Ocean Zones & LayersOcean Zones & Layers

The ocean is divided into The ocean is divided into three zones three zones across across and and three layers downthree layers down..

Use the diagram on the next slide to Use the diagram on the next slide to label the diagram on your paper!label the diagram on your paper!

Continental Shelf

Continental Slope

Continental Rise

Intertidal Zone

Neritic Zone Open Ocean Zone

Photosynthetic Layer

0-200m deep

Bathyal Layer

200-4000m deep

Abyssal Layer 4000m - ocean floor

The Crazy Zone: Intertidal The Crazy Zone: Intertidal ZoneZone

Crazy EnvironmentCrazy Environment: Water : Water level changes 4 times a level changes 4 times a day! day!

Organisms must deal with Organisms must deal with extreme changes of:extreme changes of:

• TemperatureTemperature

• Drying outDrying out

• Different levels of water, Different levels of water, oxygen and light.oxygen and light.

Intertidal ZoneIntertidal Zone

• Tide Pools are an ecosystem in the Tide Pools are an ecosystem in the Intertidal Zone.Intertidal Zone.

• Biodiversity is very high in tide pools. Biodiversity is very high in tide pools. There are many different species in 1 There are many different species in 1 small area.small area.

Advantages of Living in a Advantages of Living in a TidepoolTidepool

• Lots of Lots of OO22 and and sunlightsunlight

• Currents and tides Currents and tides mix the water to take mix the water to take away waste and bring away waste and bring in new nutrientsin new nutrients

• Lots of Lots of nutrientsnutrients

• Rocks for shelterRocks for shelter

• There are few There are few large large carnivores, so less carnivores, so less predators are there predators are there to eat youto eat you

• RichRich food sources food sources

Challenges Challenges of Living in a of Living in a TidepoolTidepool

Desiccation = Desiccation = drying out. drying out.

• Organisms need to be able to Organisms need to be able to breathe in and out of waterbreathe in and out of water

How do you survive Tidepool How do you survive Tidepool Living?Living?

• One way is to move between One way is to move between tidepools, like hermit crabs tidepools, like hermit crabs do. do.

• Olive SnailOlive Snail: burrows : burrows into into moist sandmoist sand.(Sand dollars, .(Sand dollars, clams and worms do this too)clams and worms do this too)

• LimpetLimpet: : Dig a hole in the rock Dig a hole in the rock – – traps water, and protects traps water, and protects animal from wavesanimal from waves

Olive Snail

Limpet

How do you survive tidepool How do you survive tidepool living?living?

• Use Cracks:Use Cracks: Organisms Organisms can crawl into these can crawl into these protected areas. protected areas. Protects the animal Protects the animal from waves and each from waves and each other.other.

• Rockweed:Rockweed: This plant This plant can lose up to 90% can lose up to 90% wwater and still survive!ater and still survive!

Crab

How do you survive tide How do you survive tide pool living?pool living?

*Barnacles: *Barnacles: Close their shells to reduce evaporationClose their shells to reduce evaporation

*Sea Anemones: *Sea Anemones: withdraws into itself and covers withdraws into itself and covers itself with a thick outer skin (itself with a thick outer skin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctqvqES1PE8))

How do tidepool organisms How do tidepool organisms deal with extremes in deal with extremes in temperature?temperature?

• SnailsSnails: have light : have light colored shells to colored shells to reflect sunlight and reflect sunlight and absorb less heatabsorb less heat

•sea anemones: Decrease the surface Decrease the surface area of their body area of their body (shrink up) to (shrink up) to decrease decrease evaporation evaporation of waterof water

How do tidepool organisms How do tidepool organisms deal with deal with Wave Action?Wave Action?

• Waves pound the shore Waves pound the shore and can damage fragile and can damage fragile organisms. organisms.

• Olive Snail: Olive Snail: Buries into Buries into sandsand

• Barnacles: Barnacles: Clamp onto Clamp onto rock, streamlined shape, rock, streamlined shape, armored from wave armored from wave energyenergy

• Chiton: Chiton: clings to rock clings to rock with suction with suction cup/muscular footcup/muscular foot

Deal with Wave Action…Deal with Wave Action…

• Starfish: have suction cups to stick to Starfish: have suction cups to stick to rocks, but they don’t work on rocks, but they don’t work on sandsand

• Sea Palm: Plant that is Sea Palm: Plant that is flexible and flexible and streamlined, so it can take the beating of streamlined, so it can take the beating of waves.waves.

Sea Star

Zone Two: Zone Two: The The Neritic ZoneNeritic Zone

• This is the area from the This is the area from the shoreline to the edge of shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf.the continental shelf.

Challenges in the Neritic Zone: Challenges in the Neritic Zone:

•Turbulent wave actionTurbulent wave action • Depths, temperature, etc. Depths, temperature, etc.

will be will be affected by the affected by the tides.tides.

• High levels of High levels of UV radiationUV radiation

• Currents effect Currents effect habitathabitat

• Realize, the neritic Realize, the neritic zone changes based zone changes based on the on the season, season, climate & location.climate & location.

• This zone is This zone is influenced by the influenced by the land around it. River land around it. River run-off and sediment run-off and sediment cycles lead to cycles lead to different amounts of different amounts of minerals in the minerals in the water.water.

Neritic ZoneNeritic Zone

The surface of the ocean constantly has access during the day to sun, deeper areas only receive sunlight when the sun is overhead.

• Animal life in the Neritic Zone: Animal life in the Neritic Zone: Many different Many different types, sizes, species.types, sizes, species.

Types of AnimalsTypes of Animals in the in the Neritic ZoneNeritic Zone

• Plankton = Plankton = Floating Floating animal (usually one to animal (usually one to a few cells)a few cells)

• Nekton = Nekton = Swimming, Swimming, maneuvering animals maneuvering animals (fish, sharks, seals, (fish, sharks, seals, etc.)etc.)

• Benthos = Benthos = Bottom Bottom dweller (on or in the dweller (on or in the ground)ground)

Plankton

Nekton

Benthos (ex. Halibut)

Zone 3: The Open Ocean Zone 3: The Open Ocean ZoneZone

• This is the rest of the ocean from the This is the rest of the ocean from the continental continental slope out.slope out.

• Plants & Animals change a lot depending on Plants & Animals change a lot depending on what what layer of the open ocean they live in.layer of the open ocean they live in.

• Open Ocean Layers: Open Ocean Layers: Layers going down Layers going down through the depth of the oceanthrough the depth of the ocean (Photosynthetic, Bathyl & Abyssal)(Photosynthetic, Bathyl & Abyssal)

Open Ocean ~ Open Ocean ~ Photosynthetic LayerPhotosynthetic Layer::

• This is the top 200 This is the top 200 meters of the ocean meters of the ocean across the entire across the entire ocean. ocean.

• This is the area that This is the area that receives sunlight, receives sunlight, so it is the only area so it is the only area that plants & algae that plants & algae can exist.can exist.

Open Ocean ~ Photosynthetic Open Ocean ~ Photosynthetic LayerLayer

Benefits to living here are: Benefits to living here are: • Warmer waterWarmer water• Low pressureLow pressure• More nutrients, food and More nutrients, food and

plants.plants.

Challenges are: Challenges are: • More competition & More competition &

dangerdanger• Have to deal with water Have to deal with water

movement (waves, tides movement (waves, tides & currents)& currents)

• UV Radiation and some UV Radiation and some temperature changes. temperature changes.

Open Ocean ~ Bathyal Open Ocean ~ Bathyal Layer:Layer:

• This is the area This is the area from 200 meters to from 200 meters to 4000 meters deep.4000 meters deep.

• Light doesn’t reach Light doesn’t reach into this area, so into this area, so there are less there are less animals and NO animals and NO plant life.plant life.

Open Ocean ~ Bathyl LayerOpen Ocean ~ Bathyl Layer

Benefits to living in the Bathyal Layer: Benefits to living in the Bathyal Layer:

• Less competitionLess competition

• Easier to hide in darkness from Easier to hide in darkness from predatorspredators

Challenges to living in the Bathyal Challenges to living in the Bathyal Layer: Layer:

• It’s Dark!It’s Dark!

• High pressure (increases with depth)High pressure (increases with depth)

• Always very cold (but at least the Always very cold (but at least the temperature is constant)temperature is constant)

Open Ocean ~ Abyssal Open Ocean ~ Abyssal Layer:Layer:

• Area from Area from 4000 meters to 4000 meters to the bottom, the bottom, also known as also known as “The Deep”“The Deep”

• There is NO light here and There is NO light here and VERY few animals live here. VERY few animals live here.

• These animals are These animals are WEIRDWEIRD, , with strange adaptations to with strange adaptations to living in such a cold, dark living in such a cold, dark placeplace

Open Ocean ~ The Abyssal Open Ocean ~ The Abyssal LayerLayer

Benefits to living in the Abyss: Benefits to living in the Abyss:

• Less predation & competition Less predation & competition (because not much lives here) (because not much lives here)

• Uniform temperature & salinityUniform temperature & salinity

Challenges to living in the Abyss: Challenges to living in the Abyss:

• Extreme pressureExtreme pressure

• Low nutrientsLow nutrients

• No light & cold temperaturesNo light & cold temperatures

• Low numbers of living things Low numbers of living things (so finding a mate/food is (so finding a mate/food is hard)hard)

Along the ocean floor we see Along the ocean floor we see these land features:these land features:

• Abyssal PlainsAbyssal Plains = = Flat Flat sea floorsea floor

• Trench Trench = A valley. = A valley. These are carved out These are carved out by water currents.by water currents.

Ocean land featuresOcean land features

• Mid-Ocean RidgeMid-Ocean Ridge – in the middle of the ocean – in the middle of the ocean floor = floor = a continuous mountain range that winds a continuous mountain range that winds around Earth under the ocean waters.around Earth under the ocean waters.

On the ocean floor we also On the ocean floor we also see Hydrothermal Vents!see Hydrothermal Vents!

• HTV’s are HTV’s are crackscracks in the Earth’s crust in the Earth’s crust that spew hot water (up to that spew hot water (up to 350350 °F!). °F!).

• The water is heated by magma The water is heated by magma under the sea floor.under the sea floor.

• Only bacteria can live in this water.Only bacteria can live in this water.

• Interesting because the bacteria do Interesting because the bacteria do ““chemosynthesischemosynthesis” by changing ” by changing sulfursulfur in the hot water into food in the hot water into food energy (instead of photosynthesis, energy (instead of photosynthesis, which changes sunlight into food)which changes sunlight into food)