\ Mimic shallow-water environments, organisms exploit these environments
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Barrier Reef
Ridge of sediment separated from a major landmass by water
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Great Barrier Reef
2000km long, 150km wide
\ 40km offshore of Australia
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Corals
Live in shallow, warm, tropical seawater
\ Solitary or colonial organisms
\ Have a life cycle
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Coral Reefs
Can grow from one polyp
\ Limestone skeleton grows 2cm/yr
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Continents
Continental crust above mean sea level
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Continental Margin
Continental crust under shallow water
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Deep Ocean Basins
Deeper areas further from land
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Mid-Ocean Ridges
Where new oceanic crust added
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Where are the deepest parts of the ocean?
Commonly just offshore of the continental margin
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Continental Shelf
Flat and shallow part of the continental margin
\ Average extends 70km offshore
\ Average slope is 2 degrees
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Shelf Break
Where the continental shelf ends and the continental slope begins
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Continental Slope
Steeply sloped area offshore of the shelf break
\ Average: 4 degrees
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Continental Rise
Transition zone between slope and deep ocean floor
\ Commonly cut by submarine canyons
\ Made by mix of water and sediment
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Turbidity Currents
Mix of water and sediment, that fills submarine canyon
\ Creates underwater avalanche
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Graded Bedding
Larger grains at bottom, finer grains at top
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Abyssal Plain
Flat surfaces in deep ocean
\ Cover 1/3 of planet, very deep
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Ocean Trench
Deep linear depression on the ocean floor
\ Forms from tectonic plate collision
\ Deepest places on Earth
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Volcanic Arcs
Lines of volcanoes that form on overriding tectonic plate
\ Associated with convergent margins
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Hydrothermal Vent
Fissure on seafloor where heated water is expelled
\ Cold water is heated by magma and re-emerges
\ Often host unconventional ecosystems
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Hydrothermal Vents
Opening in the ocean floor that emits hot water and dissolved minerals
\ Usually associated with divergent plate margins
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Hydrothermal Vent Biocommunity
Bottom-dwelling community of organisms associated with a hydrothermal vent
\ Rely on sulfur-oxidizing bacteria
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Hyperthermophiles
Organisms able to grow at 90 degrees or greater
\ 400 species now known
\ Survive through detoxifying sulfide via chemosynthesis
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Chemosynthesis
A process where bacteria or archaea synthesize organic molecules by oxidizing inorganic molecules
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Typical Hydrothermal Vent
Emits fluid that are hot, acidic, and toxic
\ High concentration of dissolved hydrogen sulfide and heavy metals
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Black Smoker Hydrothermal Vents
Emits a black cloud of hot water and suspended metal particles
\ Copper sulfides, zinc, silver
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White Smoker Hydrothermal Vents
Emits a white cloud of hot water filled with dissolved metals
\ Water is not as hot as in black smokers
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Biomass at Hydrothermal Vents
Have high metabolic rates and mature rapidly
\ Well adapted to the temporary nature of these vents
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Giant Deep Sea Tubeworms (Riftia Pachyptila)
2\.5m long, 10 cm diameter, no mouth
\ Absorb nutrients via symbiotic bacteria in their tissues, have no digestive tract
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Giant Bivalves
Calyptogena Magnifica: Giant White Clam
\ Bathymodiolus Thermophilus: Large deep water mussel
\ Catch suspended particles in their gills
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Vulcanoctopus Hydrothermalis
Near black smokers, eats crustaceans, small eyes
\ Small octopus thing, 200 mm long
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What is the difference between a seamount and a tablemount?
Seamounts are volcanoes that may or may not rise above sea level, where tablemounts are seamounts that have been exposed to elements and therefore become flat topped