OPEN OCEAN

1. OPEN OCEAN A. Lowery S. Mitchell

3. OPEN OCEAN BIOME • Earth surface is 70% ocean water. • Ocean biomes are very large, and are found all over the planet. • There are five Ocean biomes; the North and South Pacific Oceans, the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean.

4. OPEN OCEAN BIOME • The average ocean water contains 35g/L salinity. • Salinity levels can vary from 32 to 37 g/L. This is normally caused by evaporation, river run off, ice formation, and rainfall. • Depths in the ocean can be up to 15,215 feet deep in the Pacific Ocean. • Mariana Trench 36,200 feet deep • Water near the polar regions are colder, water near the top is warmer and water at the bottom of the ocean is cooler.

5. OPEN OCEAN BIOME • The main organisms found in an ocean biome food web are; • Phytoplankton, • Krill • Fish • whales. • Depending on the location of the biome there may be • penguins, • leopard seals • birds like pelicans • squids.

6. OPEN OCEAN BIOME • Oceans are separated into separate zones. • Intertidal Zone is where the ocean and land meet. The pelagic zone is where one can find wales because it is very far away from the land in contrast to the intertidal zone, and tends to be very cold due to its deepness. • Next is the Benthic Zone which is below the pelagic zone. Temperature drops drastically from the last zone and the depth increases. • The Abyssal Zone, even deeper than the benthic zone, the waters reach around 3 degree Celsius. Here the pressure is far too high for humans to travel. This zone contains many invertebrates and fish that can survive the harsh conditions.

7. FUN FACTS! • Sunlight can penetrate up to 200 meters in the ocean • 90% of marine life lives at the top of the ocean • The open ocean is called the pelagic zone and the deep sea is the benthic zone • The ocean is the most diverse ecosystem