LIFE IN THE OCEAN
NOTES
- Seawater is 800 times more dense than air
- Global distribution of nutrients depends on temperature stratification
- Cold, heavy water is key to food chain
- Receives constant rain of organic detritus
- Surface water usually lacks nutrients because photosynthesizers have depleted them
- Uneven supply of food in deep-sea is a result of pressure
- Global distribution of nutrients depends on temperature stratification
- Cold, heavy water is key to food chain
- Receives constant rain of organic detritus
- Surface water usually lacks nutrients because photosynthesizers have depleted them
- Uneven supply of food in deep-sea is a result of pressure
SUMMARY
The ocean is home to some of the most diverse species on Earth. Many of which are still unknown and yet to be discovered. Water makes up three fourths of the Earth and is 800 times denser than air. The global distribution of nutrients depends on the temperature stratification of the water. The colder, deeper, heavier water is key to the food chain because it receives a constant rain of organic detritus. Surface water usually has less nutrients due to photosynthesizers consuming them.
REFLECTION
The sea is a very interesting habitat for very diverse creatures. I found the most compelling part of the article was the part about nutrient distribution. I thought that the surface water had the most nutrients and the deeper water had less, but it turned out to be the opposite. I also found it intriguing how the uneven supply of deep-sea food was due to the pressure. Overall this was a nice departure from the more depressing articles about the environment that we read.