ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

World Ocean Atlas

Hello there! The World Ocean Atlas is like a big book about the ocean. Just like how you have a book with pages, the World Ocean Atlas has a lot of pages too. But instead of words and pictures, it has information about the ocean.

Imagine you take a glass of water and you look at it. You might see that the water is clear, but sometimes it can look blue, green or even brown. The World Ocean Atlas has information about what colors the water can be in different parts of the ocean.

It also has information about how salty the water is. You know how sometimes your mommy or daddy might add salt to your food when they cook it? The ocean has salt in it too! But different parts of the ocean have different amounts of salt in them.

And just like how you might use a thermometer to check if you have a fever or if the bath water is too hot, the World Ocean Atlas has information about the temperature of the ocean in different places as well!

So, the World Ocean Atlas is like a big book that has lots of information about what the ocean looks like, how salty it is, and how warm or cold it can be in different parts of the world. That way, scientists can use this information to study the ocean and learn more about it!