1. Marine Ecosystems

2. Natural Capital from Marine Resources Ecological Services Climate moderation CO 2 absorption Nutrient cycling Waste treatment and dilution Reduced storm impact (mangrove, barrier islands, coastal wetlands) Habitats and nursery areas for marine and terrestrial species Genetic resources and biodiversity Scientific information Economic Services Food Animal and pet feed (fish meal) Pharmaceuticals Harbors and transportation routes Coastal habitats for humans Recreation Employment Offshore oil and natural gas Minerals Building materials

3. Categories of marine ecosystems 1. Coastal ecosystems – includes: estuaries, salt marshes, mangrove swamps, rocky and sandy shores 2. Coral reefs 3. Oceans

4. Estuaries Definition: an area in which fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean; a transition area from the land to the ocean. Water is brackish: a mixture of freshwater and saltwater Other names: bay, sound, lagoon, harbor, bayou River bringing freshwater to the sea The Ocean Area where fresh and salt water mix

5. Important functions of estuaries: for living things 1. habitat 2. nursery 3. fisheries 4. recreation

6. Important functions of estuaries: related to water 5. Water purification 6. Flood control (from upstream) 7. Buffer land from hurricanes, absorb storm surge Loss of coastal wetlands in Louisiana made Hurricane Katrina’s effect worse than it would have been

7. Estuary plants Plants must be adapted to salty habitat cordgrass eelgrass glasswort – a succulent Narrow leaved cattail

8. Estuary animals oysters lobster Flounder Striped Bass Mosquito

9. Estuary animals Common tern Great White Egret Manatee Sea lions

10. Salt Marshes Definition: a low area that is subject to regular, but gentle, tides Dominated by grasses (Remember, marshes do not have trees or shrubs) Location: Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast Texas salt marsh Alabama salt marsh

11. Mangrove Swamps Definition: coastal wetlands located in tropical and subtropical zones; characterized by salt-tolerant trees and shrubs, such as mangrove trees

12. Rocky shores Also called rocky intertidal zone – many places to live in this habitat, means high biodiversity Organisms must be adapted to wave action, changing tide levels Some examples of rocky shores organisms are at the Monterey Bay Aquarium website below. At low tides, there are often tide pools left behind where you can see starfish, anemones, crabs, octopus

13. Rocky Shore Beach Sea starHermit crabShore crab Nudibranch Monterey flatworm KelpSea lettuce Barnacles Sea urchin Anemone Low tide Mussel Periwinkle High tide Sculpin

14. Sandy Shores (Beach) Not as much biodiversity as rocky shores – Why? 1.not much habitat diversity 2.sand dries out at low tide some small things can live in the sand, food for shorebirds

15. Barrier Islands Narrow islands made of sand that provide a buffer for the mainland from the sea Constantly shifting, especially with storms Ex: NC Outer Banks, Florida Keys

16. Barrier beach Silversides Blue crab Low tide Dwarf olive Clam Beach flea Tiger beetle High tide Ghost shrimp Mole shrimp Sandpiper Peanut worm White sand macoma Sand dollarMoon snail

17. OceanBeach Intensive recreation, no building Primary Dune No direct passage or building Trough Limited recreation and walkways Secondary Dune No direct passage or building Bay or Lagoon Intensive recreation Back Dune Most suitable for development Grasses or shrubsTaller shrubs Taller shrubs and trees Bay shore No filling Barrier Islands Think about ecological succession as you move away from the ocean. What is the “disturbance” in this ecosystem?

18. Coral Reefs Corals are animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria, the stinging-celled animals such as jellyfish and hydra Coral polyps resemble small sea anemones with tentacles that can sting and paralyze prey

19. Coral Reefs There are many different kinds of corals: Soft corals Hard corals

20. Coral Reefs Growing on the reef with the corals are other animals, such as sponges, worms, shrimps, crabs, mollusks Living in and around the reef are fish, sea turtles, sea snakes, marine mammals

21. Coral Reef Destruction 1. Coral bleaching – when temperatures go above normal, the zooxanthellae (algae) in the coral can be rejected, the coral turns a whitish color and dies Natural causes: El Nino Manmade causes: Global warming

22. Coral Reef Destruction 2. Physical damage Ships, anchors, tourist divers Dynamite fishing - reefs are damaged by physical destruction that may occur when people collect fish

23. Coral Reef Destruction 3.Land development and pollution – loss of mangrove forests means more nutrients and sediments flow out to the sea; coral may die from sediment or algal blooms 4.Fish and coral trade 5.Increased exposure to UV due to ozone depletion

24. Ocean: Ocean: Importance of Oceans Oceans provide food for most living things and a place for many organisms to live.

25. Temperature of Ocean Water  Warm water holds less dissolved gas than cold water.  When ocean water is cold, like in polar regions, it sinks and carries oxygen rich water to the ocean depths.  As a result, fish and other animals can live in deep parts of the ocean.

26. Waves A wave in water is a rhythmic movement that carries energy through the water. Waves are caused by high winds blowing on top of the water.

27. Tides Throughout a day, the water level at the ocean’s edge changes. This rise and fall in sea level is called a tide. A tide is a giant wave that can be thousands of kilometers long but only 1 m to 2 m high in the open ocean. Tides are created by the gravitational attraction of Earth and the Moon and of Earth and the Sun.

28. Tides

29. Upwelling Upwelling brings up tiny ocean organisms, minerals, and other nutrients from the deeper layers of the water; without upwelling the surface of the ocean would be nutrient deficient. Upwelling is the upward movement of cold water from the ocean depths.

30. Down welling  The process of accumulation and sinking of higher density cold salt water beneath lower density warm salt water.

31. El Nino   El Nino interrupts up the pattern of upwelling.   Without nutrients provided by upwelling, fish and other organisms cannot find food.   Fish and other organisms die and weather patterns are disturbed. El Nino is an abnormal climate event that occurs every 2-7 years in the Pacific Ocean, causing changes in the winds, currents, and weather patterns.

32. Continental Shelf  The continental shelf is the gradually sloping end of a continent that extends under the ocean.  The ocean covering the continental shelf can be as deep as 350 m.  Large mineral, oil and natural gas deposits are found here.

33. Continental Slope  At the edge of the continental shelf, the ocean floor plunges steeply 4 to 5 kilometers.  The continental slope extends from the outer edge of the continental shelf down to the ocean floor.

34. The Ocean Floor  The ocean floor has higher mountains, deeper canyons, and larger flatter plains than the surface.  Earthquakes occur more often there.  The rocks are very different.  The crust is thinner.  90% og all metals are found there

36. Abyssal Plains  Large, flat areas on the ocean floor are called abyssal plains.  The abyssal plains are larger in the Atlantic and Indian than in the Pacific due to the deposition of sediments by large rivers.  Abyssal plains are close to the continent and are made of mud, sand and silt.

37. Seamounts and Guyots  Seamounts are underwater volcanic mountains that rise more than 100 meters above the ocean floor. Most have been found in the Pacific Ocean.  Some seamounts reach above the surface of the water to form islands, like the Azores in the Atlantic and the Hawaiian islands in the Pacific.  Guyots are flat-topped seamounts.

38. Trenches  Trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean found along the edge of the ocean floor.  The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean contains the deepest spot (1100 meters) on Earth known as Challenger Deep.

39. Mid-ocean Ridges A mid-ocean ridge is the area in an ocean basin where new ocean floor is formed.  The mid-ocean ridges form an almost continuous mountain belt that extends from the Arctic Ocean down through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean around Africa into the Indian Ocean and across the Pacific Ocean.  In the Atlantic it is called the mid-Atlantic Ridge and in the Pacific, the Pacific- Antarctica Ridge.

40. Ocean Life Zones  The plant and animal life in the ocean is affected by several factors.  One factor is the amount of sunlight that penetrates the ocean.  Another factor is the temperature of the ocean water.  Water pressure is also a factor.

41. Ocean Layers

42. Plankton Plankton float at or near the surface where sunlight can penetrate. Plankton float at or near the surface where sunlight can penetrate. Most of the plankton are very small, such as algae. Most of the plankton are very small, such as algae. These organisms drift with the currents or tides. These organisms drift with the currents or tides. Plankton are the main food for many larger organisms. They account for most of the organisms in the ocean. Plankton are the main food for many larger organisms. They account for most of the organisms in the ocean.

43. Benthos  Organisms that live on the ocean floor are benthos.  Crabs, and lobster are just a few examples of benthos.  The deep bottom environments are sparsely populated with benthos.  Some benthos are plants that live on the ocean floor in shallow waters where sun can penetrate.