1. VI. Aquatic Biomes

2. A. Requirements
1. The last 5 weeks have been spent talking about only 30 % of our planet
2. Aquatic biomes are characterized by depth not location
a. Stable in temperature and moisture
b. Salinity is also important along with flow rate and oxygen

3. 3. Salinity is the first way we classify aquatic biomes
a. Salinity is the amount of salt dissolved in a sample
1. Measured in parts per thousand (ppt)
a. Oceans = 30ppt
b. Fresh = .5ppt

4. 4. Depth affects life by how much light it allows in
a. Photic zone- top layer of water that receives enough light for photosynthesis
1. About 100 m in the ocean
2. Below that is the aphotic zone

6. b. Benthic zone is the floor of a body of water
1. In shallow water this is very diverse
2. Pelagic zone is anything that is not on the bottom