MoseOpenOcean





Open Ocean Facts

 * Open ocean covers 197 million //square miles// of the earth
 * The open ocean is called the pelagic zone- It has the greatest vertical range and volume of any life zone on earth
 * Open ocean also covers the continental shelf and beyond out to the Oceanic province
 * Since there are so many gradations in light, temperature, pressure, water chemistry, and nutrients... The open ocean is one of the most diverse environments in the world.
 * The ocean is largely dominated by plankton, this is the base of the food chain in the ocean, not only being this important attribute to the open ocean wild life, they also are the main organism that controls oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the ocean and atmosphere.

Where is the Open Ocean:
This map shows the area that open ocean covers around the world. Open ocean starts about 5-8 miles out, where the continental shelf lies. Basically where the water depth drops from around 50 feet to somewhere around 300. Being a fisher, we call this the blue water. Since it is so deep, the water has a very dark blue, almost purple color to it.

The next picture that is shown shows the food web of the open ocean...



The Food Web:
The way this web works is that it shows the predators on top, 1-4 are the carnivores and heteroprophs of the sea. They eat the smaller fish and sea life that are labeled as numbers 5, 6, and 7. 5-7 are the fish, turtles, shrimp, and lobsters. Though these are also carnivorous, they also feed on plant life too, thus classifying them as omnivores. These provide the larger fish with food. Now the last level on the list are numbers 8-11. There are the shrimp, plankton, zoo-plankton, corals, crabs, starfish and oysters. These animals are mostly detritivores, they feed on whatever floats their way or to the bottom, their main job is to be the food that starts the entire food chain.

So Whats Endangered:

 * Hawksbill Turtle
 * Bluefin Tuna
 * Great White Shark
 * Whale Shark
 * Blue Whale
 * Loggerhead Turtle

More Facts:

 * Though it may seem that we know a lot about our oceans, a vast majority of them have yet to be explored.
 * 230,000 species are known yet scientists estimate that the number out there is roughly 10 times that number
 * The oceans cover precisely 71% of the earth, and reach depths of over 9,800 feet
 * The bottom of the ocean is much like what land on earth looks like, there are valleys, mountains, and great deserts



The different Zones of the ocean: They are divided by depth... Where the X is at the top middle of the picture is where the Open Ocean starts. It is where the first major drop of in both depth and temperature lies.

Importance of the Ocean:

The ocean is this earths most valuable possession. Being that it is to many an escape from the real world, a place to have fun, water ski, fish and more, it is also the most important ecological asset. The ocean provides food for the entire world, and 3.3 billion rely on it as their main food source. Not only that but 90% of world trade is done by shipping across the ocean. So it is our most valuable food and shipping source. What else does the ocean do? It contains 97% of the worlds water, and the top ten feet of the ocean contain as much heat as our atmosphere, which helps keep the planet at the temperature that is livable year around. So why do we need to protect the ocean? Without it the human race would not survive. It is the largest environment in the world and responsible for regulating the weather and temperature. We pollute the ocean now at a rate that double what we used to. Seeing that in 20 years the amount of people that depend on its food and water will double, we need to do everything we can to protect its fragile environment. In the next three decades 60 percent of the remaining reefs are at risk of being lost. The reefs are at the bottom of the food chain thus the most important part of open ocean life. To loose these would spell disaster for years to come. Hopefully you have enjoyed this page and have learned a bit about the ocean life. Below are some really cool links of great white sharks, marlin, and other big game fish of the seas feeding. [|Marlin Feeding] [|Great White Shark] [|Marlin Jumping] Citations Web link || Desonie, Dana. "Ocean Ecosystems: Open Ocean." //encyclopedia.com//. N.p., 12 Aug. 2008. Web. 5 Sept. 2010. . ||  || 0 [|New] ||  [|Edit]  [|Copy]  [|Delete] Parenthetical Reference [|Have a Question?] || || "Ocean." //Wikipedia.com//. Wikipedia, 7 Sept. 2010. Web. 9 Sept. 2010. . ||  || 0 [|New] ||  [|Edit]  [|Copy]  [|Delete] Parenthetical Reference [|Have a Question?] ||
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