Why are coastal oceans more productive?
Why are coastal oceans more productive?
The coastal ocean teems with life because there are mechanisms for tapping this store of deep nutrients and for drawing plant food from other marine environments. The surface waters in regions of coastal upwelling are cold and nutrient-rich, promoting robust growth of plants and the animals that feed on them.
What areas of the ocean are most productive and why?
Although they occupy just fewer than two percent of the surface of the oceans, the large coastal upwelling areas on the eastern edges of the Pacific and the Atlantic are among the most biologically productive marine areas of all.
Why are coastal waters typically more biologically productive than open ocean areas?
Because of the density difference between surface water and the deep sea across most of the ocean, ocean circulation can only very slowly reintroduce dissolved nutrients to the euphotic zone. By driving nutrients out of the sunlit, buoyant surface waters, ocean productivity effectively limits itself.
Why productivity is low in oceans?
Answer. – The biomass in the oceans is low. The dry weight is the primary product we think of when we talk about productivity in the oceans. – The cause of this is lack of enough sunlight to enable high rates of photosynthesis which would increase productivity.
Which ocean zone is the most productive?
epipelagic
Which zone is most productive?
neritic zone
Is Neritic zone the most productive?
The neritic zone is the most productive ocean region, as it supports an abundance of living organisms. It has been estimated that 90% of the world’s fish and shellfish harvest comes from the neritic zone.
Which horizontal zone or zones of the ocean is open water?
pelagic zone
What is the largest life zone in the ocean?
Ch15- “Marine Environments”- Vocab Chapter Review
| A | B |
|---|---|
| Ocean basin | Deepest part of the ocean floor |
| Oceanic zone | Life zone beyond neritic zone that includes most of open ocean |
| Pelagic zone | Largest life zone in ocean, entire ocean of water above sea bottom; includes the neritic and oceanic zones |
Why is there a thermocline in ocean waters?
The mixed layer results from surface winds, waves, and currents that mix the upper water and distribute the heat throughout this layer. Below the mixed layer there is a rapid decline in temperature over a fairly narrow increase in depth. This is called the thermocline .
Do sharks live in the pelagic zone?
Pelagic or oceanic sharks live in the open waters of seas and oceans. They inhabit tropical and temperate waters, and many are migratory. However, there are also three species of large plankton eating filter feeders – the whale shark, the basking shark and the megamouth shark.