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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

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

12. 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

13. 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

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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!

23. 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