The Amazon River releases 5.5 * 10 ^ 7 gallons of water into the Atlantic Ocean every second. There are about 3.2 * 10 ^ 7 seconds in a year.
How many gallons are released into the ocean in one year? Express your answer with the appropriate number of significant digits.
(3 points)
To find the number of gallons released into the ocean in one year, we can multiply the amount of water released per second by the number of seconds in a year.
5.5 * 10^7 gallons/second * 3.2 * 10^7 seconds/year = 1.76 * 10^15 gallons/year
Therefore, the Amazon River releases approximately 1.76 * 10^15 gallons of water into the Atlantic Ocean every year.