LIFE IN THE OCEAN ARTICLE Lesly Quezada Article Title: Life in the Ocean Author/Source: James W.

Nybakken and Steven K. Webster

Major Ideas

Earth should be names Oceanus, because 71% is covered in ocean, 90% ob biosphere volume, and 360 million square kilometers.

The ocean has long been mysterious. Interior is inaccessible. Holds many questions for scientists.

Researchers studied less than 10% of the ocean. The difficulty of getting safely to the bottom results in only 1% deep ocean has been explored

Phenomenon reflects the fact that life evolved in the sea, and few life forms were able to adapt to the loss of water around their bodies.

One and a half million terrestrial species have been describe. Most of them are insects and vascular plants.

Total estimates range from 5 million to more than 50 million. Of organisms that live in ocean, 250,000 species identified. Estimates from closer to 400,000 to 450,000.

Count may change once scientists get a better grasp of life on the ocean floor.

Experts predict that between 1 million and 10 million benthic species have yet to be described.

Marine organisms seem odd to terrestrially biased people. Creatures glow in the dark, some are soft and boneless, and saltwater plants grow fast and die young.

Differences arisen because of the physical and chemical characteristics of ocean.

Seawater is 800 times dense as air and is much more viscous. Marine organisms and particles of food can float endlessly through water. Some organisms live in fixed places. Graze on food in water around them.

Density of water buoys up organisms. Water absorbs light different than air View 10 meters below surface is blue. 100 meters deeper there isn't any sunlight and no photosynthesis.

Mid water species must depend on photosynthesis. Global distribution of nutrients depends on temperature stratification of the ocean.

The water may spend centuries deep in the sea before they can rise again to the surface.

Oxygen deep in the sea is rarely depleted because life is sparse.

Ocean is most often oxygen depleted at intermediate depths. Few organisms are adapted to life in oxygen-poor environments. Life in the deep is a great burden. Every 10 meters of seawater adds another atmosphere of pressure.

Inhabitants of the dark, cold regions have unusual adaptations. Marine snow is the most important source As it sinks to bottom, microbes, invertebrates and fish feed on it, therefore there is less to fall downward. That means, there are fewer consumers at greater depths.

Uneven food supplies are result of pressure. Bioluminescence can be found in 90 percent of midwater species of fish and invertebrates. Deep-sea fish have large eyes, so they can see by the faint light.

Luminosity serves to identify and recognize species, lure prey and to startle predators.

Such environments constitute less than 1 percent of ocean floor. Most near shore communities are the intertidal zone. Connections between the coastal areas, surface water and mid waters are becoming clear

Marine ecosystems are left out in discussions of saving biodiversity.

Authors Main Points

There is a huge number of different species all throughout the aquatic ecosystem. It is so vast, that scientists have only been able to study 10% of the ocean. The ocean provides the greatest diversity in body shapes, however land species are more abundant. The ocean is full of life, Coral reefs are normally found in warmer waters while kelp beds are usually found in slightly cooler waters. The areas that scientists know the most about are usually found near shorelines. Sadly, these areas are also the most damaged.

My Thoughts
I believe that the ocean is a very large, beautiful, and mysterious place. Its incredible how only 10% of the whole ocean has been discovered by scientists. Scientists and researchers should find ways to discover the new species in the ocean. With these new species to be discovered, we can learn about other factors that are helping us survive here on Earth. I think with the discovery of new species, it can lead to new solutions to many of these environmental problems in the world. With new solutions, predictions of the climate, sea levels and other factors affecting the Earth can change for better.

So What? The ocean is very important because the ocean covers the majority of our world. Also many animals live and depend on the oceans life. What If? What if our entire ocean disappeared? What if all life in the oceans died? We Would most likely lose thousands of species. This could harm land animals as well.

Says Who? Says James W. Nybakken & Steven K. Webster.

What Does This Remind me of? This Reminds me of the ocean acidification article because if ocean acidification occurred we would lose all living species in the ocean.