Why is the Pacific ocean higher then the atlantic ocean?

Question

Why is the Pacific ocean higher then the atlantic ocean?

Answer 1

Well, I'm no geologist and no oceanographer, so perhaps someone will have a better answer at a later date.  My simple theory is this:

In the Atlantic Ocean you have sea floor spreading, which originates at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  New sea floor is constantly being formed.  

In the Pacific Ocean, you have an opposite phenomenon occurring.  There are numerous subduction zones, which form the Ring of Fire, and sea floor is constantly subsumed.    

I'm not sure if that answers your question succinctly, but these geological phenomenon may have something to do with the variance of depth.  

Salinity of the water also affects the depth, according to my brief research, though I'm not certain exactly how.  That appears to occur over vast spans of time, specifically from one geological epoch to the next.  

Finally, it's good to remember that the sea floor anywhere is as varied, if not more so, as the dry land surface.  When viewing an "average depth" of an ocean, remember that it tabulates underwater mountain ranges and deep sea trenches...which can throw off the final estimate, skewing your idea of how deep the ocean actually is.  

I hope this at least helped you to direct your research!

Answer 2

Weird Fact of the Day: Nearly 50% of the earth’s surface is covered by the Pacific Ocean.

it could be a bulge caused by the rotation of the earth with the himalayan mountains including mount Everest on one side bugling from the side of the earth and the pacific including the hawaiian islands including Mona Kaia on the other side.

Answer 3

Yes, the Pacific ocean is, on average, about 42 cm higher than the Atlantic.  This might be due to a "standing wave" of the ocean tides, or more likely it is due to temperature and salinity levels.  Warmer water takes up more space, so it "bulges" up higher.

This difference changes from place to place.  At the Panama canal, the Pacific is about 20 cm higher on average.