1. Exploring the Ocean

2. Earth’s Oceans Oceanographer – someone who studies the ocean
Cover 71% of the planet
Contain 97% of Earth’s water
Source of fresh water for all living things
Fresh water escapes as water vapor; salts left behind
Water vapor in the atmosphere condenses to form clouds and precipitation
Part of the water cycle, some runs into rivers, streams and becomes ground water and some back into the ocean

3. 4 Major Oceans Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Arctic Ocean
Largest ocean; greater than Atlantic and Indian combined
Deepest ocean; avg. depth nearly 4,000 m
Atlantic Ocean
second largest ocean; ½ size of the Pacific
smaller Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea part of it
Indian Ocean
Third largest ocean
Arctic Ocean
Smallest ocean
Most of it is covered by ice

4. How did the Oceans form?
As the Earth’s atmosphere developed, the Earth was cooling.
Sometime before 4 billion years ago, the Earth cooled enough for water vapor to condense and fall as rain.
About 245 million years ago, one ocean formed called Panthalassa
Atlantic and Indian formed first; about 180 million years ago
Today, the plates move 1-10 cm per year…Atlantic Ocean getting bigger and Pacific Ocean getting smaller

5. Characteristics of Ocean Water
Mixture of gases and solids dissolved (pg 332)
Gases are Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and carbon dioxide
Sodium chloride most abundant salt (NaCl)
Salt acts like an antifreeze and keeps fresh water from freezing.
Salinity = amount of dissolved salt in the water
Measured in parts per thousand
1 kg (1,000 g) of ocean water contains about 35 g of dissolved solids on average
so we say 35 parts per thousand avg. salinity

6. Factors that Affect Salinity
Some areas of the ocean are saltier than others
Water movement
Slow moving water has higher salinity pg. 333
Coastal areas where major rivers flow into the ocean have lower salinity
Climate: Hotter areas are higher salinity
Less fresh water runs into the ocean in drier areas; heat increases evaporation rates.

7. Ocean Temperature Decreases the deeper you go (gets colder)
3 temperature zones
Surface Zone
Thermocline
Deep Zone

8. Temperature Zones Surface Zone Thermocline Deep Zone Goes down 300 m
Sun heats up to 100 m
Thermocline
Starts at 300 m to 700 m
Temperature drops faster with depth than any other zone
Deep Zone
Starts at 700 m to bottom
Temperature averages 2 degrees celsius

9. Surface Temperatures Vary with latitude and time of year
Ranges from 1 degree C near the poles to about 24 degrees C at the equator
Sun hits more directly at equator so it is always warmer
In the summer, it hits more directly in Northern Hemisphere so oceans get warmer (colder in winter)

10. Density of Ocean Water Cold water is denser than warm water
Salt water is denser than fresh water
What happens when cold currents meet warm currents?

11. Three Main Groups of Marine Life
Plankton
Organisms that float at or near the surface
Zooplankton, phytoplankton
Nekton
Free-swimming organisms
Dolphins, whales, sea lions
Benthos
Organisms that live on the ocean floor
Crabs, sea stars, worms, coral, sponges, seaweed

12. Benthic Environment Intertidal Zone Sublittoral Zone
area located between low-tide and high-tide lines.
Organisms need to be able to survive in and out of the water
Sea anemones and starfish
Sublittoral Zone
Extends from low-tide line to the end of continental shelf
more stable than the intertidal zone
temperature, pressure and sunlight remain fairly constant
corals

13. Benthic Environment (continued)
Bathyal Zone – continental shelf to the abyssal plain
lacks sunlight, plant life is scarce
Sponges, sea stars, octopuses
Abyssal Zone
No plants and few animals
Crabs, sponges, worms, sea cucumbers
Hadal Zone
Deepest
Trenches
Little known; found few species of clams and worms

14. Ocean Resources - Living
Fishing
Sonar, drift nets help fishing industries
Overfishing concerns
Fishing laws prompted fishing hatcheries
Seaweed Harvesting
Shrimp, oysters, crabs, mussels raised in enclosed areas along the shore.
Thickens creams, jellies, and yes! Ice Cream

15. Ocean Resources – Non Living
Oil and Gas
Found in layers of impermeable rock
Seismic equipment sends pulses through the earth to find areas
Fresh Water
Desalination – process of evaporating sea water to separate the salt
Very costly – countries rely on rainfall
Saudi Arabia - Middle East desert region – has one of the largest desalination plants in the world
Minerals
Manganese, iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, phosphates

16. Ocean Resources Tidal Energy and Wave Energy
As tides rise and fall, and as waves crash on the shore, we can use the gravitational pull and force to create electricity
Both are renewable resources of energy

17. Ocean Pollution Trash Dumping Sludge Dumping Non-Point source
Millions of trash is dumped in the deep ocean
U.S. started requiring hospitals to bury medical waste in sanitary landfills
Sludge Dumping
Raw sewage
Non-Point source
Everyday pollution from people
Point source
Oil spills
Today, tankers are required to have double hulls

18. Take Action – Save our Oceans
In 1989, 64 countries ratified a treaty that prohibited the dumping of mercury, cadmium compounds, certain plastics, oil, and radioactive wastes.
Tough to enforce due to angencies lacking human resources and money.
Citizens of many countries have demanded that their governments do more to solve the ocean pollution problem.
Because of Public outcry in the U.S., more than $130 million each years goes to monitoring the ocean.
People also volunteer to Adopt-a Beach and show up anually to clean up beaches in organized groups.

19. ? Why does the Ocean have waves? What are the parts of a wave?
How does water move in a wave?
What happens when a wave hits a beach?

20. Define wave:
Wave – a rhythmic movement that carries energy through matter or space.
in the ocean, waves move through seawater.

21. Parts of a wave
Wave height
Wavelength
Crest
Crest
Trough

22. Parts of a wave: Crest – the highest part of a wave.
Trough – the lowest part of a wave.
Wavelength – the distance between two adjacent crests.
Wave height – the vertical distance between the lowest part and the highest part.

23. More wave words
Frequency – the number of complete waves (or oscillations) that occur over a given period of time. Usually measured in cycles per second.
Amplitude – half the wave height
But Mr. Coleman, why do we have to learn vocabulary words that aren’t in the book?
For the FCAT!

24. Most waves caused by wind
Friction from the wind moving over the water causes the water to move along with the wind.
If the wind speed is high enough, the water begins to pile up and a wave is formed.

25. How does water move in a wave?
Some clues:
When you were at the beach, you probably noticed that the edge of the water goes back and forth with the waves.
If you float an object on the ocean, it stays roughly in one place. It is not pushed forward by the waves.

26. How water moves in a wave:
Particles of water move around in circles The farther below the surface, the smaller the circle.
At a depth about equal to half the wavelength, the motion stops.

27. At the beach:
Wavelength decrease and wave height increases as waves approach the shore.
Constant
Wavelength
Waves drag against the bottom
and wave length decreases

28. At the beach, part 2
As the wave slows, its crest and trough come closer together. The top of the wave is not slowed by friction and moves faster than the bottom.
The top of the wave outruns the bottom and falls over. This collapsing wave is called a breaker.

29. Now we wave goodbye to this part of the lesson,
for now.