OCEAN ZONES

Zones are classified by depth and by how much light penetrates

Objective: 8.E.1.2 Summarize evidence that Earth‘s oceans are a reservoir of nutrients, minerals, dissolved gases, and life forms: • Estuaries • Marine ecosystems • Upwelling • Behavior of gases in the marine environment • Deep ocean technology and understandings gained _______________________________________________

1.I can summarize the impact of upwelling and down welling on aquatic ecosystems 2.I can explain the behavior and impact of dissolved gases in a marine environment. 3.I can explain how advances in deep ocean exploration have increased our understanding of ocean environments.

Intertidal Zone:Intertidal Zone:

IntertidalIntertidal:: the area between high tide and low tide. •Sometimes covered, sometimes exposed, a very tough habitat to live in. •Subjected to drying and submersion, temperature extremes, the pull of the waves, and sea and land predators.•Burrowing animals or animals with hard shells that can be sealed to prevent water loss live here. Plants that cling to hard bottoms are present.

Intertidal (continued):Intertidal (continued): •During the day, the sun relentlessly heats tide pools left behind when the water moves from high tide to low tide.

•Water evaporates leaving dissolved salts behind (increasing salinity levels).

•Warm water holds less dissolved gases (like oxygen) than cold water. A tide pool’s oxygen content can fall to almost nil.

Intertidal (continued)Intertidal (continued):: •That means the intertidal zone water can have high salinity levels and low dissolved oxygen levels.

•Conditions in the intertidal zone include rough waves during high tide and the hot sun during low tide. No special equipment is needed to explore this zone.

Intertidal zone creatures

High Tide

Low Tide

Neritic Zone:Neritic Zone:

Neritic ZoneNeritic Zone: : This zone begins at the low tide mark and extends to the edge of the continental shelf.

•Sunlight can vary but is present throughout the zone. Lot’s of sunshine.

•The majority of sea life lives here - photosynthetic bacteria and algae & thousands of species of fish - Kelp Forest and Coral Reefs are found here.

•This zone has stable and abundant amounts of dissolved oxygen and salt.

Neritic Zone (continued)Neritic Zone (continued): : A large amount of nutrients are present here due to rivers and runoff and due to upwelling.

•The combination of all these factors along with lots of sunlight and lots of nutrients allow the majority of sea life to thrive here.

•Scuba diving, sonar, and small submarines are used to explore this zone.

Coral Reef VideoCoral Reef Video

Pelagic ZonePelagic Zone

Pelagic zone: •Located in the open ocean.

•Usually sub-divided

by depth

or amount

of sunlight.

Pelagic zone (continued): •The upper pelagic receives sunlight, so there are many phytoplankton for photosynthesis. •The lower reaches receive less or no sunlight, so there are no plants and animals are often bioluminescent (make their own light).

•Due to the vast differences between the levels of the Pelagic Zone, gases, salinity, organisms, and habitats differ greatly.

Pelagic zone (continued): •To explore this zone, scientist use:

– Platform Vessels– Submersibles/Submarines– Satellites– Sonar

BENTHIC PELAGIC

Benthic ZoneBenthic Zone

Benthic ZoneBenthic Zone::

•This zone starts at the intertidal zone and goes all the way into deep ocean trenches. This zone is the ocean floor.

•The amount of sunlight varies and depends of depth.

•Many kinds of organisms live in the benthic zone– plants, anemones, sponges, fish, skates and rays, octopus, mollusks, crabs, sea stars, corals and worms. Most are scavengers that eat decomposing organic matter. Collectively these organisms are called “Benthos”.

Benthic Zone (continued)Benthic Zone (continued)::

•In the deep ocean, there are special benthic communities around hydrothermal vents whose energy comes from chemical reactions rather than from the sun.• Chemosynthetic organisms

are bacteria found around hydrothermal vents that produce energy by oxidizing (burning) chemicals that seep up from the Earth’s crust

Benthic Zone (continued)Benthic Zone (continued)::

•In the deep ocean, there are special benthic communities around hydrothermal vents whose energy comes from chemical reactions rather than from the sun.

•To explore this zone, scientist use:

– Scuba

– Platform Vessels

– Submersibles/Submarines

– Satellites

– Sonar

Abyssal ZoneAbyssal Zone

Abyssal Zone:• This zone is located 2,000 to 6,000 meters

(6,560 to 19,680 feet) below the surface of the ocean.

• It is known as the midnight zone of the ocean because no light penetrates.

• Animals are adapted to withstand the dark, the cold (near freezing), and the tremendous pressure.

• Most animals are dark or nearly transparent in color, and are bioluminescent. They don’t move much, and usually eat what falls from above.

Abyssal Zone (continued):• Most animals jaws are big to swallow large

objects whole.

• This zone has high oxygen content and low nutrient levels.

• Unmanned submersibles, Satellites, and Sonar have been used to explore the Abyss.

• Only three humans have journeyed to the deepest part of the ocean.

Run to 16:13

March 26, 2012

Fantastic Denizens of the Deep

References:

• http://students.cis.uab.edu/archived/troberge/neritic.html

• http://www.sciencerush.net/files/MarineDownloads1st/Oceanography/Wksht-The_Neritic_Zone___Open_Ocean.pdf

• http://www.untamedscience.com/biology/biomes/

• http://books.google.com/books?id=9fEKAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA434&lpg=PA434&dq=nutrients+in+the+neritic+zone&source=bl&ots=MamXgh9ucr&sig=-jthVS_Vxmd45BXtUPqRls0ZDIM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CuL6UsSJD-br0gHlvYGADg&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=nutrients%20in%20the%20neritic%20zone&f=false

• http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/60014.aspx

• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/marine.php