Location and climate

Location and Climate

"Marine regions cover about three-fourths of the Earth's surface and include oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries."(The Marine Biome, par 1) Those three locations may seem broad topic. Indeed,they are. Oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries can be broken down even farther. At a biology lecture at a Miami school,the marine biome was classified as intertidal regions,coral reef, oceanic pelagic zones, and abyssal zones.(Research in Ecology-Biomes, par 9)

Oceans- All the oceans in the world form this ocean zone, which is part of the marine biome. So, whenever you see an ocean you are seeing a marine biome. In the ocean there are many layers that have different properties.

In the ocean the temperature varies with its depth. "The weather in the open ocean zone of the marine biome varies a very small amount." (Open Ocean Biome, par 3) The aquatic habitats usually have a thermo cline. A thermo cline is a narrow band of water where temperature suddenly changes. (Aquatic and Terrestrial Biomes, par 11). When we feel a huge temperature drop, under the water the temperature changes by so little that the life under the ocean is rarely affected. The temperature of the ocean, though, changes over long periods of time rather than daily. It takes months for the temperature to rise or fall by only a few degrees. (Open Ocean Biome, par 3)

(regions of the ocean, www.bio.miami.edu)

(regions, https://www.thewildclassroom.com/biomes/MARINE.html)

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- intertidal - region that is covered at high tide, but exposed at low tide, where sea meets land

- neritic zone - inshore, shallow, high light levels, depth goes up to 200 meters

- oceanic zone - offshore, high light levels, upper regions of water column

- pelagic zone - water column; contains both photic and aphotic regions

- benthic zone - bottom substrate; often rich in detritus

- abyssal zones- most of ocean, deep waters 2000-6000 meters in depth

(Reasearch in Ecology, par 16) ( Biomes: Geography 316, par 86)