1. Around 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans.
2. The largest ocean on Earth is the Pacific Ocean, covering around 30% of the Earth's surface. 3. The name 'Pacific Ocean' comes form the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, 'peaceful sea'. 4. The deepest known area of the Earth's oceans is known as the Mariana Trench. It's deepest point measures 11km. That’s a long dive down! 5. The world’s oceans are home to incredible creatures that are masters of disguise! Take a look for yourself... http://www.ngkids.co.uk/science-and-nature/Ocean-Facts |
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Ocean |
Bodies of salt water surrounding great land masses that cover 70% of the Earths surface.
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Continental Shelf |
The border of the continent that is below the water and slopes gradually away from the shore.
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Sunlight Zone |
The sunlight zone is 0-200 meters deep. This zone gets the most sunlight and has the warmest temperatures. Pressure is not a factor for living organisms at this depth.
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Twilight Zone |
The twilight zone is 200-1,000 meters deep. Very little sunlight can get to these depths. Temperatures are moderate (20˚-4˚C) and pressure is moderate.
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Midnight Zone |
The midnight zone is 1,000-11,000 meters deep. No sunlight can reach these depths. Temperatures are just above freezing and pressures are strong.
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Oranisms have adaptations to the characteristics of the ocean depth zone’s in order to survive.
Ocean Food Webs
An ecosystem is a natural system in which living and nonliving things interact.
Plankton are organisms that are incapable of swimming against the movements of the water. Plankton float at the surface of the water and move with the currents. A food web consists of all of the interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem. A food web shows the paths energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem. |
Atoms and Building Blocks
Mixtures and Solutions
Mixture |
A combination of two or more substances that do not lose their identifying characteristics when combined. Because there is no chemical reaction, the substances in a mixture can be separated, and may settle on their own if left to sit
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Solution |
A combination in which substances are evenly mixed together. The substances in a solution cannot be separated by filtering. A solution is stable and doesn’t change over time or settle.
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Salinity |
Salinity is the amount of salt in water.
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Currents and Ocean Movement
Currents |
A current is continuous movement of ocean water in a specific direction.
Surface currents are horizontal (side to side) currents caused by winds and the rotation of the earth. There are many of these types of currents in the different oceans of the world; one is the Gulf Stream which is in the Atlantic Ocean. Deep ocean currents are vertical (up and down) ocean currents. They are caused by differing densities due to temperature and salinity. |
Tides |
Tides are rising and falling on the oceans beaches because of the "bulging" of the earth’s ocean waters because of to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.
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