Oceanography 1 How does temperature pressure and amount

Oceanography 1. How does temperature, pressure and amount of light change in each zone of the ocean? 2. How does life change in each zone of the ocean?

Oceans • Largest reservoir of heat – Stored heat drives weather/climate • Ocean currents are a source of large scale distribution of energy and resources

Ocean Water • Sodium chloride • Salinity: A measure of the amount of dissolved solids in water. – Evaporation increases salinity – Fresh water decreases salinity

Sources of Oxygen • 1. Mixed in from the air • 2. Gets added in by plants

Sources of solids • Dissolved chemicals and solids washed into oceans through erosion • Suspended particles swept by the wind • Solid and gaseous ejections from underwater volcanoes

Division by light levels • Photic – light • Euphotic – upper 200 meters – Majority of life and economic activity • Aphotic – aka midnight zone

Division by Ocean temperatures • Surface Layer – Location and season

Thermocline • The temperature drops fast with depth.

Deep Water • Cold all year.

Division by land features • Shore (Neritic) • Open Ocean (Pelagic or Oceanic) • Deep Ocean (Abyssal)

Neritic Zone • Low tide point to a depth of 200 m • Covers most of the continental shelf

Oceanic Zone • Aka Pelagic Zone • Open Ocean

Deep Ocean • Abyssal Plains • Marianas Trench (11, 000 m/56, 000 ft. )

Other Oceanic Terms to Know • Benthic – bottom dwelling • Nekton – animals that are able to actively swim • Plankton – plants/animals that are unable to fight currents • Intertidal – between the tides

Ocean Exploration • 1. • 2. • 3. • 4. Pressure Darkness Lack of air Chilling cold

Ocean Floor • Like land, the ocean floor has: mountains, trenches, hills, plains, and canyons.

Ocean Floor Mapping • Sonar and Satellites