Continental Shelf

1
Continental Shelf

• Area of the ocean found between the end of the
  intertidal zone and the shelf break

2

• WIDTH VARIES
• average of 150 km (80 miles)
• broad along passive margins
• narrow along active margins

3

• CONTAINS SEDIMENT
• Source erosion of continent
• Brought in by rivers
• Created by waves

4

• AVERAGE DEPTH
• 150 m
• 500 ft

5
Abiotic/Physical Features

• temperature varies from place to place affects
  distribution of organisms
•  more affected by waves and currents than deep
  water
•  turbulence water motion mixes up nutrients
  so they dont accumulate on bottom highly
  productive
• Substrate
• sandy or muddy dominate
• rocky

6
Types of Organisms

• Benthos bottom
• Plankton Nekton in the water column of the
  neritic zone

7
Bottom

• Unvegetated
• occasionally green algae (ex. sea lettuce) on
  rocks
• main producers are diatoms
• detritus is important food source

8
Bottom

• Vegetated
• sea grasses (soft-bottom)
• sea weeds / algae (rocky)