Ocean Environment

Ocean Contents Ocean water is salty, SALINITY is a measure of the amount of dissolved salt contained in water. Salt water is more dense than fresh water Density is a measure of the amount of matter packed into a given volume; the higher the salt content the more density, the easier it is to float Parts of the ocean can be saltier than other parts if evaporation has taken place As you go down in depth the salinity increases

Ocean Floor

Ocean Zones Intertidal Zone Near Shore Open Ocean

Intertidal Zone

Intertidal Zone Intertidal Zone Changes conditions based on high or low tide Organisms must be able to survive in wet and dry environments. At low tide: The intertidal zone is exposed to air, the environment is dry. At high tide: the intertidal zone is covered in water.

Intertidal Zone What lives there? -Crabs, mussels, starfish, seaweed

Near Shore

Near Shore: Coral Reefs Located over the continental shelf Coral Reefs Tropical regions Built from limestone deposits Contains 25% of all ocean life Only exist where sunlight can reach the ocean floor

Near Shore: Coral Reefs What lives there? -Algae, Anemone, Anemone Fish, Parrotfish, Moray Eel, Nudibranch, Clams(giant clams), Coral, starfish, Sea Urchins Sea Urchin Nudibranch Parrotfish Giant Clam Moray Eel Algae Anemone

Near Shore: Kelp Forests A type of seaweed in cold water Can be 40m (length of an airline jet) Need sunlight to grow so found only in the near shore environment

Near Shore: Kelp Forests What lives there? -Worms, Starfish, Lobsters, Crabs, Abalones, Octopus and Sea Otters. Abalones Sea Otters Octopus Lobster

Three Types of Organisms of the Near Shore Environment 1. Bottom Dwellers Plant like organisms; algae, seaweed, crabs, corals, starfish, and shellfish

Three Types of Organisms of the Near Shore Environment 2. Floaters Don’t swim, float; jellyfish Jellyfish

Three Types of Organisms of the Near Shore Environment 3. Swimmers Fish, dolphins, whales and octopuses These animals swim Dolphins Whales Fish

Open Ocean

Open Ocean: Surface Zone The top 200m of the open ocean. Has SUNLIGHT Contains less life then near shore because there are no plants, rocks or reefs to protect life

Open Ocean: Surface Zone What lives there? -Dolphins, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton and Jellyfish Phytoplankton Dolphin Zooplankton Jellyfish

Open Ocean: Deep Zone Deep Zone: Dark and cold NO SUNLIGHT = NO PLANTS Animals that live here must eat each other to survive or eat food that floats down from the surface Most species glow in the dark at this stage

Open Ocean: Deep Zone What lives there? -Whales, lantern fish, Hatchet Fish, Mid-water Shrimp, Anglerfish, Gulper Eel, Rattail, Giant Squid Gulper Eel Rattail Giant Squid Anglerfish Shrimp Lantern Fish Hatchet Fish

Deep Ocean: Hydrothermal Vents -Openings in Earth’s crust -Water seeps into cracks in the ocean floor and is heated by magma. Heated water rises and gushes into the ocean Organisms survive here from the bacteria

Deep Ocean: Hydrothermal Vents What lives there? -Bacteria, tubeworms, crabs, fish, shrimp Tubeworm Shrimp

Estuaries & Wetlands

Estuaries Estuaries are bodies of water usually where a river meets the sea.

Wetlands A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem. Examples: Salt Marshes and Mangrove Forests

Salt Marshes Salt Marsh – Are coastal wetlands which are flooded and drained by tides. What lives there? -Fiddler crabs, hermit crabs stone crabs, snails, mussels, worms, fish and shrimp.

Mangrove Forests Mangrove Forests – Are a group of trees and shrubs that live in costal wetlands that are found in tropical and subtropical regions, such as India, Australia, South America, Africa, and Florida here in the U.S. What lives there? – Barnacles, oysters, mussels, sponges, worms, snails and small fish.