Ocean Water
• Earth's oceans- 324 mil cubic miles of seawater (71% of Earths surface)
• 53 mil bil tons of salts/gases/other substances• Varies in- temp, pressure, oxygen & light• Fact: about 97% of the earth's water is in interconnected
oceans
Sunlight• sunlight penetrates upper 200m
o dissolved oxygen levels higher near surface
Why is sunlight important to the ocean? • provides necessary energy for currents
• conversion of energy into heat helps form layer of warm water near surface
• transmission of light is essential to salt water productivity
• phytoplankton produces roughly half the oxygen in our air o if water were not relatively transparent to light, ocean would be a
large dead zone
• decreasing ozone levels in atmosphere = higher levels of UV
Nutrients-biologically important ions -where rivers meet oceans (brackish water) 1. principle supply from rivers -critical for cell growth = nitrogen & phosphorus- building shells and skeletons = silicon & calcium -fertilizers, detergents and human/animal waste are pollutants 1. lead to hypoxia/ algae blooms -bio-degradation & bacteria recycling -tropics: nutrients are limited -secret to wetland productivity: a complimentary mix
What is upwelling?• In open ocean nutrients often are in short supply and limit net
primary productivity (NPP). • NPP is much higher in parts of ocean where upwelling occurs
Human Impact
• 5 potential sources of marine pollution
• land based activities account for about 90%
• other 4 causes of pollution:ovesselsocontinental shelf drillingodeep-seabed miningoocean mining
Circulation and Climate
• Constantly in motion
• Currents maintained by:o solar heating of atmosphereo prevailing windso Earth's rotationo temp and salinity of surface waters
Ocean Winds
• Patterns of winds• Coriolis effect
Prevailing Winds Produced by pressure differences
Trade winds- tropics and subtropics- air movements toward equator in Hadley cells- deflected westward
Meeting of Currents• Warm and cold currents• Triggers upward flow of nutrient-rich waters from sea
floor• Produces good feeding grounds for fish, sea birds and
mammals
Boundary Currents • Currents at edges of gyres• West- strong, narrow and warm - move heat away
from equator• Gulf Stream and Brazil Current• East- weak, broad and cold
Water Circulation
Underwater Circulation• Vertical from water surface
o upwelling and downwelling
Deep Water Circulation • Driven by major downwelling zones
o north atlantico sinks- properties stay stable for long timeo specific mass of seawater- 1,000 yrs to complete
circuit
Tide Pools• Areas on rocks by the ocean that are filled with
sea water
• Vary in size
• Source of food and oxygen for organisms
Salinity
• 96.5% water
• 3.5% dissolved substances
• Waters enters sea from rain, inflow from streams, groundwater
• types of organisms found are determined by salinity
• Weathering
• Hydrothermal vents
• The Dead Sea
Tropical Reefs and their importance• Control erosion of shorelines
• Provide food and habitat for fish and organisms
• Considered a "hotspot" for marine biodiversity
Tropical Reefs
How they are formed:• built up slowly by algae and corals which leave
behind calcified depositsDestruction of reefs caused by:• human and natural effects- Hurricanes, poor
fishing practices, polluted waters, warming waters that weaken and bleach corals
Hurricanes3 Conditions necessary for a hurricane to form:
1.Warm ocean water near surface• Moisture from water evaporation to mix with heat and
energy• Wind pattern near ocean surface
• Another factor that adds to the power of a hurricane are thunderstorms.
Works CitedPicture of salt water intrusion: ofhttp://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastFetch/UBER1/00032096A003-T2 Salt water intrusion, 2010 Picture on title slide:NASA'S SOLO-TREC Draws Free Energy from the Oceanhttp://breakthematrix.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/normal_Ocean_Wave.jpg2005 Ocean winds, currents and pictures:Ocean- The World's Last Wilderness Revealed- 2006- American Museum of Natural History
Coral reefs:NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program- Value of Coral Reef ecosystems (10/18/11) http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcorals/values/RIT libraries- Tropical Coral Reefs (10/18/11) http://library.rit.edu/about/our-reef-aquarium/tropical-coral-reefs/tropical-coral-reefs.html
Works Cited Cont.
http://files.myopera.com/nielsol/blog/Benguela_upwelling.gif
http://lightonthepage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/sunlight_deep_ocean_kan1.jpg
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/
http://www.defenders.org/resources/publications/policy_and_legislation/impacts_of_outer_continental_shelf_drilling.pdf
http://w3.shorecrest.org/~Lisa_Peck/MarineBio/syllabus/ch11_ecosystems/ecosystem_wp/Rockyshores_jake_ashleyh/3tidepool.jpghttp://www.utdallas.edu/~pujana/oceans/why.htmlhttp://gomyclass.com/geology10/files/lecture6/html/images/objects/obj18-2.jpghttp://allwellness.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/dead-sea.jpghttp://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/eviau/edit557/oceans/norma/otdpls.htm
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