to reread: How in the bosom of the boundless deep, countless millions of years before the first men walked the earth, a massive fissure some 2,000 miles in length suddenly appeared, exuding torrents of white-hot, liquid rock which exploded on contact with the heavy, wet burden of water, sending columns of released steam upward for nearly four miles to break loose on the surface of the sea and form a cloud and signal to an unknowing world the start of what might one day be islands. And for 40 million years, more or less, the dense, volcanic basalt built up, layer after layer; and one day, there was another molten eruption from the earth's core, except that now it reached the surface of the sea, and there was a tremendous explosion as liquid rock struck water and air together, and there was land. And then still more millions of years, the rise and fall of that and myriad other volcanic isles, and wind and water brought the first tenuous plant and animal life -- perhaps the seeds of plants and trees, or a coconut washed up against a shore, or a bird from distant realms -- and then interspersed ice ages, and finally, in the latter days of time the creation of the Hawaii we know; of lush valley and precipice, of volcanic peaks (some still active) and palm-fringed blue water, and flowers, and white surf, some islands already receding back into the sea, others still growing.

Today you can look at a map of the plateaus and trenches and seamounts of the Pacific Ocean floor, and one feature, between the Aleutians and Australia, stands out. It is the great wall of the Hawaiian Range, set seemingly in the very middle of the Pacific. The range runs in almost a straight line for 1,600 miles, the mountains within it rising as much as 18,000 feet off the floor of the surrounding ocean, but only a few ever reaching the surface.

At the northwestern tip are the Midway Islands; then in the central section La Perouse rock and the Gardner Pinnacles, shards of once great volcanic islands which have been worn down, almost to extinction, by the forces of wind and rain and surf. And at the southeastern extremity of the range, there are the 20 islands of the state of Hawaii, seven of them inhabited. The largest of these is the most southeasterly, Hawaii, the "Big Island," bearing the name of the entire chain. It has 4,030 square miles, more than twice the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. The most heavily populated island is Oahu, 200 miles to the northwest; it has the city of Honolulu and 80 percent of the people but is only a seventh the size of the Big Island.

Western Caroline Islands - Eastern Caroline Islands

The division between the eastern Caroline Islands and the western Caroline Islands represents a major geological division. The major islands and island groups of the western Caroline Islands are the tops of submerged mountain ranges that rise above the surface of the sea. The Palau group, Yap, Fais, and Sorol, at least, are elevated portions of great ridges that are wrinkles in the continental shelf and are similar in origin to the areas nearer Asia, such as Japan and the Ryukyus. All these islands are west of the sial or andesite line, which marks the edge of the continental shelf. They are recent elevation, and the process of elevation is still going on, as is proved by recently elevated marine terraces and by earthquakes. The islands of the eastern Caroline Islands stand on a great submarine shelf that is fairly stable, although there may be some subsidence in the western portion. Truk shows signs of subsidence whereas Ponape and Kusaie do not.

There are three main types of islands: the high volcanic islands, the low coral atolls, and raised atolls. Each of these types presents its own peculiar setting as a home for man. There are five volcanic islands or island groups: the Palaus, Yap, Truk, Ponape, and Kusaie.

The Palaus and Yap are composed of recent volcanic lavas and ancient metamorphic rock that testify to their continental nature. Truk, Ponape, and Kusaie are composed chiefly of basaltic lavas. Some of these volcanic islands have elevations of more than 2000 feet above sea level. The low coral atolls seldom rise to more than 6 or 8 feet above sea level. The partly raised atolls, such as Fais and Angaur, have elevations up to about 60 feet and usually contain phosphate deposits.

Caroline Islands Climate - Temperatures

Although there are slight climatic variations over this large area, the low latitude and oceanic location combine to produce uniform conditions at any one station during the entire year. Although the climate is oceanic in character, it is dominated by the northeast trades except in the area west of about 145° east longitude, where the effect of the Asiatic monsoon is felt during the summer months. From November to April the prevailing winds over the whole area are from the northeast or east. In the northern summer, the southeast trades are dominant over the southern Carolines and occasionally reach as far northward as the Marianas.

Typhoons, or tropical cyclones, do considerable damage in the Carolines. They can occur in any month, but they are most common from July through November, with the highest frequency in September. There is an average of 25 typhoons each year. Originating in the Carolines and Marianas, they may occur anywhere west of 160° east longitude and 5° north latitude. Although they are commonest between Yap and Guam, at rare intervals one strikes as far east as the Gilberts.

In general the rainfall is heaviest in a belt between 1° 30′ and 8° 30′ north latitude, which marks the zone where the northeast and southeast trades meet. The rainfall is usually over 120 inches in this belt. However, there is orographic influence on the high islands that results in heavier rainfall on the windward side. The 2000-foot mountains of Kusaie produce as much as 255 inches on their windward (west) side whereas on the leeward side the annual rainfall is only 177 inches. The low coral atolls do not produce this orographic effect and are much drier.

Temperatures are uniform throughout the area. The mean monthly temperatures are seldom less than 79° F or more than 83° F. The difference between the means of the summer and winter months is rarely more than 2°. The daily range usually amounts to about 9° or 10° F. Day temperatures vary from 83° to 89° F, and night temperatures from 74° to 77° F. The mean relative humidity is high throughout the year. The early morning relative humidity varies from 85 to 95 per cent; the early afternoon readings may vary from 70 to 80 per cent. There is little variation in the humidity from month to month.





Manta Ray, Yap Islands, Caroline Islands, Micronesia Photographic Print

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SOILS
Great contrast exists between the soils of the high volcanic islands and those of the low coral islands. On the coral isles the soils consist of group-up coral and shells with an accumulation of humus near the surface. This is seldom very thick and is speedily lost under cultivation. These soils do not retain moisture well as the rainfall quickly soaks through the sand and is lost in the porous coral beneath.

There is greater variation on the volcanic islands. The parent material is more varied, and there is an accumulation of fairly fertile alluvium on the coastal plains and in the stream valleys. However, the frostless year with high rainfall is favorable to leaching and alluviation, with the result that tropical laterites or lateritic soils with little fertility are common.

Caroline Islands History Spanish, German & Japanese Periods

Sunset over Pacific Ocean, Yap Islands, Caroline Islands, Micronesia Photographic Print

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In a series of voyages after Magellan's Pacific crossing, most of the islands of the Carolines were discovered. As little wealth was found, the islands were neglected and, as they were a hazard to navigation, were avoided as much as possible during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Spanish missionaries made a few unsuccessful attempts to convert some of the natives early in the eighteenth century.

New England whalers followed the sperm whale into the Marshalls and eastern Carolines in the 1840's and brought close outside contact to the natives of Kusaie, Ponape, and Truk. The traders and whalers, who came in increasing numbers, brought smallpox and other disastrous new elements to the entire area.

The missionaries were not far behind the sailors, and in 1852 the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions established bases on Ponape and Kusaie. Hawaiian missionaries followed soon after. From the original bases on Ponape and Kusaie, the missionaries branched out into the Marshalls and other sections of the Carolines.

THE SPANISH PERIOD

The 1870's saw increased German commercial activity in these islands as in other parts of the Pacific. Spain's jealousy was roused, and she attempted to claim sovereignty that brought her into conflict with both Germany and Great Britain. The matter was referred to the Pope for arbitration in 1885, and he ruled in favor of Spain.

The Spanish immediately occupied Yap and in 1887 established a settlement, Colonia de Santiago, on Ponape. The occupation of Ponape resulted in trouble with both natives and well-entrenched American missionaries. The trouble with the natives, which was expensive and also costly in lives, continued even after the missionaries were removed. In 1898, as a result of defeat in the Spanish American War, Spain ceded Guam to the United States and in the following year sold the rest of her Micronesian possessions to Germany.

THE GERMAN PERIOD

The Carolines, during the German period of occupation, were under the jurisdiction of the governor of German New Guinea. After 1911 they were divided into the western Caroline district, which was administered from Yap, and the eastern Caroline district, which was administered from Ponape.

Although there were never many German administrators or settlers in the area, this was a period of rapid economic and political change. Copra became the economic foundation of the islands although they were never self-supporting. The Germans reduced the power of the chiefs and made changes in the forms of land tenure. Roads were constructed with native labor, public buildings built, and some of the harbors improved. The Germans paid some attention to native health and sanitation, with the result that in some places the decline of the native population was checked. Schools were left largely ill the hands of the missionaries. The changes did meet some resistance from the natives, especially from the chiefs, who lost some of their prerogatives.

One of the outstanding accomplishments of this period was the laying of the Pacific cable in 1905. Yap was made the center for the lines connecting Japan, Asia, and the south. Control of Yap was later to be a source of international friction.

THE JAPANESE PERIOD

In 1914 the Japanese navy took over the German possessions in Micronesia and ruled the islands until 1922, when a civilian government was placed in charge. In 1919 Japan received the islands as a class C mandate from the League of Nations. The type C mandate was administered as an integral part of the mandatory state, and eventual independence of the territory was not contemplated. After Japan's withdrawal from the League of Nations in 1935, the islands were retained, with the Japanese military playing an increasing part in their administration.

The Japanese followed a policy of economic development that was intended eventually to make the islands pay for themselves and supplement the Japanese economy by the production of tropical commodities that could not be produced in Japan, by the development of such minerals as were present, and by securing fish that play an important part in the Japanese diet. Although the islands did form an outlet for some of Japan's growing population, it was always recognized that the islands were too small to absorb more than a small part of the increase. However, by the outbreak of the Second World War, the number of the Japanese in the whole of the mandated territory exceeded that of the natives. After the war, the islands became trust territories of the United States, eventually gaining independence.