Earth Science Oceanography Part 1

1. Chapter 15 Ocean Water and Ocean Life Starter #13 What processes INCREASE the salinity of sea water? What processes DECREASE the salinity of sea water? E.C. What image is on today’s blog?

3. Natural Processes Affecting Salinity

4. Lecture Notes Outline (Cornell) 15.1 Composition of Seawater (p. 422-427) I. Introduction 1. Ocean ‘conquering the land’ 2. 3.5% ‘dissolved minerals’ II. Salinity 1. PPT 2. Sodium chloride (table salt) A. Sources of Salt 1. 2. What %? What... How?

7. 15.1 The Composition of Seawater  A. Sources of Sea Salt • Chemical weathering of rocks on the continents is one source of elements found in seawater. • The second major source of elements found in seawater is from Earth’s interior . Salinity

8. Salts in Seawater

9. 15.1 The Composition of Seawater  Processes Affecting Salinity • Processes that decrease salinity : • Processes that increase salinity : - Precipitation - Runoff from land - Icebergs melting - Sea ice melting - Evaporation - Formation of sea ice Salinity

10. Natural Processes Affecting Salinity

11. 15.1 The Composition of Seawater  The ocean’s surface water temperature varies with the amount of solar radiation received, which is primarily a function of latitude. • The thermocline is the layer of ocean water between about 300 meters and 1000 meters where there is a rapid change of temperature with depth.  Temperature Variation with Depth • The thermocline is a very important structure because it creates a barrier to marine life. Ocean Temperature Variation

12. Variations in Ocean Surface Temperature

13. Variations in Ocean Water Temperature

14. 15.1 The Composition of Seawater  Density is defined as mass per unit volume. It can be thought of as a measure of how heavy something is for its size. • Seawater density is influenced by two main factors: salinity and temperature.  Factors Affecting Seawater Density Ocean Density Variation

15. 15.1 The Composition of Seawater  Density Variation with Depth • The pycnocline is the layer of ocean water between about 300 meters and 1000 meters where there is a rapid change of density with depth. Ocean Density Variation

16. Variations in Ocean Water Density

17. 15.1 The Composition of Seawater  Oceanographers generally recognize a three-layered structure in most parts of the open ocean: a shallow surface mixed zone, a transition zone, and a deep zone.  Surface Zone • Sun-warmed zone • Zone of mixing • Shallow (300 to 450 meters) Ocean Layering

18. 15.1 The Composition of Seawater  Transition Zone  Deep Zone • Constant high-density water • Temperatures are just a few degrees above freezing. • Sunlight never reaches this zone. • Thermocline and pycnocline • Between surface layer and deep zone Ocean Layering

19. Ocean Zones

20. 15.2 The Diversity of Ocean Life  Marine organisms can be classified according to where they live and how they move.  Plankton • Plankton include all organisms—algae, animals, and bacteria—that drift with ocean currents. • Phytoplankton are algal plankton, which are the most important community of primary producers in the ocean. • Zooplankton are animal plankton. Classification of Marine Organisms

21. Plankton

22. 15.2 The Diversity of Ocean Life  Nekton  Benthos • Nekton include all animals capable of moving independently of the ocean currents, by swimming or other means of propulsion. • Benthos describes organisms living on or in the ocean bottom. Classification of Marine Organisms

23. Nekton

24. Benthos

25. 15.2 The Diversity of Ocean Life  Three factors are used to divide the ocean into distinct marine life zones: the availability of sunlight, the distance from shore, and the water depth.  Availability of Sunlight • The photic zone is the upper part of the ocean into which sunlight penetrates. Marine Life Zones

26. 15.2 The Diversity of Ocean Life  Distance from Shore • The intertidal zone is the strip of land where the land and ocean meet and overlap, or the zone between high and low tides. • The neritic zone is the marine-life zone that extends from the low-tide line out to the shelf break. • The oceanic zone is the marine-life zone beyond the continental shelf. Marine Life Zones