Ocean 1

Ocean it is salt water that covers much of the Earths surface.
Marine water other term for oceanic water.

Oceanography is the study of oceans and their basins.
o It uses chemistry to analyze the waters of the sea and the sea floors.
o It uses geology in its study of the topography and sediments of the ocean floor.
o It uses physics in measuring the depths of the oceans and the temperatures of their
waters.
o It uses biology in its study of plant and animal life of the ocean waters.
Oceans regulate climate by contrasting daily temperature changes in deserts and coastal
region.
Oceans moderate the Earth's temperature by absorbing incoming solar radiation (stored as
heat energy). The always-moving ocean currents distribute this heat energy around the
globe. This heats the land and air during winter and cools it during summer.
The ocean is very salty.
All water flows through rivers and streams before being deposited into an ocean. On
its way, it picks up small amounts of salt from the minerals found in the rocks and soil. Once
in the ocean, the water evaporates, but the salt cannot so over time, the oceans get saltier
and saltier.
The vast area of ocean is mostly interconnected. It is broken up into large and small bodies
by the seven continents and other landmasses. The largest of these bodies are known as the
Great Oceans.
Pacific Ocean
It is the largest ocean. The area of the Pacific is greater than that of all the continents
combined, and it makes up nearly half of the area covered by the earths oceans. Because of the
numerous tropical islands of East Asia, the Pacific boasts the longest total shoreline.
o The Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench the deepest point on the Earths sea
floor.
o The Pacific was named by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and described it
as a Beautiful, Peaceful Pacific Ocean.
o Pacific Ring of Fire indicates active volcanoes and Earthquakes.
Atlantic Ocean
It is the next largest ocean. It is somewhat narrow, twisted body of water, bounded by nearly
parallel continental margins. It is considered a passive margin ocean with most of geological
activity centered along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Most of its coastal regions are low and
geologically quiet. Like the Pacific Ocean, it reaches to the Arctic and Antarctica. The warm,
stormy waters of the North Atlantic once supported great populations of cod and sperm whale.
o Sperm whale high quality whale oil used for the development of kerosene.
Indian Ocean
It is the smallest of the three major oceans. It is bounded by Africa and Asia. It extends only a
short distance across the equator in the North Hemisphere.
o Java trench deepest point
It is also reach in exotic plant and animal species and still supplies the world spices such as
black pepper, nutmeg and ginger.
Southern Ocean (Designated in such 2000)
It is now the fourth largest ocean. It is a body of water that lies between 6o degrees south
and latitude and the Antarctica coastline. It has a unique distinction of being a large circumpolar
body of water totally encircling in the continent of Antarctica.
Arctic Ocean
It is the smallest ocean more than five times smaller than the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It
is the extension of the Atlantic and has a definite basin. A smooth, pale-blue layer of polar pack ice
edged by jagged chunks of floating ice covers much of the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean, the
earths northernmost cap. It falls mostly within the Arctic Circle.
Echo sounder or sonar used to records water depths.

Salts and other materials in ocean water come from volcanic eruption, erosion of land areas
by rivers and glaciers, and wave action. Volcanoes erupt rock materials and gases that
dissolve in water. Chlorine gas is added to ocean water this way.
Formation of Ocean
Water is a part of minerals found in interior rocks. When these rocks become very hot during
volcanic eruptions, the water contained was given off as steam, and thrown into the air. Steam
condenses, precipitates, and falls as rain that finally goes to ocean basins. It is said that most of the
ocean and atmospheric water today originally came from underground rocks. Water that fell
collected in ocean basins.
Gases in ocean water

Nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen are the most abundant gases in ocean water.
Temperature in ocean water
The temperature of ocean water tends to decrease from the surface to the bottom and from
equator to the poles. Between the warm and the cold zones is the thermocline (layer of rapidly
changing temperature) where the temperature drops very fast as depth increases.
Features of the ocean floor
Continental shelf- slopes gently from the shoreline.
Continental slope- marks the boundary between the crust of the continent and the crust of
the ocean floor.
Mid ocean ridge- it is the area in an ocean basin where new ocean floor is formed.
Seamounts- are the underwater volcanic mountains that rise more than 100m above the
ocean floor.
Guyots- flat-topped seamounts.
Abyssal plains- are the large, flat areas on the ocean floor.
Ocean trench- deepest parts of the ocean found along the edge of the ocean floor.
Volcanic island arc- when the volcanoes on the ocean floor erupt, they can create
mountains so high, that their peaks break the surface of the ocean. As the lava cools and
hardens, an island forms and this is the volcanic islands.
Scientists divide the oceans into two zones:
Pelagic zone- includes the free water column that interacts w/ the surface layers of a water body. In
other words, this refer to the oceans w/c interacts directly w/ the atmosphere.
Benthic zone- is in the ocean floor. In w/c it is closer to the bottom of the water body. Since, it is in
the bottom, the light cannot penetrate this depth, this zone lacks the ability to photosynthesis as its
energy source.
Zones under the pelagic zone:
(Classify based on the amount of light)
Photic zone (Euphotic zone) - top layer, nearest the surface of the ocean and it is also called the
sunlight layer. In this zone enough light penetrates the water to allow photosynthesis.
Disphotic zone- found below the photic zone and is known as the twilight layer. In this zone only a
small amount of light penetrates the water. Plants do not grow here due to the insufficient amount of
light. Many of the animals to this zone are bioluminescent; they can make their own light. Some
bioluminescing animals have special organs that produce light by a chemical reaction; other
bioluminescing animals have glowing bacteria that live on them.
Aphotic zone(midnight zone)- darkness layer, entirely dark meaning there is no light. About 90% of
the ocean is in this layer and this zone starts for about 300ft. that's why it is the lowest level at w/c
photosynthesis can not take place.
Ocean Life Zones
Classification of Ocean Life Zones based on the conditions:

1. Intertidal (Splash) Zone
-the region of the seafloor between the high tide and the low tide
-it bridges the gap between land and water
-most changeable region of the ocean
- due to highly exposure to sun, the temperature range from very hot with full sun near
freezing in colder climate
-organisms are adapted to an environment of harsh extremes (ex. Anemones, crabs,
mussels
2. Neritic Zone
-this zone extending out to the end of continental shelf
-it is the rainforest of the ocean, where most of the ocean organisms live
-the upper part of the neritic zone receives more sunlight
-the pressure is low and the temperature is constantly changing
-this zone support the plankton, nekton and benthos
3. Open-ocean Zone
- is the region beyond the continental shelf and contains 65% of the water in the ocean
2 open ocean:
>Bathyal (Slope) Zone
-this zone extending down from the edge of the continental shelf to the depth at w/c
the temperature is 4 degree celsius.
-photosynthesis does not occur = dark but as deeply as 600m, the small amount of
sunlight can penetrate
>Abyssal Zone
-is very flat surface found from 4000-6000meters in the deep basins of the ocean
floor.
-receives no light, temperature range from 2-3 degree celsius (cold temperature),
and extremely high pressure
-most of the organisms developed large eyes and produced bioluminescence to
attack the food.
Major Group of Ocean Life (classified based on their habitats and the depth of the water in w/c
they live)
1. Plankton
-microscopic organisms or living things freely floating in the water.
-are made up of tiny plants and tiny animals
2 main types:
>Phytoplankton- are plant-like plankton. Based on food web, they are the primary
producers and used chlorophyll to convert energy from the sunlight, inorganic chemicals
like nitrogen, and dissolved carbon dioxide gases into carbohydrates. So they make food
by photosynthesis. (Ex.algae)
>Zooplankton- are the animal-like plankton. They are heterophobic meaning they eat by
ingesting the objects they encounter in the water. Zooplankton includes many groups of
animals like mollusks(squid and snail), crustaceans(crabs and lobsters), jellyfish, sea
cucumbers, sea stars and others
*Plankton help the environment to cope with greenhouse gases by increasing their
numbers in response to increasing levels of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
However as the excess carbon dioxide is absorbed, more carbonic acid is produced and
resulting in plankton becoming increasingly acidic.
2. Nekton- comprises the large free swimming forms that are capable of changing places at
will. Nektons are whales, seals, dolphins, sharks, barracuda, flying fish and others.
*major distinction from plankton = they can move independently.
3. Benthos- organism that live on the ocean floor near sedimentary environment and tide
pools. Most of the organism here are scavengers meaning they sustain their food by
dead and decayed organisms

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Ocean it is salt water that covers much of the Earths surface.

Marine water other term for oceanic water.

Southern Ocean (Designated in such 2000)

Echo sounder or sonar used to records water depths.

Gases in ocean water

Ocean Life Zones

Classification of Ocean Life Zones based on the conditions:

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