Marine+Life+Zones+Caleb

=Title: Marine Life Zones =

=Explanation of Topic =

Definitions:

 * 1) Photic Zone - the upper layer of a body of water delineated by the depth to which enough sunlight can penetrate to permit photosynthesis.
 * 2) Intertidal Zone - the area between the land and sea that is covered by water at high tide and uncovered at low tide.
 * 3) Neritic Zone - the shallow waters of the ocean from the littoral zone to the edge of the continental shelf.
 * 4) Oceanic Zone - the region of the open sea beyond the edge of the continental shelf, where the depth is greater than 200 meters.
 * 5) Pelagic Zone - open ocean of any depth.
 * 6) Benthic Zone - any sea-bottom surface regardless of its distance from the shore and is mostly inhabited by benthos organisms.
 * 7) Abyssal Zone - the deep sea (2000 meters or more) where there is no light.

Key Points:

 * 1) Three factors are used to divide the ocean into distinct marine life zones:
 * The availability of sunlight
 * The distance from shore
 * The water depth

Details:

 * <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> Availability Of Sunlight: The photic zone has one so called side zone called the euphotic zone. The euphotic zone is the portion of the photic near the surface where light is strong enough for photosynthesis to occur. In the open ocean the photic zone can reach a depth of 100 meters, but the zone is more shallow near shore where the water clarity is typically reduced. In this zone, Phytoplankton use sunlight to produce food and become the basis of most oceanic food ebs. Photosynthesis cannot occur below 100 meters but there is enough sunlight for marine animals to avoid predators, find food, recognize their species, and locate mates. Below the photic zone is the aphotic zone, where there is no sunlight.
 * <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Distance From Shore: Marine life zones can also be divided base on the distance from the shore. They are divided into the intertidal zone, neritic zone, and oceanic zone. The intertidal zone is where the land and ocean meet and overlap. It is located between the high and low tides and is alternately covered and uncovered by seawater with each tidal change. The neritic zone covers the gently sloping continental shelf. It can be very narrow or can extend hundreds of kilometers from the shore. Normally, it is shallow enough for sunlight to reach all the way to the ocean floor making it entirely within the photic zone. The neritic zone is so rich in nutrients that it supports 90% of the world's commercial fisheries. Beyond the continental shelf is the oceanic zone. Since the open ocean reaches great depths, surface waters typically have lower nutrient concentrations because nutrients tend to sink out of the photic zone to the deep-ocean floor.
 * <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Water Depth: Open ocean of any depth is called the pelagic zone. The animals here float freely. The photic part of this zone is home to phytoplankton, zooplankton, and nekton, such as tuna, sea turtles, and dolphin. The aphotic part of this zone has giant squid and other species that are adapted to life in deep water. The benthic zone includes any sea-bottom surface regardless of its distance from distance from shore and is mostly inhabited by benthos organisms. The abyssal zone is a subdivision of the benthic zone. The abyssal zone includes the deep-ocean floor. This zone is characterized by extremely high water pressure, consistently low temperature, no sunlight, and sparse life.

=<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Visual Examples =

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> (Pictures, Graphics, Animations)




=<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Links to more information: = <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/photic+zone <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intertidal+zone <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/neritic+zone <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-oceaniczone.html

=<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> Interesting Facts or Discoveries: =
 * <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">After 100 meters there is still enough sunlight for marine life to avoid predators, find food, recognize their species, and locate mates.
 * <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">The neritic zone supports 90% of the world's commercial fisheries.
 * <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Organisms in the abyssal zone can survive with all the harsh conditions such as extremely high water pressure and low temperature.

=<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Works Cited: = <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> www.dictionary.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/photic+zone>. <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> www.dictionary.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intertidal+zone>. <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> www.dictionary.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/neritic+zone>. <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> www.dictionary.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-oceaniczone.html>. <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> www.dictionary.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://www.reference.com/browse/pelagic+zone?fromAsk=true&o=100074>. <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0def3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> www.dictionary.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/abyssal+zone?o=100074>. TarbuckEdward J., and Fredrick K. Lutgens. "Marine Life Zones." Prentice Hall Earth Science. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006. 804. Print.