Life in the Ocean
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Created by:
jhenningsgaard on October 15, 2009
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19 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Photic zone | Upper part of the ocean which sunlight is able to penetrate. |
| Euphotic zone | The upper part of the photic zone where the light is intense enough for photosynthesis to occur |
| Phytoplankton | Small algae that form the base of the food chain in the ocean |
| Benthic zone | The zone where organisms live on the ocean floor. This includes any sea-bottom surface. |
| Aphotic zone | The part of the ocean where no sunlight penetrates. This usually occurs below 200 meters. No light present except for bioluminescent bacteria. |
| Pelagic zone | Open ocean of any depth. |
| Intertidal zone | Area where land and ocean meet and overlap. It is a high energy environment because of wave action. Rapid changes in salinity require organisms to handle both fresh and saline water. |
| Neritic zone | The area seaward from the low tideline, from the continental shelf out to the shelf break. Majority of ocean life found in this zone. 90% of planet's fisheries are in this zone. |
| Oceanic zone | The area beyond the continental shelf out into the deep ocean. This is at great depths, no light, a biological desert, very few organisms are present. |
| Estuaries | Where a river flows into the ocean. Seawater salinity is reduced. Has a constant supply of nutrients and organic matter. |
| Coral reef | A structure composed of the skeletons of coral animals. Reefs form in warm, clear water. Reefs can not survive sudden temperature changes or long period of temperatures below 18 C |
| Atoll | Continuous or broken ring of coral surrounding a central lagoon. Forms normally on the flanks of sinking volcanic islands. |
| Hydrothermal vent | Areas where heated water is discharged from cracks in the seafloor. |
| Black smoker | Mineral rich, dark - colored water discharged from cracks in the bottom of the seafloor. |
| Mid-ocean ridge | Where two plates in the ocean are diverging (moving away from each other). |
| Submersible | A very small submarine used to explore great ocean depths. |
| Photosynthesis | Using light as the energy source to produce sugars for producers to grow. |
| Chemosynthesis | Using chemicals as the energy source to produce sugars for the producers to grow. |
| Abyssal zone | A subdivision of the benthic zone further out in the deep ocean. It is characterized as deep, extremely high pressures, low temperatures (3 C), low oxygen levels, few nutrients, no sunlight. |
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