Coral Reef solid structures built from the remains and deposits of marine organisms called polyps (most the size of your fingernail) organisms secrete limestone and other calcified compounds to eventually grow into larger reef structures Reefs provide for, protect, and exhibit a tremendous diversity of aquatic life Coral Reef Video

Coral Reef Gray reef sharks and red snappers hover above a patch of table coral, waiting for prey fish to emerge. Because of their abundance and the resulting competition for food, the sharks and snappers at Kingman Reef are always on the verge of hunger Kingman Reef is part of a chain of Pacific atolls and islands (called the Line Islands) that straddles the Equator south of Hawaii. Conservation Issues

Fringing & Barrier Reefs 3 basic shapes to reefs. Fringing reefs form near land and there is little separation from the shore along the continental shelf. Barrier reefs are separated from land by a stretch of water (often a lagoon) and can be miles wide and yards deep. Atoll reefs can be exposed above the surface of water and often exist around a now submerged island. ring shaped and the most isolated of the reefs. All reefs are in danger of bleaching, the loss of color in a reef which indicates stress caused by pollution, fluctuations in ocean temperatures, and issues connected to tourism. Video

Polar Seas: Icebergs & Sea Ice Icebergs - floating chunks of ice which have broken from a large glacier or ice shelf. Some are the size of cars while some are bigger than small countries! carried by currents to the open ocean and eventually melt Sea ice - frozen seawater, which freezes at 28.8° F. essential for polar life, from seals and polar bears, to penguins and arctic foxes. Experts study the summer melt of sea ice which is declining in recent years due to global warming and the rise in ocean temperatures.

Zones of the Open Ocean The open ocean is divided into specific zones from the sunlit and twilight zone between 0 and 3,300 feet to the dark to hadal zones between 3,300 and 36,100 feet. The sunlight and twilight zone are also categorized as the photic zone due to the presence of light. Most of the nutrients in the ocean is found in the top three feet of water. The areas of the ocean without light are known as the aphotic (dark) zone animals are specially adapted to life without light, tremendous pressure, and cold temperatures.

Zones of the Open Ocean Observe the varying zones of the ocean on the graphic below.

Conclusion http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/images/ocean1.jpg Life on planet Earth is centered around water, which is why our ancestors built great cities near a source of fresh water. The aquatic ecosystems of the planet are hugely susceptible to changes in temperature, chemical contaminants, and the role humans plan interacting with the planet. Understanding the various aquatic ecosystems and their roles in the health of the planet allows us to understand how best to protect the ecosystems of our world.