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

The Ocean

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 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

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

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

• Energy enters the ocean through sunlight.

• Phytoplankton perform photosynthesis and are the basis for every marine life food chain.

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

Dunes

Continental Shelf

Continental

Slope

200 m Photic (sunlit) Zone

4000 m

Labeling the Ocean Zones

Add the following labels to your ocean diagram

Deep Ocean

4°C

10°C

Aphotic Zone (little to no sun)

Ocean OrganismsPick any three

Draw and label them in your Ocean diagram

Blue Shark

Sea Gulls

Jellyfish

Sargassum Anglerfish:

Blends into the background of its floating seaweed

home

Bobtail Squid

Giant Sunfish

Striped Tuna

Orca Whale

Bottlenose Dolphin

Sunlit Zone Organisms

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.

Barnacles:Anchor themselves

to rocks

Starfish

Ocean Organisms

Kelp:Requires sunlight, so it

grows near water surface in order to

Plankton

Coral

Clown Fish

Eel

Sea Turtle

Open Ocean BirdsPick any 1 of these birds and label it on your Ocean diagram

Sheerwater:Flies very close to the surface of the water Laysan Albatross

Brown Pelican

Western Gull

Continental shelf

Continental slope

200 m

4000 m

10°C

4°C

Photic (sunlit) Zone

Aphotic Zone

Deep Ocean

Abyssal Plain

Deep Sea Trench

Labeling the Deep Ocean

Add the labels in red to your ocean diagram

What is the Deep Ocean?

The Deep Ocean, also called the Oceanic Zone, includes the area off shore where the water measures 200 meters deep or deeper The deep ocean is divided

until multiple “subzones” Mesopelagic Bathypelagic Abyssopelagic

• Aphotic Zone – the part of the ocean with little to no sunlight

• The deep ocean has long been of interest to scientists– In order to understand the deep ocean,

scientists must gain access to very specific parts of it

• Observation tools include human-occupied submersibles, remote-controlled vehicles and autonomous robots

Deep Ocean Exploration Tools

Human Occupied Submersible

Remote Controlled Vehicle

Autonomous Robot

Deep Ocean Life• At one time, scientists thought that life

could not exist on the deep ocean floor– This was proven incorrect in 1977

• Organisms living on the deep ocean floor can withstand tremendous pressure, high temperatures, utter darkness and toxic chemicals

• Many microbes have evolved chemosynthetic (instead of photosynthetic) processes to be able to create food using the dissolved chemicals in ocean water

Adaptations of Organisms in the Deep Ocean

• Bioluminescence • Feeding mechanisms• Body color• Reproduction• Long lives• Gigantism

Bioluminescence • Blue or blue-green in color

– Most fish have lost the ability to see red light

• Functions of Bioluminescence- Headlights- Social signal (attracting mates and

mating) - Lures to attract prey- Counter-illumination - Confusion- “Burglar alarms”

Hydrothermal Vents

• Hydrothermal Vents and Cold Seeps are areas where chemical rich fluids radiate from the seafloor– These chemicals provide the

energy for life in very harsh environments

Cold Seeps

Cold seeps produce lower-temperature fluids of natural gas, hydrocarbons, and methane at slower rates for longer periods Some seeps may be

thousands of years old!

White bacteria around a cold seep

Clams

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

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

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 shipsferries, car carriers, tugboats, barges and dredgers

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!

• 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 pullsup 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

Resources from the Ocean

Make a COMIC!Write a comic strip using at least SIX out of our thirteen new vocabulary terms. Your comic must have dialogue.

Your comic must have a minimum of FIVE panels.