Transcript EARTH: An Ocean Planet

Ms. McGee and Ms. Graham
6th grade Earth and Space
Bell-ringer: (7 minutes)
 Directions: Write and answer each question in
COMPLETE sentences in your science notebook.
1. List Earth’s 5 oceans.
2. What do you think the ocean floor looks like?
3. How deep is the deepest part of the ocean?
Earth: An Ocean Planet
 What we think of as the
ocean is actually 5
different oceans: the
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian,
Arctic, and Southern.
But they make up one
big body of water.
 Today, the ocean covers
nearly three-quarters of
the Earth.
What are the names of the
different zones of the ocean?
The Epipelagic Zone
 Epipelagic Zone- The
“sunlight zone: of the
ocean, ranging from the
surface to a depth of 200
meters. (about 500 ft)
 Facts:
o This is the brightest and
warmest of the zones.
o Plants and algae (AL-jee)
can grow here, and it is
home to a huge variety of
animals.
o It's the shallowest of the
zones, but is more
crowded with creatures
than the other zones.
The Mesopelagic Zone
• The ocean’s twilight zone
which extends 200 to 1000
meters (500 to 3,000 ft) below
the surface.
• Dimmer and colder as the
water gets deeper.
• Plants and algae can't survive
here, and the animals in this
zone are specially adapted to
living in darkness.
• Many have big eyes to help
them see. And some are
bioluminescent (BY-oh-loomin-ES-ent), which means
they can make light with their
bodies. They may use the light
to attract prey or send signals
to mates.
The Bathypelagic Zone
• The ocean’s “midnight zone”, extending from 1000 to
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4000 meters (3-25k ft)below the surface.
Brrrr, you wouldn't want to visit the midnight zone.
Temperatures are close to freezing
The water is pitch-black
Food is scarce
Fewer animals live here
90 % of the water in the ocean is in this zone.
The Abyssopelagic Zone
 The region of the ocean
from 4000 to 6000
meters (15-20k ft) below
the surface.
 Its name derives from
the Greek belief that the
ocean had no bottom.
 Temperature ranges from
10° to 4°C (50° to 39°F).
The Hadal Zone
 Also referred to as “the trenches”
 The DEEPEST parts of the ocean, including everything
below 6000 meters. (20k feet)
 This zone does not spread across the ocean floor but
exists only in the deepest ocean trenches.
 Because no light reaches this part of the ocean, it is
impossible for plants to thrive but there are still hardy
creatures that call these depths home.
The Continental shelf
 Extends out about 80 km
(50 miles) from shore
with depths about 200
meters.
The Continental Slope
 The continental slope is
a STEEP drop which
connects the continental
shelf to the ocean floor.
The Continental Rise
 The buildup of sediment
before the vast deep seafloor is called the
continental rise.
The Abyssal Plain
 At the end of the
continental rise is the
abyssal plain, or the
deep-sea floor.
 Found between 3000 and
6000 meters.
 Abyssal plains cover
more than 50% of the
Earth’s surface.
Trenches
 Trenches are v-shaped
valleys and are the
deepest points on Earth.
 They go as deep as
8,000-1000 meters. (5-6
miles)
Guyot
A guyot /ɡiːˈjoʊ/, also known as a
tablemount, is an isolated underwater
volcanic mountain (seamount), with a flat
top over 200 metres (660 feet) below the
surface of the sea. The diameters of these
flat summits can exceed 10 km (6.2 mi).
Sea Rift
A Sea Rift is a
spreading center
between two tectonic
plates.
Shoreline
the line along which a
large body of water meets
the land.