Earth Systems, Structures and Processes

1
Earth Systems, Structures and Processes

• 8.E.1.2
• Summarize evidence that Earths oceans are a
  reservoir of nutrients, minerals, dissolved
  gases, and life forms
• Estuaries
• Marine ecosystems
• Upwelling
• Behavior of gases in the marine environment
• Deep ocean technology and understandings gained

2
Earths Oceans

• More than 70 of the Earths surface is covered
  by ocean water.
• Most of the ocean floor has not been explored
  because it is so vast and deep.
• There are many similarities in features between
  the ocean floor and land.

3
One Ocean

• Earths oceans are often split into 5 different
  ones
• Atlantic
• Pacific
• Indian
• Southern
• Arctic
• There is actually only one continuous ocean

4
One Ocean

• Ocean Basin
• Part of Earths surface that is covered by ocean
  water.
• Pacific is largest and deepest
• Arctic is coldest and shallowest
• Mostly covered in ice

5
Ocean Floor

• Ocean floor includes
• Continental shelf
• Continental slope
• Mid-ocean ridge
• Rift valleys
• Trenches

6
Ocean Floor

• Most of the ocean is dark, flat area called the
  Abyssal plain
• Ocean trench is a large V-shaped valley
• Mid-ocean ridges are underwater mountain ranges
• Some of the mountain ranges reach above the water
  to form islands.
• Ocean floor mapping video

7
Ocean Composition

• Most of the Earths water is not drinkable
  (potable) because of the salt.
• Why cant we drink salt water?
• Even though the ocean is fed by fresh water,
  because of the salt left behind in evaporation,
  the fresh water quickly becomes salty.
• Underwater volcanoes also add salt.
• Why is ocean water salty?

8
Ocean Composition

• Salinity
• The saltiness of a body of water
• In an ocean, it averages about 3.5
• This means that about 3-4 of the water is made
  up of dissolved salt
• Rather than H2O only for the water, it is
  actually
• H2O with about 3-4 NaCl
• Salinity levels are lower where fresh water flows
  into the ocean and higher where there is a
  greater rate of evaporation
• Such as near the Equator

9
Ocean as a Resource

• The ocean has been used as a source of food for
  centuries.
• Fishing is a major industry in North Carolina
• Swordfish
• Tuna
• Flounder
• Shrimp
• Crab
• Oysters
• Scallops

10
Ocean as a Resource

• Food resources are often threatened by pollution
• The release of an unwanted substance into the
  environment
• Oil spills
• Taking too many resources before they can
  reproduces is called Overfishing
• Sustainable Resources

11
Marine Ecosystems and Estuaries

• Almost half of the known species on Earth live in
  the ocean
• That number could be greater due to the vast
  unknown of the ocean depths
• Ocean Depths

12
The Oceans Producers

• Marine (Ocean) producers are important to all
  life on Earth
• Main producers are algae and phytoplankton
• They live in the upper regions of the ocean and
  get enough light for photosynthesis
• Light can not reach deeper into the ocean so
  there are no producers at deeper levels.
• Marine food web

13
The Oceans Producers

• Marine Organisms
• Benthos
• The flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in
  the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other
  body of water.
• Nekton
• Aquatic animals that are able to swim and move
  independently of water currents
• Plankton
• Microscopic organisms that float freely with
  oceanic currents and in other bodies of water.
• Plankton is made up of tiny plants (called
  phytoplankton) and tiny animals (called
  zooplankton).

14
The Oceans Producers

• Populations of producers can be affected by ocean
  currents
• Oceanic currents describe the movement of water
  from one location to another.
• Ocean currents are driven by wind, water density
  differences, and tides. 
• Ocean currents can cause Upwellings
• Carries cold water from the deep in the ocean up
  the surface
• Winds blowing across the ocean surface push water
  away. Water then rises up from beneath the
  surface to replace the water that was pushed
  away. Upwelling occurs in the open ocean and
  along coastlines.
• This water is rich in nutrients from the ocean
  floor
• Producers use the nutrients to increase
  populations

15
Marine Ecosystems

• There are three major ecosystems
• The Shore
• The Open Ocean
• The Deep Ocean
• Really annoying but very informative video!

16
Marine Ecosystems

• The Shore
• The part of the ocean nearest the land
• With shallow water, light can reach the bottom of
  the ocean
• Waves create a lot of motion in this area moving
  sand and mud
• This creates Sediment deposits
• Naturally occurring material that is broken down
  by processes of weathering and erosion, and is
  transported by the action of wind, water, or ice
  until deposited through gravity.
• Tides rise and fall and some creatures thrive
  such as clams, mussels and worms

17
Marine Ecosystems

• Photic Zone
• Surface layer of the ocean that receives
  sunlight.
• Euphotic Zone
• The uppermost 80 m (260 feet) or more of the
  ocean, which is sufficiently illuminated to
  permit photosynthesis by phytoplankton and
  plants.
• Ocean Photic Zones Video
• (Volume may need to be raised)

18
Marine Ecosystems

• The Open Ocean
• The vast area of top ocean level that expands
  from shore to shore
• This expands as deep as light is allowed to
  filter down
• The sun warms the water at these depths
• Light is bright enough for photosynthesis
• Some of the organisms that thrive here are
  jellyfish, fish and squid

19
Marine Ecosystems

• The Deep Ocean
• Thousands of meters below the oceans surface
• The water is very cold
• Openings in the ocean floor release heat called
  Hydrothermal Vents
• Small ecosystems exist around these vents
• They rely on organisms called autotrophs that
  make their own food No light filters down so
  photosynthesis can not take place
• Because of this, Chemosynthesis takes place
• Process of using energy stored in chemical bonds
  instead of sunlight to produce food

20
Ocean Acifidication

• Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in
  the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the
  uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from
  the atmosphere.
• Carbonic Acid
• A chemical compound with the chemical formula
  H2CO3
• It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of
  carbon dioxide in water, because such solutions
  contain small amounts of H2CO3
• Contributes to the increase in the oceans pH

21
Estuaries

• Estuary
• A body of water in which freshwater from a river
  meets and mixes with salt water from the ocean
• Known as inlets, bays, harbors, lagoons and
  sounds
• Examples are Boston Harbor, Chesapeake Bay,
  Pamlico Sound, and Albemarle Sound
• Salinity levels change based upon tides, wind
  direction and storms

22
Estuaries

• Often protected from ocean waves by land
  features.
• Barrier Islands, Reefs, Sand spits
• Rich in nutrients, dissolved oxygen, and minerals
• Can be used a nurseries for many animals
  including some ocean animals that come to breed
• Reservoir
• A large natural or artificial lake used as a
  source of water supply.

23
Neuse River

• Kayaking
• Lower Neuse River 1
• Lower Neuse River 2
• Rachel Carson Reserve