The Ocean Floor
Anything which looks like this is a
link to the next page!
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You probably
think of
something like
this…
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…and maybe you imagine underwater life like this…
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…but did you ever think the
ocean looks like this?
It does!
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As the ocean gets deeper, it also gets darker.
Sunlight only penetrates about 500 ft.
0- 500 ft
down to 20,000 ft
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As the ocean becomes
deeper and darker, it also
becomes…
Colder
Hotter
Try again!
Yes! The ocean varies greatly in
temperature, all the way from the tropical
waters (100 degrees F) near the equator to
the freezing waters (0 degrees F) of the
North and South poles.
Warmer
waters
Colder
waters
Life in tropical waters is very similar to life in the rainforest. There is a
lot of variety; which means there are many different kinds of species.
The temperature of the water is close to that of your bath tub at home.
This is the Great Barrier Reef, off of the coast of Australia. As
you can see, there is a lot of life here! Coral reefs support
about 25% of all marine (underwater) life in the ocean.
This is a kelp forest. They are common in temperate
(moderate, or medium) temperatures off the coast
of California and parts of South America. They are
very productive ecosystems!
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Life in the cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic is very different from the
life in the tropics. Because the water is so cold, many animals have
adapted, and developed their own ways keeping warm. Plants are very
scarce!
A certain type of fish, called nototheniods,
have developed a natural antifreeze in their
blood. This helps them withstand very cold
temperatures.
Mammals in cold water, such as this
Beluga whale, have many layers of
blubber, or fat, to keep themselves
warm.
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Now that we have some background information,
we can begin with the parts of the ocean floor.
Continental Edge
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Continental Shelf
This is the part of the continental crust which is
underwater. It can vary from almost nothing to 930
miles wide! Remember when we looked at Google
Earth? The continental shelf was the light blue part off
the coast, and it is the same in this picture.
The shelf has the most sunlight out of any layer of the ocean, because it is only
0-600 ft deep. This means many animals and plants thrive (do very well) here.
Do you think the continental shelf has...
or
only 35% of all marine life?
Oops! Try again!
The continental shelf is very shallow, which means sunlight can get into the
water. This allows photosynthesis, a process which plants use to get food. This
means many animals also thrive.
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That’s right!
The shelf has the most sunlight out of any layer of the ocean, because it
is only 0-600 ft deep. This means many animals and plants thrive here;
90% of all marine life to be exact! Included are the coral reefs and kelp
forests we talked about earlier. When you swim in the beach, you are in
the continental shelf.
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Continental Edge
Next is the continental edge. This is an easy one!
It is the point at which the continental shelf turns into the continental
slope! The ocean floor starts to become much steeper. In this picture, look
at the black line (it is an ongoing point).
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The continental slope is a very steep drop beginning at the continental edge. It
extends to over two miles deep. The water becomes much colder and the
pressure increases greatly.
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Continental Rise
This is the last part of the gradual slope before the ocean floor. Much like the
continental shelf, edge, and slope, it is covered in mud, sand, and rocks. They
layers of the continental rise are very thick because sediments are deposited here.
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Click on the arrows next to the landforms
to learn more about them.
After you have finished all 4, click next.
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Abyssal Plain
The abyssal plain begins at the bottom of the continental rise. It is mostly
flat and there is no light and very little oxygen. This means that there
are very few plants and animals. The ground is covered with sand and
mud, and the remains of plants and animals that have sunk to the
bottom.
Check out
creatures of the
deep!
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This eel, called the umbrellamouth gulper, puffs
out it’s mouth to catch whatever life it can find.
This fish has a barb which comes out of it’s chin,
as well as two rows of glow-in-the-dark spots
running along it’s sides.
This creature, known as the vampire squid, has
giant eyes compared to the size of it’s body,
which is only about 6 inches long.
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Called the longnose chimaera, this sharklike animal can reach up to 5 ft long! It has
an extremely poisonous spine on its
back. It can kill a person!
This fish, although only 3 inches long, has
its own fish hook and light attached to
its back!
These are called “Prince Axel’s wonderfish,” and
how they are indeed! They have their own organ
which dangles from their mouth to create light. It
helps attract other smaller creatures.
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Guyots
This is a computergenerated image of a
guyot. They are
seamounts (islands
formed by volcanoes)
that have been flattened
by waves.
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Seamounts
A seamount is an
underwater mountain
that forms from erupting
volcanoes. If a seamount
rises above the surface of
the water, it is an island.
The Hawaiian Islands
were formed this way.
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Ocean Trenches
A trench in the ocean is very
similar to a canyon (like the
Grand Canyon) on land. It is
formed by rivers and
currents cutting through
the ocean floor. Trenches
are extremely deep and
dark. The deepest trench on
Earth is almost 7 times as big
as the Grand Canyon!
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