Talk:Ocean

Subsurface water?

Seems to me that to ignore recent findings suggesting that most water of the Earth is found in the mantle as hydroxyl ions, and claim that the oceans contain 97% (why not 96.5?) of the Earth's water is highly inaccurate. Why not qualify the claim? The oceans contain an estimated 96.5% of all the water in and above the Earth's crust. Also, it is estimated that without greenhouse warming, the surface of the Earth would average -18C. That is, "the reason" we have liquid water (and life) on Earth is NOT because Earth is in the Sun's "habitable zone" per se, but because of carbon dioxide (among the other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere. And the habitable zone concept is, by the way, in declining use and has been shown to be a poor predictor of the existence of liquid water. I suggest WP articles using it need to be updated. What I'm saying is: it is discredited, in large measure.~2025-31506-44 (talk) 10:04, 29 November 2025 (UTC)

There's no such thing as "hydroxyl ions" as "hydroxyl" refers to the electrically neutral OH radical. Neither hydroxyl radicals nor hydroxide ions (OH−), if that's what you meant, are water. Can you supply sources for your other claims? Largoplazo (talk) 14:22, 29 November 2025 (UTC)

Writing

The last sentence of the first paragraph is a little awkward. The phrasing "harbouring most of Earth's animals and protist life" could be improved by changing animals to animal, such that the word describes life, rather than feeling separate. Furthermore, the part where it says "originating photosynthesis" is very ambiguous. Why not say "the ocean is the place where photosynthesis originated and still supplies half of earth's atmospheric oxygen today"?

Semi-protected edit request on 15 July 2026

This sentence in the introduction is very long, and at first glance it seems to have a comma-separated list without serial comma.

The ocean is essential to life on Earth, harbouring most of Earth's animals and protist life,[12] originating photosynthesis and therefore Earth's atmospheric oxygen, still supplying half of it.[13]

Could you break it into two sentences?

The ocean is essential to life on Earth, harbouring most of Earth's animals and protist life.[12] It originated photosynthesis and therefore Earth's atmospheric oxygen, and still supplies half of it.[13]

Thank you. ~2026-39743-27 (talk) 01:20, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

 Done I agree it was not ideally written and have implemented your suggestion. DrOrinScrivello (talk) 17:20, 15 July 2026 (UTC)