Oil and natural gas

The most important mineral resources of the Atlantic Ocean include oil and natural gas. To the oil and gas shelves off the coast North America include the shelves of the Labrador Sea, as well as the bays of Georges Bank, Nova Scotia and St. Lawrence.

On the eastern shelf of Canada, oil reserves amount to 2.5 billion tons, natural gas- 3.3 trillion. cube m; on the continental slope and the eastern shelf of the United States - up to 0.54 billion tons of oil and gas - 0.39 trillion. cube More than 280 deposits have been discovered on the southern shelf of the United States, and more than 20 deposits off the coast of Mexico. More than 60% of Venezuela's oil is produced in the Maracaibo lagoon. Fields near the island of Trinidad in the Gulf of Paria are actively exploited.

Oil and gas bearing areas were discovered on the shelves of the Gulf of San Jorge (Argentina) and the Gulf of Toduz-us-Santos (Brazil). Total offshore reserves caribbean equal to 13 billion tons of oil and 8.5 trillion. cube m. of natural gas. Oil fields have been discovered in the Irish and North (114 deposits) seas, the Gulf of Guinea (on the shelf of Nigeria - 50, off Gabon - 37, off the Congo - 3, etc.). On the shelf of the Mediterranean Sea, the forecast oil reserves are 110-120 billion tons. There are deposits in the Adriatic, Aegean, Ionian Seas, off the coasts of Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, etc.

Oil and gas basins

The largest oil and gas basins of the Atlantic Ocean include:

1. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas basin;
2. Maracaibe oil and gas basin.

The oil and gas basin of the Gulf of Mexico is located in the waters of the Gulf and the adjacent territories of Mexico, the USA, Cuba, Belize, and Guatemala. total area oil and gas basin is about 2.5 million square meters. km. Initial industrial reserves oil and condensate (data for 1985) is 18.3 billion tons and natural gas - 14.6 trillion. cube m.

In the mainland part of the basin, the first deposits were discovered in 1896 (USA), and on the shelf - in 1938 (USA). In the American part of the basin, the most large deposits were discovered in the 1930s. (Agua-Duls-Stratton, East Texas, Carthage, Cayu Island, Old Ocean), and in the Mexican part - in the 70s. (Iris Giraldas, Bermudez, Cantarelle).

Remark 1

In total, more than 5,000 oil and 4,000 gas and gas condensate fields have been discovered in the oil and gas basin of the Gulf of Mexico. 95% of the deposits are in the USA.

Gulf of Mexico oil and gas basin timed to southern regions The Atlantic epihercynian platform, represented by the depression of the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Coast. The basin is formed by sedimentary rocks of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic period with a maximum thickness of 15 km. The entire section of the sedimentary cover is associated with oil and gas content.

The most remote from the shore field was discovered at a distance of 240 km from the coast of Louisiana. Separate exploration wells are located at a distance of 260 km at a depth of 600 m. The oil of the outer zone is sweet and light. The sulfur content increases in deposits that are associated with caprocks of salt domes. In the interior of the oil basin medium density, methane-naphthenic composition and sour.

Natural gases contain a large number of heavy homologues of methane and a lot of gas condensate. The main centers of natural gas production Texas, Louisiana, Campeche Bay, Reform area.

On the territory of the Mexican oil and gas basin there is an extensive network of oil pipelines, gas pipelines, 75 oil refineries and 400 gas processing plants.

Maracaiba oil and gas basin located in the northeast of Colombia, northwest of Venezuela, occupies the Gulf of Venezuela and the adjacent land area, Lake Maracaibo. The area of ​​the pool is 86 thousand square meters. km, including about 30 thousand square meters. km. water areas. The basin is surrounded by individual spurs of the Andes mountain system. The development of oil fields began in 1917. A total of 79 oil fields and 4 gas fields were discovered.

Initial oil reserves amounted to 6.6 billion tons, natural gas - 1.7 trillion. cube m., on the shelf 5 billion tons and 1.2 trillion. cube m., respectively.

Separately stands out the coastal-marine zone of oil and gas accumulation Bolivar, stretching for 3.5 thousand square meters. km. Bolivar combines 8 deposits. A large oil field is Lama, containing 584 million tons. Potential oil resources are estimated at 9.3 billion tons, natural gas - 1.9 trillion. cube m.

The Maracaibe oil and gas basin is formed mainly by Mesozoic and Cenozoic terrigenous deposits. The maximum power is 11 km. The reservoirs are sandstones and fractured limestones. Feature basins - predominant oil-bearing. Gas reserves represent 90% dissolved gas from oil fields. Oils are mostly viscous and heavy. Lighter oils are referred to as Cretaceous deposits. The dissolved gas of the Bolivar zone contains heavy methane and fatty homologues.

The main oil and gas processing centers are located in Punta Cardon and Amuay.

Minerals

On the continental shelves, mining is carried out:

• sulfur (Gulf of Mexico);
• iron ore (near Newfoundland);
• diamonds (mainland shelf South America);
• phosphate sands and phosphorite formations (near Liberia, Morocco, Blake Plateau);
• coal (Canada, Great Britain).

Coastal regions are rich in zirconium, titanium, monazite, phosphorites, and amber. The largest deposits are located off the coast of the Florida peninsula and near Brazil. In smaller quantities, these minerals have been found off the coast of Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, Denmark, and Portugal.

Ferrous and tin-bearing sands are common in Atlantic coast Europe and North America, and deposits of gold, platinum and diamonds off the coast of southwestern Africa (Namibia, Angola, South Africa).

Remark 2

The extraction of phosphorites and phosphate sand is unprofitable due to their lower quality compared to land fossils.

In the north western regions ocean, on the Blake Plateau and in the North American Basin there are extensive fields of ferromanganese nodules. Their total reserves are estimated at 45 billion tons. They have a high concentration of non-ferrous metals.

Barite, pebbles, sand, limestone are mined from the seabed. Atlantic countries from sea ​​water extract magnesium, table salt, bromine, magnesium (Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Canada).

the World Ocean, the area with the seas is 91.6 million km 2; average depth 3926 m; the volume of water is 337 million m 3 . Includes: Mediterranean seas (Baltic, North, Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caribbean with the Gulf of Mexico), little isolated seas (in the North - Baffin, Labrador; near Antarctica - Scotia, Weddell, Lazarev, Riiser-Larsen), large bays(Guinean, Biscay, Hudsonian, Over Lawrence). Islands of the Atlantic Ocean: Greenland (2176 thousand km 2), Iceland (103 thousand km 2), (230 thousand km 2), Greater and Lesser Antilles (220 thousand km 2), Ireland (84 thousand km 2), Cape Verde (4 thousand km 2), Faroe (1.4 thousand km 2), Shetland (1.4 thousand km 2), Azores (2.3 thousand km 2), Madeira (797 km 2), Bermuda (53.3 km 2) and others (See map).

Historical outline. The Atlantic Ocean became an object of navigation from the 2nd millennium BC. In the 6th century BC. Phoenician ships sailed around Africa. Ancient Greek navigator Pytheas in the 4th century BC sailed to the North Atlantic. In the 10th century AD. Norman navigator Eric the Red explored the coast of Greenland. In the Age of the Great geographical discoveries(15-16 centuries) the Portuguese master the way to Indian Ocean along the coast of Africa (Vasco da Gama, 1497-98). The Genoese H. Columbus (1492, 1493-96, 1498-1500, 1502-1504) discovered the islands of the Caribbean and. In these and subsequent travels, the outlines and nature of the coasts were established for the first time, coastal depths, directions and speeds of currents were determined, climatic characteristics Atlantic Ocean. The first soil samples were taken by the English scientist J. Ross in the Baffin Sea (1817-1818 and others). Temperature, transparency and other measurements were determined by the expeditions of Russian navigators Yu. F. Lisyansky and I. F. Kruzenshtern (1803-06), O. E. Kotsebu (1817-18). In 1820, the Russian expedition of F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev discovered Antarctica. Interest in the study of the relief and soils of the Atlantic Ocean increased in the middle of the 19th century due to the need to lay transoceanic telegraph cables. Dozens of ships measured depths and took soil samples (American vessels "Arktik", "Cyclops"; English - "Lighting", "Porcupine"; German - "Gazelle", "Valdivia", "Gauss"; French - "Travier", " Talisman, etc.).

An important role in the study of the Atlantic Ocean was played by the British expedition aboard the Challenger (1872-76), based on which, using other data, the first relief and soils of the World Ocean were compiled. The most important expeditions of the 1st half of the 20th century: German on the Meteor (1925-38), American on the Atlantis (30s), Swedish on the Albatross (1947-48). In the early 50s, a number of countries, primarily and, launched extensive research and geological structure bottom of the Atlantic Ocean using accurate echo sounders, the latest geophysical methods, automatic and controlled underwater vehicles. big works carried out by modern expeditions on the ships Mikhail Lomonosov, Vityaz, Zarya, Sedov, Equator, Ob, Akademik Kurchatov, Akademik Vernadsky, Dmitry Mendeleev, etc. Started in 1968 deep-sea drilling from the American vessel "Glomar Challenger".

Hydrological regime. There are 4 large-scale gyres in the upper layer of the Atlantic Ocean: Northern cyclonic (to the north of 45° northern latitude), anticyclonic circulation northern hemisphere(45° north latitude - 5° south latitude), the anticyclonic circulation of the Southern Hemisphere (5 ° S - 45 ° S), the Antarctic circumpolar current of cyclonic rotation (45 ° S - Antarctica). On the western periphery of the gyres, there are narrow but powerful currents (2-6 km/h): Labrador - Northern cyclonic gyre; the Gulf Stream (the most powerful current in the Atlantic Ocean.), the Guiana Current - the Northern Anticyclonic Gyre; Brazilian-Southern Anticyclonic Gyre. In central and eastern regions Ocean currents are relatively weak, with the exception of the equatorial zone.

Bottom waters are formed when sinking surface water in polar latitudes (their average temperature is 1.6 ° C). In some places they move at high speeds (up to 1.6 km/h) and are able to erode sediments, carry suspended material, creating underwater valleys and large bottom accumulative landforms. Cold and slightly saline near-bottom Antarctic waters penetrate through the bottoms of basins in the western regions of the Atlantic Ocean up to 42° north latitude. The average temperature of the Atlantic Ocean at the surface is 16.53°C (the South Atlantic is 6°C colder than the North). Most warm waters with an average temperature of 26.7°C are observed at 5-10° north latitude (thermal equator). To Greenland and Antarctica, the water temperature drops to 0 ° C. Salinity of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean 34.0-37.3 0/00, highest density water over 1027 kg / m 3 in the northeast and south, towards the equator decreases to 1022.5 kg / m 3. Tides are predominantly semidiurnal (most great value 18 m in the Bay of Fundy); in some areas, mixed and daily tides of 0.5-2.2 m are observed.

Ice. In the North Atlantic Ocean, ice forms only during inland seas temperate latitudes (Baltic, Northern and Sea of ​​Azov, Gulf of Saint Lawrence); a large number of ice and icebergs are carried out of Arctic Ocean(Greenland and Baffin Seas). In the South Atlantic Ocean, ice and icebergs form off the coast of Antarctica and in the Weddell Sea.

Relief and geological structure. Within the Atlantic Ocean, a powerful north-south stretching mountain system- Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is an element global system Mid-ocean ridges, as well as deep-water basins and (map). The Mid-Atlantic Ridge extends for 17,000 km at a latitude of up to 1,000 km. Its crest is dissected in many areas by longitudinal gorges - rift valleys, as well as transverse depressions - transform faults, which break it into separate blocks with a latitudinal displacement relative to the axis of the ridge. The relief of the ridge, strongly dissected in the axial zone, flattens out towards the periphery due to the burial of sediments. The epicenters of shallow-focus are localized in the axial zone along the crest of the ridge and in areas. Deep-sea basins are located along the outskirts of the ridge: in the west - Labrador, Newfoundland, North American, Brazilian, Argentinean; in the east - European (including Icelandic, Iberian and Irish Trench), North African (including Canary and Cape Verde), Sierra Leone, Guinean, Angolan and Cape. Within the ocean floor, abyssal plains, hill zones, uplifts, and seamounts are distinguished (map). Abyssal plains stretch in two discontinuous bands in the coastal parts of deep-sea basins. These are the flattest areas. earth's surface, the primary relief of which is leveled by precipitation with a thickness of 3-3.5 km. Closer to the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, at a depth of 5.5-6 km, there are zones of abyssal hills. Oceanic rises are located between the continents and the mid-ocean ridge and separate the basins. The largest uplifts: Bermuda, Rio Grande, Rockall, Sierra Leone, Whale Ridge, Canary, Madeira, Cape Verde, etc.

AT Atlantic Ocean thousands of seamounts are known; almost all of them are probably volcanic edifices. The Atlantic Ocean is characterized by an unconformity cut geological structures continents coastline. The depth of the edge is 100-200 m, in the polar regions 200-350 m, the width is from several kilometers to several hundred kilometers. The most extensive shelf areas are off the island of Newfoundland, in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Argentina. The relief of the shelf is characterized by longitudinal grooves, along the outer edge -. The continental slope of the Atlantic Ocean has a slope of several degrees, a height of 2-4 km, terrace-like ledges and transverse canyons are characteristic. Within the sloping plain (continental foot) the "granite" layer of the continental earth's crust. The transition zone with a special structure of the cortex includes marginal deep sea trenches: Puerto Rico ( maximum depth 8742 m), South Sandwich (8325 m), Cayman (7090 m), Oriente (up to 6795 m), within which both shallow-focus and deep-focus earthquakes are observed (map).

The similarity of the contours and geological structure of the continents surrounding the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the increase in the age of the basalt bed, the thickness and age of sediments with distance from the axis of the mid-ocean ridge served as the basis for explaining the origin of the ocean within the concept of Mobilism. It is assumed that North Atlantic formed in the Triassic (200 million years ago) during the separation of North America from Northwest Africa, South - 120-105 million years ago during the separation of Africa and South America. The connection of the basins occurred about 90 million years ago (the youngest age of the bottom - about 60 million years - was found in the Northeast of southern tip Greenland). Subsequently, the Atlantic Ocean expanded with constant new formation of the crust due to effusions and intrusions of basalts in the axial zone of the mid-ocean ridge and its partial subsidence into the mantle in marginal trenches.

Mineral resources. Among mineral resources Atlantic Ocean essential they also have gas (map to World Ocean station). North America has oil and gas bearing Labrador Sea, bays: St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia, Georges Bank. Oil reserves on the eastern shelf of Canada are estimated at 2.5 billion tons, gas 3.3 trillion. m 3 , on the eastern shelf and continental slope of the United States - up to 0.54 billion tons of oil and 0.39 trillion. m 3 gas. More than 280 fields have been discovered on the southern shelf of the United States, and more than 20 fields offshore (see). More than 60% of Venezuela's oil is produced in the Maracaibo lagoon (see). The deposits of the Gulf of Paria (Trinidad Island) are actively exploited. The total reserves of the Caribbean Sea shelves are up to 13 billion tons of oil and 8.5 trillion. m 3 gas. Oil and gas bearing areas have been identified on the shelves (Toduz-yc-Santos Bay) and (San Xopxe Bay). Oil fields have been discovered in the North (114 fields) and the Irish Seas, the Gulf of Guinea (50 offshore Nigeria, 37 off Gabon, 3 off the Congo, etc.).

The predicted oil reserves on the Mediterranean shelf are estimated at 110-120 billion tons. Deposits are known in the Aegean, Adriatic, Ionian seas, off the coast of Tunisia, Egypt, Spain, etc. Sulfur is mined in the salt-dome structures of the Gulf of Mexico. With the help of horizontal underground workings, coal is mined from coastal mines in offshore extensions of continental basins - in Great Britain (up to 10% of national production) and Canada. At east coast Newfoundland is home to the largest iron ore deposit, Wauban ( general reserves about 2 billion tons). Tin deposits are being developed off the coast of Great Britain (Cornwall Peninsula). Heavy minerals ( , ) are mined off the coast of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. off the coast of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Scandinavian and Iberian peninsulas, Senegal, South Africa. Shelf South West Africa- an area of ​​industrial diamond mining (reserves 12 million). By the peninsula Nova Scotia gold deposits have been discovered. found on the shelves of the United States, on the Agulhas Bank. The largest fields of ferromanganese nodules in the Atlantic Ocean are found in the North American Basin and on the Blake Plateau near Florida; their extraction is still unprofitable. The main sea routes in the Atlantic Ocean, along which minerals are transported, were mainly formed in the 18-19 centuries. In the 1960s, the Atlantic Ocean accounted for 69% of all shipping, in addition to floating facilities, pipelines are used to transport oil and gas from offshore fields to the shore. Atlantic Ocean in everything more polluted with oil products sewage industrial substances of enterprises containing pesticides, radioactive and other substances that are harmful marine flora and fauna, are concentrated in marine food, representing a great danger to humanity, which requires adoption effective measures to prevent further pollution of the ocean environment.

climate and hydrological regime waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Hydrological resources.

Diversity climatic conditions on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean is determined by its large meridional extent and circulation air masses under influence four main atmospheric centers: Greenland and Antarctic maximums, Icelandic and Antarctic minimums. In addition, two anticyclones constantly operate in the subtropics: Azores and South Atlantic. They are separated by an equatorial region of low pressure. This distribution of baric regions determines the system of prevailing winds in the Atlantic. Biggest Influence on the temperature regime The Atlantic Ocean is rendered not only by its large meridional extent, but also by water exchange with the North Arctic Ocean, the seas of Antarctica and mediterranean sea. Tropical latitudes are characterized by tempera. - 20°C. To the north and south of the tropics are subtropical zones with more noticeable seasonal ones (from 10 ° C in winter to 20 ° C in summer). Frequent occurrence in the subtropical zone - tropical hurricanes. In temperate latitudes, the average temperature of the warmest month is kept within 10-15 °C, and the coldest -10 °C. Precipitation is about 1000 mm.

surface currents. North Equatorial Current (t)> Antilles (t)> Mexico. Gulf>Florida(t)>Gulf Stream>North Atlantic(t)>Canary(x)>Northern Equatorial Current(t) – northern circle.

South trade winds> Guiana temp. (North) and the Brazilian Warm. (south)>tech. Western winds (x)> Benguela (x)> South trade winds - southern circle.

There are several levels in the Atlantic Ocean deep currents. A powerful countercurrent passes under the Gulf Stream, the main core of which lies at a depth of up to 3500 m, with a speed of 20 cm/s. The powerful deep Louisiana current is observed in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, formed by the bottom runoff of saltier and warmer Mediterranean waters through the Strait of Gibraltar.

The highest tide values ​​are confined to the Atlantic Ocean, which are noted in the fjord bays of Canada (in Ungava Bay - 12.4 m, in Frobisher Bay - 16.6 m) and Great Britain (up to 14.4 m in Bristol Bay). The highest tide in the world is recorded in the Bay of Fundy, on the east coast of Canada, where the maximum tide reaches 15.6-18 m.

Salinity. The highest salinity of surface waters in open ocean observed in the subtropical zone (up to 37.25 ‰), and the maximum in the Mediterranean Sea is 39 ‰. AT equatorial zone, where noted maximum amount precipitation, salinity decreases to 34 ‰. A sharp desalination of water occurs in the estuarine areas (for example, at the mouth of La Plata 18-19 ‰).

Ice formation. Ice formation in the Atlantic Ocean occurs in the Greenland and Baffin Seas and Antarctic waters. The main source of icebergs in South Atlantic is an ice shelf Filchner in the Weddell Sea. floating ice in the northern hemisphere in July they reach 40°N.

Upwelling. All along west coast Africa stretches especially powerful zone upwelling due to wind-driven water,<связан. с пассатной циркуляцией. Также это зоны у Зелёного мыса, у берегов Анголы и Конго. Эти области наиболее благоприятны для развития орг. мира.

The bottom flora of the northern part of the Atlantic is represented by brown (mainly fucoids, and in the subditoral zone by kelp and alaria) and red algae. In the tropical zone, green (caulerpa), red (calcareous lithotamnia) and brown algae (sargasso) predominate. In the southern hemisphere, bottom vegetation is mainly represented by kelp. Phytoplankton of the Atlantic Ocean has 245 species: peridine, coccolithophorids, diatoms. The latter have a clearly defined zonal distribution; the maximum number of them lives in temperate latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres. The population of diatoms is most dense in the strip of the Current of the Western Winds.

The distribution of the fauna of the Atlantic Ocean has a pronounced zonal character. In the subantarctic and antarctic In the waters of fish, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance. Benthos and plankton in the Atlantic are poor in both species and biomass. In the subantarctic zone and in the adjacent zone of the temperate zone, the biomass reaches its maximum. In zooplankton, copepods and pteropods predominate; in nekton, whales (blue whales), pinnipeds, and their fish are nototheniids. In the tropical zone, zooplankton is represented by numerous species of foraminifera and pteropods, several species of radiolarians, copepods, larvae of molluscs and fish, as well as siphonophores, various jellyfish, large cephalopods (squids), and octopuses among benthal forms. Commercial fish are represented by mackerel, tuna, sardines, in areas of cold currents - anchovies. To tropical and subtropical corals are confined to zones. temperate latitudes northern hemisphere are characterized by abundant life with a relatively small diversity of species. Of the commercial fish, the most important are herring, cod, haddock, halibut, and sea bass. The most common zooplankton species are foraminifera and copepods. The greatest abundance of plankton is in the area of ​​the Newfoundland Bank and the Norwegian Sea. The deep-sea fauna is represented by crustaceans, echinoderms, specific fish species, sponges, and hydroids. Several species of endemic polychaetes, isopods, and holothurians have been found in the Puerto Rico Trench.

There are 4 biogeographic regions in the Atlantic Ocean: 1. Arctic; 2. North Atlantic; 3. Tropical-Atlantic; 4. Antarctic.

biological resources. The Atlantic Ocean provides 2/5 of the world catch and its share decreases over the years. In subantarctic and antarctic waters, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance, in the tropical zone - mackerel, tuna, sardine, in areas of cold currents - anchovies, in temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere - herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass. In the 1970s, due to overfishing of some species of fish, the volume of fishing fell sharply, but after the introduction of strict limits, fish stocks are gradually restored. Several international fisheries conventions operate in the Atlantic Ocean basin, which aim at the efficient and rational use of biological resources, based on the application of scientifically based measures to regulate fishing.

Oceanological conditions in large areas of the Atlantic Ocean are favorable for the development of life, therefore, of all the oceans, it is the most productive (260 kg / km 2). Until 1958, he was a leader in the extraction of fish and non-fish products. However, many years of intensive fishing had a negative impact on the resource base, which led to a slowdown in the growth of catches. At the same time, a sharp increase in the catch of the Peruvian anchovy began, and the Atlantic Ocean gave way to the Pacific in catches. In 2004, the Atlantic Ocean provided 43% of the world's catch. The volume of production of fish and non-fish objects fluctuates both over the years and over the areas of production.

Mining and fishing

Most of the catch comes from the Northeast Atlantic. This district is followed by the Northwestern, Central Eastern and Southeastern regions; The North Atlantic has been and continues to be the main fishing area, although in recent years the role of its central and southern zones has noticeably increased. In the ocean as a whole, catches in 2006 exceeded the annual average for 2001–2005. In 2009, production was lower than in 2006 by 1,985 thousand tons. Against the background of this general decrease in catches in two areas of the Atlantic, in the North-West and North-East, production decreased by 2198 thousand tons. Consequently, the main catch losses occurred in the North Atlantic.

An analysis of fisheries (including non-fish species) in the Atlantic Ocean in recent years has revealed the main causes of changes in catches in different fishing areas.

In the North-West region of the ocean, production has decreased due to the strict regulation of fishing in the 200-mile zones of the United States and Canada. At the same time, these states have begun to pursue a discriminatory policy against the socialist countries here, sharply limiting their catch quotas, although they themselves do not use the raw material base of the region to the full extent.

The increase in catches in the Southwest Atlantic is associated with an increase in catches in South America.

In the South-East Atlantic, the total catch of African countries has decreased, but at the same time, compared with 2006, the catches of almost all states conducting expeditionary fishing here, and transnational corporations, whose nationality is difficult to determine by FAO, have increased.

In the Antarctic part of the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, the total production volume reached 452 thousand tons, of which 106.8 thousand tons were accounted for by crustaceans.

The data presented indicate that, in modern conditions, the extraction of biological resources in the Atlantic Ocean has largely become determined by legal and political factors.

The organic world of the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean has much in common (Fig. 37). Life in the Atlantic Ocean is also distributed zonally and is concentrated mainly off the coast of the continents and in surface waters.

The Atlantic Ocean is poorer than the Pacific biological resources. This is due to his relative youth. But still, the ocean provides 20% of the world's catch of fish and seafood. This is first of all herring, cod, sea ​​bass, hake, tuna.

There are many whales in temperate and polar latitudes, in particular sperm whales and killer whales. Characteristic of sea crayfish - lobster, lobsters.

The economic development of the ocean is also connected with mineral resources(Fig. 38). A significant part of them is mined on the shelf. Over 100 oil and gas fields have been discovered in the North Sea alone, hundreds of boreholes have been built, and oil and gas pipelines have been laid along the seabed. Over 3,000 special platforms from which oil and gas are extracted operate on the shelf of the Gulf of Mexico. Coal is mined in the coastal waters of Canada and Great Britain, and diamonds are mined off the southwestern coast of Africa. Salt has been extracted from sea water since ancient times.

Recently, not only on the shelf, but also at considerable depths of the Atlantic Ocean, huge reserves of oil and natural gas have been discovered. In particular, the coastal zones of Africa turned out to be rich in fuel resources. Other areas of the Atlantic floor are also extremely rich in oil and gas - off the northeastern coast of North America, not far from the eastern coast of South America.

The Atlantic Ocean is crossed in different directions by important sea ​​routes. It is no coincidence that the largest ports of the world are located here, among them the Ukrainian one - Odessa. material from the site

Active human economic activity in the Atlantic Ocean basin has caused a significant pollution his waters. It is especially noticeable in some seas of the Atlantic Ocean. So, the Mediterranean Sea is often called the "gutter" because industrial enterprises dump waste here. A large amount of pollutants also comes with river runoff. In addition, every year about a hundred thousand tons of oil and oil products get into its waters as a result of accidents and other reasons.

Oil dilutes the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. That sort of thing happens from time to time. In 1980, as a result of a disruption in oil production, 0.5 million tons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, and the oil slick stretched for 640 km. In 1997, as a result of a collision between two ships in the Caribbean Sea, 287 thousand tons of oil fell into the water.

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