Notes: -From people’s often terrestrially biased perspective, marine organisms can seem odd. Some of these creatures glow in
the dark, many are soft and boneless, and most saltwater plants
grow fast and die young—unlike trees, which live to a ripe old
age. These differences have arisen because of the physical and
chemical characteristics of the ocean.
-Life underwater has a unique hue as well. Water absorbs light differently than
air does. Shorter wavelengths—such as those of the blues and greens—penetrate
more deeply than the longer wavelengths of the reds and yellows do. So the
view 10 meters below the surface is mostly blue
- Phytoplankton are sea- sonal and vary by region. Most of the larger species—the ones that turn the ocean green or brown or red when they bloom—thrive in coastal and certain equatorial areas where nutrients are abundant.
-The ocean does not contain much plant life, because concentrations of crit- ical nutrients are lower than they are on land. Phosphorus and nitrogen, for ex- ample, are present at only 1/10,000 of their concentration in fertile soil.
-The global distribution of what few nutrients there are depends largely on the temperature stratification of the ocean. In the tropics, surface waters are al- ways quite balmy; in temperate regions, these upper waters warm in the sum- mer and are cold the rest of the year.
-It is this cold, heavy water that is the key to the food chain. Because it receives a constant rain of organic detritus from above, deep, chilly water is richly sup- plied with nutrients. And because no light reaches it, no photosynthesis takes place there—so few organisms take advantage of this abundant nourishment. In contrast, surface water is often barren of nutrients because the sun-loving pho- tosynthesizers have depleted them.
-Temperature and depth also play an important role because these variables control the availability of oxygen.
- Every 10 meters of seawater adds roughly another atmosphere of pressure: at one-kilometer depth the pressure is 100 atmospheres (100 times what people normally experience).
- Food for these organisms arrives in the unending shower of organic particles called marine snow—although sometimes a large carcass, a clump of kelp or a waterlogged tree may settle on the seafloor. Of these sources, though, the marine snow is the most important.
-Even more important than the meager, uneven supply of food are the effects of pressure. Deep-sea animals and invertebrates with shells tend to be gelatinous and to have sluggish movements. Their shells are poorly developed because it is difficult to accumulate calcium carbonate under high pressure.
-Not surprisingly, the ocean communities and creatures that researchers know best are those nearest shore: coral reefs, sea-grass beds, kelp for- ests, coastal mangroves, salt marshes, mudflats and estuaries. These areas are the places people fish, dive, dig for clams, observe shorebirds and, when not paying attention, run boats aground. As a result, these habitats are also the ones people have damaged most severely.
-Perhaps the most familiar near-shore communities of all are those of the intertidal zone, which occupies a meter or twobetween the high- and low- tide marks.
-Weather patterns and seasonal variations also influence the makeup of the intertidal zone. Temperate areas have the most developed intertidal commu- nities because summer fogs often protect creatures from direct sunlight. In contrast, rocky shores in the tropics are usually quite bare—consisting of a few diatoms, coralline red algae, cyanobacteria, chitons and nerites (both of which are mollusks).
Summary:
the dark, many are soft and boneless, and most saltwater plants
grow fast and die young—unlike trees, which live to a ripe old
age. These differences have arisen because of the physical and
chemical characteristics of the ocean.
-Life underwater has a unique hue as well. Water absorbs light differently than
air does. Shorter wavelengths—such as those of the blues and greens—penetrate
more deeply than the longer wavelengths of the reds and yellows do. So the
view 10 meters below the surface is mostly blue
- Phytoplankton are sea- sonal and vary by region. Most of the larger species—the ones that turn the ocean green or brown or red when they bloom—thrive in coastal and certain equatorial areas where nutrients are abundant.
-The ocean does not contain much plant life, because concentrations of crit- ical nutrients are lower than they are on land. Phosphorus and nitrogen, for ex- ample, are present at only 1/10,000 of their concentration in fertile soil.
-The global distribution of what few nutrients there are depends largely on the temperature stratification of the ocean. In the tropics, surface waters are al- ways quite balmy; in temperate regions, these upper waters warm in the sum- mer and are cold the rest of the year.
-It is this cold, heavy water that is the key to the food chain. Because it receives a constant rain of organic detritus from above, deep, chilly water is richly sup- plied with nutrients. And because no light reaches it, no photosynthesis takes place there—so few organisms take advantage of this abundant nourishment. In contrast, surface water is often barren of nutrients because the sun-loving pho- tosynthesizers have depleted them.
-Temperature and depth also play an important role because these variables control the availability of oxygen.
- Every 10 meters of seawater adds roughly another atmosphere of pressure: at one-kilometer depth the pressure is 100 atmospheres (100 times what people normally experience).
- Food for these organisms arrives in the unending shower of organic particles called marine snow—although sometimes a large carcass, a clump of kelp or a waterlogged tree may settle on the seafloor. Of these sources, though, the marine snow is the most important.
-Even more important than the meager, uneven supply of food are the effects of pressure. Deep-sea animals and invertebrates with shells tend to be gelatinous and to have sluggish movements. Their shells are poorly developed because it is difficult to accumulate calcium carbonate under high pressure.
-Not surprisingly, the ocean communities and creatures that researchers know best are those nearest shore: coral reefs, sea-grass beds, kelp for- ests, coastal mangroves, salt marshes, mudflats and estuaries. These areas are the places people fish, dive, dig for clams, observe shorebirds and, when not paying attention, run boats aground. As a result, these habitats are also the ones people have damaged most severely.
-Perhaps the most familiar near-shore communities of all are those of the intertidal zone, which occupies a meter or twobetween the high- and low- tide marks.
-Weather patterns and seasonal variations also influence the makeup of the intertidal zone. Temperate areas have the most developed intertidal commu- nities because summer fogs often protect creatures from direct sunlight. In contrast, rocky shores in the tropics are usually quite bare—consisting of a few diatoms, coralline red algae, cyanobacteria, chitons and nerites (both of which are mollusks).
Summary:
This article had a lot to do with the life out in the ocean and the meaningful animals in it. The article gave a lt of insights in how we see the animals and to us the deep bur sea and its animals are very odd and different. To some of us they are very interesting and different. Some animals glow in the dark, while others instead have big eyes and some are even boneless. Those different characteristics is what interest us human beings that makes us study about them and learn about the importance of every little animal and organism in the sea. To keep these animals big and healthy and going they need the light of the sun and
-From people’s often terrestrially biased perspective, marine organisms can seem odd. Some of these creatures glow in
the dark, many are soft and boneless, and most saltwater plants
grow fast and die young—unlike trees, which live to a ripe old
age. These differences have arisen because of the physical and
chemical characteristics of the ocean.
-Life underwater has a unique hue as well. Water absorbs light differently than
air does. Shorter wavelengths—such as those of the blues and greens—penetrate
more deeply than the longer wavelengths of the reds and yellows do. So the
view 10 meters below the surface is mostly blue
- Phytoplankton are sea- sonal and vary by region. Most of the larger species—the ones that turn the ocean green or brown or red when they bloom—thrive in coastal and certain equatorial areas where nutrients are abundant.
-The ocean does not contain much plant life, because concentrations of crit- ical nutrients are lower than they are on land. Phosphorus and nitrogen, for ex- ample, are present at only 1/10,000 of their concentration in fertile soil.
-The global distribution of what few nutrients there are depends largely on the temperature stratification of the ocean. In the tropics, surface waters are al- ways quite balmy; in temperate regions, these upper waters warm in the sum- mer and are cold the rest of the year.
the dark, many are soft and boneless, and most saltwater plants
grow fast and die young—unlike trees, which live to a ripe old
age. These differences have arisen because of the physical and
chemical characteristics of the ocean.
-Life underwater has a unique hue as well. Water absorbs light differently than
air does. Shorter wavelengths—such as those of the blues and greens—penetrate
more deeply than the longer wavelengths of the reds and yellows do. So the
view 10 meters below the surface is mostly blue
- Phytoplankton are sea- sonal and vary by region. Most of the larger species—the ones that turn the ocean green or brown or red when they bloom—thrive in coastal and certain equatorial areas where nutrients are abundant.
-The ocean does not contain much plant life, because concentrations of crit- ical nutrients are lower than they are on land. Phosphorus and nitrogen, for ex- ample, are present at only 1/10,000 of their concentration in fertile soil.
-The global distribution of what few nutrients there are depends largely on the temperature stratification of the ocean. In the tropics, surface waters are al- ways quite balmy; in temperate regions, these upper waters warm in the sum- mer and are cold the rest of the year.