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Neritic Zone

Neritic Zone. Ms. Bridgeland. Where is the Neritic Zone?. Extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf Why is the neritic zone home to so many living things? . The Neritic Zone is home to so many living things because: .

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Neritic Zone

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  1. Neritic Zone Ms. Bridgeland

  2. Where is the Neritic Zone? • Extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf • Why is the neritic zone home to so many living things?

  3. The Neritic Zone is home to so many living things because: • The shallow water over the continental shelf receives: • Sunlight • Steady supply of nutrients washed from the land into the ocean • The light and nutrients enable large plantlike algae to grow • Large quantities of algae is a food source and shelter for other organisms

  4. Neritic Zone • Of the three ocean zones, it has the most constant conditions and is easiest for organisms to live in

  5. Upwelling • In the Neritic Zone, upwelling currents bring nutrients from the bottom to the surface. • These nutrients support plankton (the base of food webs) • Major fisheries in upwelling areas include: • Monterey Canyon (off the California coast) • Newfoundland’s Grand Banks • Georges Ban (off the New England coast)

  6. Coral Reefs

  7. Coral Reef • A diverse habitat found in the Neritic Zone • Looks like it is made of rock, but is actually made of living things • Created by colonies of tiny coral animals • Coral animals: each produce a hard structure that surrounds its soft body • When the coral dies, the empty structure remains

  8. Coral Reefs can only form in shallow, tropical ocean waters because: • Microscopic algae live in the bodies of the coral animals • Provide food for the corals • Algae need warm temperatures and sunlight • Reefs grow above the continental shelves or around volcanic islands where the water is shallow

  9. Atolls • A ring-shaped reef surrounding a shallow lagoon • An atoll begins as a reef that closely surrounds the edges of a volcanic island • As the sea-floor sinks, the island sinks with it, and the reef continues to grow upward • The island sinks until it is completely underwater, and you can only see the atoll

  10. Atoll

  11. How Atolls Form

  12. Types of Coral • Elkhorn • Brain • Plate • Star

  13. Elkhorn Coral

  14. Brain Coral

  15. Plate Coral

  16. Star Coral

  17. Coral Reef Animals • Octopus • Spiny lobsters • Shrimp • Fish

  18. Animals in the Coral Reef

  19. What produces the fine, soft sand around the reef? • The Parrotfish grinds up the broken coral inside their bodies, which produces the sand

  20. Benefits of the Coral Reef • Protect the coastline from violent storms • The reefs prevent waves from severely eroding the land

  21. Harm to Coral Reefs • Coral grows only a few millimeters per year, so if a boat anchor drags across it, reefs cannot easily recover • Changes in water temperature and clearness endanger the reefs • Cloudy water harms the algae because it reduces the amount of light reaching them • Coral animals need to eat the algae to live

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