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Chapter 14 – Ocean Zones

Chapter 14 – Ocean Zones. Exploring the Ocean. Exploring the Ocean. Because of the darkness, cold, and extreme pressure, scientists have had to develop new technology to enable them to study the deep ocean floor. Exploring the Ocean.

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Chapter 14 – Ocean Zones

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  1. Chapter 14 – Ocean Zones

  2. Exploring the Ocean

  3. Exploring the Ocean • Because of the darkness, cold, and extreme pressure, scientists have had to develop new technology to enable them to study the deep ocean floor.

  4. Exploring the Ocean • A major advance in ocean floor mapping was the invention of SONAR. • It is a system that uses sound waves to calculate the distance to an object. • SONAR stands for: SOund NAvigation Ranging

  5. Exploring the Ocean • The sonar system on a ship sends out pulses of sound that bounce off the ocean floor. • The equipment then measures how quickly the sound waves return to the ship.

  6. Exploring the Ocean • Sound waves return quickly if the ocean floor is close. • Sound waves take longer to return if the ocean floor is farther away.

  7. Features of the Ocean Floor • The continental shelf is a gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent. • Its width ranges from a few kilometers to 1,300 km from shore.

  8. Features of the Ocean Floor • The continental slope marks the true edge of a continent. • It is where the rock that makes up the continent stops and the rock of the ocean floor begins.

  9. Features of the Ocean Floor • A seamount is a mountain whose peak does not break the surface.

  10. Features of the Ocean Floor • The abyssal plain is a smooth, flat region. • It is covered with thick layers of sediment, formed by the sunken remains of dead organisms from the surface.

  11. Features of the Ocean Floor • The mid-ocean ridge is a continuous range of mountains that winds around Earth. • It is almost 80,000 kilometers long.

  12. Features of the Ocean Floor • On the other side of the mid-ocean ridge is a deep ocean trench.

  13. Life at the Ocean’s Edge

  14. Living Conditions • Some physical factors determine where marine organisms can live include: • Salinity • Water temperature • Light • Dissolved gases • Nutrients • Wave action

  15. Living Conditions • Scientists classify marine organisms according to where they live and how they move.

  16. Living Conditions • Plankton are tiny algae and animals that float in the water and are carried by waves and currents.

  17. Living Conditions • Nekton are free-swimming animals that can move throughout the water column. • Examples: • Octopus, squid, most fish, whales, dolphins, etc.

  18. Living Conditions • Benthos are organisms that inhabit the ocean floor. • Example: • Crabs, starfish, lobsters, sponges, anemones.

  19. The Rocky Shore • The intertidal zone stretches from the highest high-tide line on land out to the point on the continental shelf exposed by the lowest low-tide.

  20. The Rocky Shore • Organisms that live in the rocky intertidal zone must be able to tolerate: • Wave Action • Changes in salinity 3. Temperature 4. Being exposed to both air and under water

  21. The Rocky Shore

  22. The Rocky Shore • When the tide goes out some of the water remains in depressions among the rocks called tide pools. • As the water in the tide pool is warmed by the sun it begins to evaporate causing the remaining water to become saltier.

  23. Where River Meets Ocean • Brackish water is salty sea water that has been mixed with freshwater. • Estuaries are coastal inlets or bays where freshwater from rivers mixes with salty ocean water.

  24. Where River Meets Ocean • Along the United States coasts, most coastal wetlands are either salt marshes or mangrove forests.

  25. Where River Meets Ocean • A salt marsh oozes with smelly mud that is rich in nutrients. • Mosquitoes swarm over the water, which moves slowly through the tall grasses. • Cordgrass dominates the marsh. • Tidal channels run through the Cordgrass (waves break up)

  26. Where River Meets Ocean • Mangrove forests grow well in brackish water. • They provide a rich and sheltered area for organisms to grow. • Fringe the coast of southern Florida.

  27. The Neritic & Open-OceanZones

  28. What is the Neritic Zone? • The neritic zone is the part of the ocean that extends from the low tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf.

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