Common water masses in the world ocean are:
* Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW): Antarctic Bottom Water is a very important water mass. Antarctic Bottom Water is the left over part when sea ice is being made. It is very cold but, not quite freezing so the water moves down and along the ocean floor.
* North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) 
* Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) 
* Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) 
* Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW)  
* Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW) 
* North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) 
* The central waters of various oceanic basins 
* Various ocean surface waters.