You are responsible for writing everything that is in GREEN on your notes sheet. The Ocean

What is the ocean? The ocean is a dynamic system in which many chemical, biological, and physical changes are taking place The ocean is the largest reservoir for water and HEAT on the surface of the Earth

Weather The heat stored in the ocean drives most of the Earth’s weather This causes climates to be milder near the ocean than climate in the interior of the continents

Weather Winds have a powerful effect on the oceans and are an important force in creating ocean currents Ocean currents are a source of large scale distribution of energy and resources on the Earth

Upwelling makes the cold water along the bottom of the ocean near the shore begin to rise, carrying organic matter and sediment to the surface

Upwelling Phytoplankton use the nutrients from upwelling This attracts organisms that eat phytoplankton This attracts their consumers in return As a result, areas of upwelling tend to be areas of rich biological activity, providing resources to a great diversity of ocean organisms Approximately half of the fish caught in the world come from areas where there is upwelling

The Ocean’s Water Ocean water has many dissolved gases in it, especially nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide Ocean wind and waves agitate the surface of the water, causing there to be much exchange of gases between the ocean and the atmosphere

Some properties of ocean water affect how much gas can be dissolved in it: Cold water holds more gas than warm water Low salinity water holds more gas than high salinity water Deep water, which has high pressure, holds more gas than shallow water

The Ocean’s Water Carbon dioxide is one of the most important bases that dissolve in the ocean Most CO2 reacts with the water to form bicarbonates Many marine organisms use this to form calcium bicarbonate shells As atmospheric levels of gases rise, so do the levels of the same gases dissolved in ocean water

Zones of the Ocean The ocean is divided into zones according to how far down sunlight can reach Plants are only found in the Photic (sunlit) Zone where there is enough sunlight for photosynthesis

Energy enters the ocean through sunlight. Phytoplankton perform photosynthesis and are the basis for every marine life food chain.

Zones of the Ocean Animals are found at all depths of the ocean Currents in the ocean recycle and circulate a variety of organic and inorganic materials that make nutrients, minerals and gases available to many organisms In the ocean there are many overlapping and intersecting food chains that form food webs Most marine creatures eat a variety of foods Ocean food webs and chains can also be connected to land-dwelling organisms

Labeling the Ocean Zones Add the following labels to your ocean diagram Dunes Photic (sunlit) Zone 200 m Continental Shelf 10°C Aphotic Zone (little to no sun) Continental Slope 4°C 4000 m Deep Ocean

Ocean Organisms Pick any three Draw and label them in your Ocean diagram Blue Shark Bobtail Squid Orca Whale Sargassum Anglerfish: Blends into the background of its floating seaweed home Sea Gulls Giant Sunfish Striped Tuna Jellyfish Bottlenose Dolphin

Sunlit Zone Organisms Starfish Barnacles: Anchor themselves to rocks Hermit Crabs: Their hard shell protects them from the crashing waves. Sea Gulls Marine Mussels: Require a hard shell in order to protect themselves against the harsh waves.

Kelp: Requires sunlight, so it grows near water surface in order to Ocean Organisms Clown Fish Sea Turtle Plankton Kelp: Requires sunlight, so it grows near water surface in order to Eel Coral

Flies very close to the surface of the water Open Ocean Birds Pick any 1 of these birds and label it on your Ocean diagram Western Gull Brown Pelican Sheerwater: Flies very close to the surface of the water Laysan Albatross

What’s so special about the ocean? The ocean is one of Earth’s most valuable natural resources The ocean provides food It is used for travel and shipping It is mined for minerals and drilled for crude oil The ocean plays a critical role in removing carbon from the atmosphere and providing oxygen It regulates Earth’s climate It is an increasingly important source of biomedical organisms that could be used to fight disease

What’s so special about the Ocean? The ocean is also very important to life on land The oceans have been fished for thousands of years and are an integral part of human society Fish have been an important part of the economy for a very long time Fisheries today provide about 16% of the world’s total protein

Resources from the Ocean The word shipping refers to the activity of moving cargo with ships between seaports Types of ships include container ships, tankers, crude oil ships, chemical ships, bulk carriers, cable layers, general cargo ships ferries, car carriers, tugboats, barges and dredgers

Resources from the Ocean Tourism often has a negative impact on coastal and ocean ecosystems The negative effects of tourism originate with the over development of coastal habitats Often visitors produce more waste than locals, and it ends up dumped in our oceans!

Resources from the Ocean Mining the ocean can be devastating to natural ecosystems We mine the ocean floor for diamonds, gold, silver and metal ores Dredging of any kind pulls up the ocean floor in a cloud of sediment and interferes with photosynthetic processes of phytoplankton and other marine life Drilling for oil is another activity that extracts resources from the ocean