# data[].attributes.body
Located in Switzerland, The Swiss Alps serve as Europe's highest mountain range. With 48 peaks that are 4,000 meters or higher, this geographic feature has jagged peaks that are often covered in snow.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Geography: The Alps are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lie in south-central Europe. The mountain range stretches

# data[].attributes.body
Although it may look closer to South America based on this pin, the Atlantic Ocean spans farther than you think. As the second largest ocean, it covers 17% of Earth's surface and has an average depth of 11,962 feet (maximum depth of 27,493 feet!)

Find out more about this mysterious body of water by clicking on the link and reading the article!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For centuries the Atlantic Ocean has been a key avenue of trade and travel. Stretching from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica, the Atlantic Ocean is bordered by the Americas to the west and Europe and Africa to the east.

It's more than 41 million square miles, the second-largest ocean on Earth after the Pacific Ocean.

Scientists and geographers broadly separate the Atlantic in terms of north and south. The North Atlantic and South Atlantic each have distinct ocean currents that influence weather around the world.

Water currents and gyres

The ocean doesn't sit still like water in a sink. It moves more like a conveyer belt that's driven by changes in temperature and salinity over large areas. Both quick-moving surface currents and slower-moving deep ocean currents circulate water around the globe.

The seawater is constantly trying to find a balance. Warm water is less dense than cold water, so as water cools, it sinks, and warm water replaces it. Water with high salinity-more salt-also moves into waters with lower salinity. Those factors drive the conveyer belt, a process also called thermohaline circulation.

Warm water is heated by the Gulf Stream, a warm air current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico. The warm water then moves north, where it forces cooler water to sink and move south. As the current moves toward Antarctica, upwelling pushes cold water back to the surface, pushing the watery conveyer belt around the world. Scientists estimate that it takes the conveyer belt about 500 years to make one trip.

Hurricanes

Without Africa's Sahara Desert, few hurricanes would strike the eastern coast of North America. That's because a wind stream called the African Easterly Jet is formed from the difference in the Sahara's dry, hot air and the humid cooler air to the west and south. The jet pushes westerly winds over Africa's west coast, where they sometimes pick up ocean water and form thunderstorms.

Hurricanes are fueled by warm waters, and warmer Sahara summer winds drive some of the biggest hurricanes seen in the U.S. Those that form off the coast of Africa must survive wind shear (horizontal winds) to hit the East Coast with full force.

Occasionally, as with Hurricanes Florence and Harvey, storms weaken as they make their way across the Atlantic Ocean but are then refueled by warm waters off the East Coast or in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sea life

The Atlantic Ocean is home to a diverse array of sea life, both those we can observe at the surface, and those all but hidden from human eyes.

In December 2018, National Geographic published photos from a deep-sea dive led by ocean research group OceanX. Images revealed the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a federally protected marine area off the coast of Massachusetts, and it is teeming with biodiversity. A variety of corals, fish, and mollusks were found more than 3,000 feet below the sea.

Many other well-known species live in the Atlantic, from dolphins to sea turtles.

After decades of decline, scientists are finding that great white shark populations are growing in U.S. waters. The big fish feed on pinnipeds like seals that are typically found close to shore. Despite widespread fear of the species-heightened by pop culture's treatment of it-scientists praise the return of great whites as a conservation success story. Recent studies are showing great whites may be venturing farther north near Maine and even as far north as New Brunswick, Canada.

Other species in North Atlantic waters aren't faring as well.

The North Atlantic right whale is steadily heading toward extinction. Just over 400 remain in the wild. The whale earned its name in the early 20th century from hunters who considered it the "right" whale to catch. In the past few years, the whales have been found dead in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence from what necropsies show are likely ship strikes. Scientists are also concerned that females, potentially facing environmental stress, are not reproducing at a rate fast enough to rebound the declining population.

Fisheries-the grounds where fishermen take species to be bought, sold, and eaten-will also be impacted by changing water temperatures. A study published in the journal Science showed that some fish populations in the Atlantic have grown while others have shrunk in warming waters. Northern Europe's North Sea, which is part of the Atlantic, has seen several fisheries shrink as a result of warming waters and overfishing, while certain fisheries off the coast of New England have grown.

Climate change

Scientists are quickly trying to understand how our warming atmosphere is changing the Atlantic Ocean.

Instruments moored in the Caribbean have detected that the Atlantic's massive ocean circulation system is slowing down. Some scientists are concerned that if cold Arctic waters become warmer, the temperature difference will not be enough to drive ocean circulation at the same rate it has been moving.

Because the ocean's conveyer belt influences weather over the land masses bordering the Atlantic, a change to the rate of circulation could affect summers, winters, and natural disasters, from the U.S. to Europe. There is even concern that northern Europe could be plunged into a deep freeze if the warm currents that normally head that way stop.

Still, precisely why the currents may be slowing is debated. Some scientists point to climate change and melting glaciers while others argue it is cyclical.

Research published in the midst of last year's active Atlantic hurricane season suggests that storms will become more intense, wetter, and slower as the atmosphere continues to warm. Warm temperatures mean the atmosphere can carry more water, and so the hurricanes that strike the East Coast will dump more rain and cause more flooding in a warmer climate.

As oceans suck up more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, they're also becoming more acidic thanks to the resulting chemical reactions. Acidic waters can slow the growth of or even potentially kill corals, mollusks, and some species of plankton. Critical food chains can thus be disrupted by this so-called ocean acidification.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Atlantic Ocean-facts and information

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For centuries the Atlantic Ocean has been a key avenue of trade and travel. Stretching from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica, the Atlantic Ocean is bordered by the Americas to the west and Europe and Africa to the east. It's more than 41 million square miles, the second-largest ocean on Earth after the Pacific Ocean.

# data[].attributes.body
The English Channel is a wide waterway (or strait!) that runs between the countries of England and France. The English Channel is 560 kilometers (348 miles) long and 34 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point, the Strait of Dover. The English Channel has long served as a natural barrier between England and the rest of Europe.

# data[].attributes.body
The Mediterranean Sea is one of the world's most culturally important bodies of water and for centuries, it has been the home and primary source of food for millions of people. As a result of its location between Africa, Asia and Europe, it is a primary trade route.

Click the link to find out more about this very important sea!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Within the coastal region, the people inhabiting the area have had centuries of interactions with the marine environment. Persistent fisheries targeting bluefin tuna during their spawning migrations into the Mediterranean have been established since antiquity.

As a result of intense fishing and large coastal populations, pollution is of particular concern in the region. Recent fish kills have occurred in the Med's northern Adriatic Sea as a result of noxious phytoplankton blooms. The blooms deplete oxygen levels, suffocating any fish unable to escape.

Areas of particular conservation interest in the Mediterranean include: the Balearic Islands, where the Cabrera National Park is located, Menorca Canyon , the seamounts of Ausías March, Emile Baudot and Ses Olivesthe Alboran Sea and the Egean and Tyrrhenian Seas.

To protect Mediterranean marine ecosystems and preserve fishing opportunities, Oceana is focused on specific areas, including: climate change; illegal, unreported and unregulated ( IUU) fishing; bluefin tuna overfishing, Marine Protected Areas and shark conservation.

Oceana's work in the Mediterranean includes: tagging loggerhead sea turtles, bluefin tuna larval surveys, reporting illegal bluefin tuna and shark fishing, documenting undersea features and life, documenting illegal driftnets and providing ocean related information to the public and policy managers.

Oceana carries out campaigns to study the seabeds using a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), professional divers and scientists. The results of these campaigns are analysed on board and subsequently at headquarters in order to compile data to draft reports that explain and prove the ecological importance of the areas studied and the need to protect them.

Biologically, the Mediterranean is very diverse and was recognized as one of the first Global Biodiversity Hotspots. Accounting for only 0.8 percent of the world's ocean area, the Mediterranean contains 18 percent of all described marine species, of which 25 to 30 percent are found no where else in the world.

The area is home to 21 species of marine mammals, 750 species of fish, 5 species of sea turtles and over 360 species of breeding birds. A total of 10,000 to 12,000 marine species have been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea represents a vast feeding ground and spawning ground for many fish species. Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn in the Mediterranean which makes the Balearic waters in key place for its survival. Many marine mammals also live here, some of them clearly in danger of extinction. The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the rarest pinnipeds in the world and one of the most threatened mammals on the planet. Disease, coastal development, pollution and some fishing techniques have drastically reduced the population. The same occurs with the common porpoise, whose populations were abundant years ago. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) now considers it threatened and it has practically disappeared from this sea.

The deep waters of the Mediterranean are the most surprising area in this sea. Historically unknown, only deep-sea fisheries and isolated scientific research work has revealed information about the habitats and species that live on these sea beds. The urgent need to protect the oceans has stimulated research in deeper areas and the findings are numerous. Gorgonian gardens, deep-sea kelp forests, bamboo coral and maerl beds, deep-sea sponge fields and impressive coralline formations are being identified and documented and are still in a good state of conservation, although seriously threatened.

Thus, given the richness harbored by this sea, the ecological and economic benefits of conserving and recovering it are unquestionable. It is essential to urgently protect and effectively manage this sea and its ecosystems, for the benefit of all.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Within the coastal region, the people inhabiting the area have had centuries of interactions with the marine environment. Persistent fisheries targeting bluefin tuna during their spawning migrations into the Mediterranean have been established since antiquity. As a result of intense fishing and large coastal populations, pollution is of particular concern in the region.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Influence of the North Atlantic Drift

# data[].attributes.subject
The Influence of the North Atlantic Drift

# data[].attributes.body
The North Atlantic Current (NAC), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current within the Atlantic Ocean that extends the Gulf Stream northeastward.

# data[].attributes.location_name
North European Plain, Lhovice, Švihov, Czechia

# data[].attributes.headline
North European Plain, Lhovice, Švihov, Czechia

# data[].attributes.subject
North European Plain, Lhovice, Švihov, Czechia

# data[].attributes.body
The North European Plain spreads from the coast of Belgium to the lowlands of Central Russia. Most of the Great European Plain lies below 500 feet in elevation.

It's home to many rivers, including the Rhine, Weser, Elbe, Oder, and Vistula. That is what makes it great for farming.

Click the link to find out more about this!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This article was most recently revised and updated by

North German Plain, lowland region of northern Germany extending from the North and Baltic seas southward to the foreland of the Central German Uplands. It is a portion of the Great European Plain that spreads from the Belgium coast east into the lowlands of central Russia.

Nearly the entire North German Plain lies less than 330 feet (100 m) above sea level. The lowland is drained by the north-flowing Rhine, Ems, Weser, Elbe, and Oder rivers; a network of shipping canals and inland waterways connect the rivers from east to west. Glacial action formed the region's landform patterns, which can be divided into three major areas of relief from west to east: the alluvial deposits of the Lower Rhineland, the flat glacial sands and gravels of Lower Saxony west of the Elbe River, and the series of morainic uplands and troughs extending eastward from Schleswig-Holstein along the Baltic Sea. The climate is maritime, characterized by cool summers and mild winters, considerable precipitation, and strong northwesterly winds.

While the plain generally lacks mineral resources, some areas, especially those covered by loess (such as portions of the far south), are rich agricultural regions that support a dense population and many towns. Other areas with poor soils are thinly populated. Many of Germany's great ports-including Bremen, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Lübeck, and Kiel-are situated along the plain's dense network of canals and navigable rivers. Attractions in the region's historic cities and a number of national parks, located along the coast and on the lower Oder River, support an important tourist industry.

Amy Tikkanen.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
North German Plain | Lowlands, Agriculture, Plains

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
North German Plain, lowland region of northern Germany extending from the North and Baltic seas southward to the foreland of the Central German Uplands. It is a portion of the Great European Plain that spreads from the Belgium coast east into the lowlands of central Russia. Nearly the entire North

# data[].attributes.body
This mountain range is shared between Europe and Asia, serving as a conventional boundary between the two.

The Urals are also well-known for being a source of vast deposits of several minerals, including valuable elements like gold and platinum.

Click the link to find out more!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The highest peaks are found in the “Nether-Polar” region of these ancient Russian mountains.