Marine Science Unit 2

Test wednesday, 21

Littoral Zone

Area between the average high tide and low tide mark. Area changed from terrestiolm and aquatic as the tide goes in and out. Causes changed in tempature and physical conditions.

Littoral (Supratidal Zone)

Rocky shorelines, rocky shores, spray region, organisms are sessile: permanently attached.

Littoral (Sandy and Mud Shorelines)

Substrate is unstable. Few plants and the organism will burrow into the sand.

Littoral (Intertidal Zone)

Various types of plants. Some Sessile and some motile organisms.

Littoral (Subtidal Zone)

Below the average low tide line. Large brown algae growth (kelp). Various plants. Starfish, crabs, sea urchins.

Neritic Zone

Area between the littoral zone and oceanic zone. Contains producers (autotroph) and consumers (heterotroph). Consumers are called nekton. Fish and birds. most fed on zooplankton. sardines, squid, hulls, pelicans.

Oceanic Zone

Open ocean. Some producers and consumers. Larger nekton. Whales and Shark.

3 ocean zones

Littoral, Neritic, and oceanic zone

Types of continential Margins

Active and passive

Active Continential margin

Narrow shelf, Trench is present, common in pacific

Passive Continential Margin

Wide shelf, no trench, common in the atlantic

Ocean Basin

Ocean floor between the continential margin on both sides of an ocean

Ocean basin features

Abyssal plain, Seamount, Guyot.

abyssal plain

Flat areas of sea floor, most level areas of earth’s surface. Level due to sediment falling from above which covers rough areas.

Seamount

underwater volcanic mountain peaks on the abyssal plains. Hawaii is..

Guyot

Flat topped seamount, Land probably colappsed after a seamount exploded.

Mid ocean ridge

Undersea mountain range

Atoll

An island surrounded by coral. Lagoon forms inside the coral

Trench

long and narrow. Deepest part of the ocean.

Mariana trench

over 11,000 meters deep. Deepend part of the ocean. Located in the pacific ocean

Heterotroph

consumer

Autotroph

producer