1. The Ocean Floor

2. Studying the Ocean Floor
Risky to explore ocean floor
Ways to survey include:
Sonar
Satellite
Ways to explore:
Alvin
Deep Flight
Jason II &
Medea

3. Sonar Sound Navigation And Ranging
Sends pulses from a ship down into ocean… bounces off bottom and returns pulse back to ship
Deeper water = longer pulse response

4. Satellite
Seasat – satellite took images that allowed us to measure direction and speed of ocean currents
Geosat – measures changes in height of ocean’s surface
Used be top-secret
Now used to make ocean maps

5. Regions of Ocean Floor Ocean floor is not flat Many features:
Rift valley, mid-ocean ridge, seamounts, and trenches
Continental Shelf, C. Slope, C. Rise, and Abyssal Plain

6. Ocean Floor

7. Regions of Ocean Floor
Continental shelf – begins at shoreline and slopes gently toward open ocean. Continues until ocean floor begins to slope more steeply downward Depth can reach 200m
Continental Slope – begins at edge of continental shelf. Continues down to flattest part of ocean floor. 200m – 4000m

8. Regions of Ocean Floor
Continental Rise – the base of the C. Slope, is made of large piles of sediment. The boundary between the continental margin and the deep-ocean basin lies underneath the continental rise.
Abyssal Plain – the broad, flat part of the deep-ocean basin. It is covered by mud and the remains of tiny marine organisms. The avg depth is 4000m.

9. Exploring Ocean Piloted Vessels: Alvin: - 7m long
Can reach deepest parts of ocean
Used to find sunken ships; lost H bomb
Found life near hydrothermal vents near Galapagos.

10. Exploring Ocean Piloted Vessels: Deep Flight: - underwater airplane
Goal is to one day dive 11,000m deep.
Robotic Vessels: Jason II and Medea
Reduce costs w/out pilot
Can withstand high pressure

11. Life in the Ocean

12. {Zoo (animal) and Phyto(Plant)}
Marine Life
Three main groups :
Plankton (microscopic floaters)
{Zoo (animal) and Phyto(Plant)}
Nekon (swimming organisms) – mammals and fish
Benthos (live at bottom) – crabs, starfish, worms, coral, sponges, seaweed, and clams

13. Benthic Environment Bottom environment
Region near ocean floor and all the organisms live on or in it
Zones Include:
Intertidal, Sublittoral, Baythal, Abyssal, and Hadal
I’m Sure Being A Handful!

14. Benthic Environment

15. Pelagic Environment Zone near the ocean’s surface and at middle depths
Beyond Sublittoral Zone and above Abyssal Zone
Two Major Zones:
Neritic and Oceanic Zone

16. Viper Fish
Grenadier