oceano-, ocean- +

A Titan god, the father of the Oceanides, and the river gods: In Greek mythology, Oceanus is believed to be the son or Uranus and Gala and is considered to represent the great river, or sea, which surrounds the whole world.

1. Concerning the promotion of peace and an end to conflict: Meg and her friends decided to protest against war in a pacific and non-violent way.
2. Gentle and peaceful by nature; mild; dovelike: Catherine always loved to take walks in the forest where she could hear the pacific and soothing chirping of the birds.
3. Unaggressive; avoiding the use of force: Clive was a pacifist, opposed the use of force, and was considered by his friends and family to be very pacific.
4. Relating to the Pacific Ocean, or to the territories that surround it or are surrounded by it: The Pacific Ocean, that is the "Peaceful Ocean", was named by Portuguese navigator, Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) because it seemed so calm after the storms of Cape Horn.

The largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean).

Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.

Surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre.

In the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October. The ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest.

Endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales.

A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation.

The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border (the Antarctic Convergence) which fluctuates with the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region.

The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life.

In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean, or the Southern Ocean, by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean.

The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence.

As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). It should be noted that the inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary oceans by the U.S. Government.

1. Regarding something that is situated beyond, or on the other side of the ocean: The transoceanic territory of Guam belongs to the United States.
2. Concerning something that spans or crosses the ocean: The transoceanic flight, or specifically in this sentence, a transatlantic flight, from Frankfurt to Toronto takes about 7 hours.