North Pacific
3
2.5
- proper noun
:
Pacífico Norte
- For example, the presence of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in nearshore communities of the North Pacific is critical to maintaining kelp forests.
- North Pacific Ocean
- North Pacific Current
- North Pacific subtropical gyre
Examples
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The Northern Fur Seals are found throughout the North Pacific Ocean.
Academic text (2004) -
One of our B-29s over the North Pacific has detected radiation.
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It's followed the creature into the middle of the North Pacific.
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Take a look at the central North Pacific, the blue oval.
Blog text (15) -
The largest, Tip in 1979, was from the western North Pacific Ocean.
Blog text (7) -
The breeding pairs return in late September from their annual migration to the North Pacific.
Academic text (1995) -
A pod of whales that may have spent decades traveling the North Pacific together has been devastated.
Academic text (1998) -
The North Pacific halibut fishery is often cited as a catch share success story.
Academic text (2010) -
Laysan albatross is a species that forages throughout the North Pacific.
Academic text (2003) -
The Northern Fur Seals are found throughout the North Pacific Ocean.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is transparently composed: 'north' denotes the cardinal direction and 'Pacific' names the ocean, so the combined phrase clearly means the part of the Pacific Ocean lying to the north. This directional + place naming pattern is a common, cross-linguistic way to form geographic names and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
North Pacific joins North, meaning the upper part of the world map, and Pacific, a name explorers used that means 'peaceful' because they often found calm seas. So North Pacific means the part of the Pacific Ocean that is 'north of the equator'.