More than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water. Use this video to impress upon your students the importance of the seven seas to people, the marine food chain, and the planet as a whole. Topics include the various kinds of currents and the forces that influence them, tides and waves (what they are, what causes them, and how they're classified), features of the seabed, and the formation and shaping of coastlines. A basic explanation of how oceans have been affected by human activity is also provided.

Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on Apr. 21, 2007. Learn360 is distributed by Infobase for Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware.

Water: Vitality, Origins, Regions, and Water Cycle (3:24) -- Geology of the Ocean Floor (4:52) -- Waves (3:30) -- Tides and Tidal Patterns (1:31) -- Currents: Gyres, Deep Ocean Currents, Surface Flows, El Nio, La Nia (3:43) -- Ocean and Global Climate (1:51).