Ocean Exploration and Sea Floor Characteristics

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Ocean Exploration and Sea Floor Characteristics

• 8th Grade Earth Science

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Ocean Exploration

• Ships People have used the oceans since
  ancient times. They have charted and mapped the
  oceans, currents, and tides mostly by studying
  the stars.
• 1925 Sonar developed use of echo sounding to
  determine the depth of the ocean floor.
• 1943 SCUBA developed Jacques Cousteau created
  a tank that allowed people to breathe underwater
  and stay submersed for much longer than ever
  before.

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Ships, etc
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Ocean Exploration

• 1960 Submersibles Scientists for the first
  time went to the bottom of the challenger deep
  (over 11 km deep).
• 1978 Satellite Technology Scientists could now
  use SEASAT to observe the oceans. The satellites
  can track depth, temperature, currents, weather,
  etc.
• 2003 Deep Flight Aviator New type of
  submersible that moves faster and has better
  views than ever before.

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SEASAT
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Submersibles
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Ocean Floor Features

• Continental Shelf Considered part of the
  continent itself, its the gently sloping part of
  the continent that begins to go underwater.
• Continental Slope Steeply sloping part of the
  continent that is completely underwater.
• Abyssal Plain Flat bottom of the ocean floor.

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Ocean Floor Features

• Mid-Ocean Ridge Mountain range in the middle of
  the ocean located where new ocean floor is being
  created by plate separation (located in Atlantic,
  not Pacific)
• Trench Deepest part of the ocean formed where
  one plate goes under the other (located in
  Pacific, not the Atlantic)

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Ocean Floor Features

• Seamount Isolated mountain (away from the ridge)
  that does not reach the surface.
• Island A seamount that is tall enough to reach
  the surface

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Ocean Features Diagram
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Atlantic Ocean Profile

• The Atlantic Ocean Seafloor

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Ocean Life
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Ocean Life

• Benthos Bottom Dwellers Animals or plants that
  inhabit the ocean floor (crabs, sea stars,
  lobsters, octopus)
• Nekton Swimmers Animals that have the ability
  to swim from place to place (squid, most fish,
  whales, seals)
• Plankton Floaters Animals or plants that
  depend on currents and waves (tiny young fish,
  diatoms, some jelly fish)

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Benthos-Bottom Dwellers
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Nekton-swimmers
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Plankton-floaters
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Relationship between organisms

• Food Web When one organism eats another organism
  that eats a plant
• Example Polar bear eats a seal which eats artic
  cod which eats silversides which eats algae.
• The energy is passed from one organism to the
  next as they eat the objects.

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OCEANFOOD WEB
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Ocean Habitats

• The Intertidal Zone the area on or near the
  beach between high tide and low tide.
• The organisms that live there must be able to
  tolerate changes such as salinity and
  temperature, as well as periods of being
  underwater and out of the water. They also have
  to deal with pounding waves.
• Examples Crabs, sea stars, sea cucumbers, hermit
  crabs.

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Intertidal Zone
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Ocean Habitats

• Neritic Zone Extends from the low tide line out
  to the edge of the continental shelf.
• This area is shallow and receives a steady supply
  of sunlight, so the water is warm and full of
  plant life which makes it bursting with animal
  life also!
• This would be the area where a lot of fishing
  industries obtain their fish.

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Neritic Zone
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Ocean Habitats

• The Open Ocean begins at the end of the shelf
  and continues into the deep seas
• This area receives less sunlight and fewer
  nutrients, so it supports fewer animals.
• The animals that live here travel for miles for
  food supplies.
• Examples Whales, sharks and squid

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Open Ocean
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Water Column

• Dont forget that the water also differs as you
  go down into the ocean!
• Top Layer Mixed layer or Surface Zone
• Middle Layer Thermocline or Transition Zone
• Bottom Layer Deep water (zone)

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Thermocline
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Shore Zones

• Sandy Shores Flat land areas that contain
  beaches
• A Beach is an area made up of broken rocks or
  shells near the shore line.
• The color of the beach depends on the color of
  the rock being broken down. There are white sand,
  green sand, black sand, and of course the ugly
  tan New Jersey beaches!
• New Jersey, Maryland, Carolinas, and Florida all
  have sandy shores.

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Sandy beaches
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Shore Zones

• Rocky Shore Zone Sometimes the waves of the
  ocean hit directly onto rocks places where there
  are not any beaches.
• Caves are a big feature at these locations
• Examples Maine, Massachusetts, North and West
  Coast of the U.S.

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Rocky Shores
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Sea Caves
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Questions

1. Identify the three categories of ocean organisms
   and describe their characteristics.
2. What are conditions like in the intertidal zone?
3. Describe the physical conditions in the Neritic
   Zone.
4. What are the two type of shore zones and give a
   specific location where each would be found.