Calibrating Instruments on DC-8

Inside the NASA DC-8, IceBridge scientists calibrate their instruments during a test flight over the Pacific Ocean, Wednesday October 5, 2011. Credit: NASA/NSERC/Emily Schaller

The Pacific Ocean covers about 46% of Earth’s water surface and about one-third of its total surface area. And making it larger than all of Earth’s land area combined.  Therefore centers of both the Water Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere are in the Pacific Ocean. Also The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. Although with two exceptions: the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands, while straddling the equator, are deemed wholly within the South Pacific. Its mean depth is 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 meters (35,797 feet).