Neritic Zone Definition, Animal Life, and Characteristics

The neritic zone is the top ocean layer closest to the coastline and above the continental shelf. This zone extends from the intertidal zone (zone between high and low tide) to the edge of the continental shelf of the ocean floor, where the shelf drops off forming the continental slope. The neritic zone is shallow, reaching depths of about 200 meters (660 feet). It is a subsection of the pelagic zone and includes the oceans epipelagic zone, which lies within the photic or light zone. Key Takeaways: Neritic Zone The neritic zone is the region of shallow water (200 meters depth) above the continental shelf where light penetrates to the sea floor.Due to the abundant supply of sunlight and nutrients in this zone, it is the most productive ocean zone supporting the vast majority of marine life.Regions within the neritic zone include the infralittoral zone, circalittoral zone, and subtidal zone.Animal, protist, and plant life in the neritic zone include fish, crustaceans, mollusks, marine mammals, algae, kelp, and seagrass. Neritic Zone Definition From a marine biology perspective, the neritic zone, also referred to as the coastal ocean, is located in the photic or sunlight zone. The availability of sunlight in this region makes photosynthesis, which forms the basis of ocean ecosystems, possible. The neritic zone can be divided into biological zones based on the amount of light required to support life. This image shows the ocean zones. Â  Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG/Getty Images Plus Infralittoral Zone This region of shallow water in the neritic zone is closest to shore and below the low-water mark. There is ample light to allow for plant growth. In temperate environments, this region is typically dominated by large algae such as kelp. Circalittoral Zone This region of the neritic zone is deeper than the infralittoral zone. Many immobile organisms populate this zone, including sponges and bryozoans (aquatic animals living in colonies). Subtidal Zone Also called the sublittoral zone, this region of the neritic zone extends from the ocean floor near the shore to the edge of the continental shelf. The subtidal zone remains submerged and is home to algae, seagrasses, corals, crustaceans, and annelid worms. From a physical oceanography perspective, the neritic zone experiences large-scale current movement that circulates nutrients in the region. Its boundaries extend from the intertidal zone to the continental shelf. The sublittoral zone is divided into inner and outer sublittoral zones. The inner sublittoral zone supports plant life that is attached to the seafloor, while the outer zone lacks attached plant life. Physical Characteristics and Productivity Coral reef scenery with Red Sea bannerfish, golden butterflyfish, orange face or hooded butterflyfish, and lyretail anthias or goldies. Georgette Douwma / Photographers Choice / Getty Images Plus 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 worlds fish and shellfish harvest comes from the neritic zone. The stable environment of this zone provides light, oxygen, nutrients contributed by runoff from nearby land and up-welling from the continental shelf, as well as suitable salinity and temperature to support a wide range of marine life. Abundant in these waters are photosynthetic protists called phytoplankton that support marine ecosystems by forming the basis of the food web. Phytoplankton are unicellular algae which use light from the sun to generate their own food and are themselves food for filter-feeders and zooplankton. Marine animals such as fish feed on zooplankton and fish in turn become food for other fish, marine mammals, birds, and humans. Marine bacteria also play an important role in the flow of trophic energy by decomposing organisms and recycling nutrients in the marine environment. Animal Life This bronze whaler shark is swimming through a giant ball of sardines waiting to feed on them. wildestanimal / Moment / Getty Images Animal life is truly abundant in the neritic zone. In tropical regions, coral reef ecosystems consisting of large colonies of corals are found. Coral reefs provide a home and protection for a multitude of marine animal species including fish, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, sponges, and invertebrate chordates. In temperate regions, kelp forest ecosystems support animals including anemones, star fish, sardines, sharks, and marine mammals such as seals, killer whales, sea lions, and sea otters. Plant Life Dugong and Cleaner Fish on Seagrass. David Peart / arabianEye / Getty Images Seagrass is a type of seaweed found in neritic marine environments. These angiosperms, or flowering plants, form grass bed underwater ecosystems that provide homes for fish, algae, nematodes, and other forms of marine life. Other marine animals such as turtles, manatees, dugong, sea urchin, and crabs feed off of these plants. Seagrass helps to stabilize the environment by preventing sediment erosion, producing oxygen, storing carbon, and removing pollutants. While seagrass seaweed is a true plant, other seaweed types such as kelp are not plants but algae. Sources Day, Trevor. Ecosystems Oceans. Routledge, 2014.Garrison, Tom. Oceanography: an Invitation to Marine Science. Cengage Learning, 2015.Jones, M. B., et al. Migrations and Dispersal of Marine Organisms: Proceedings of the 37th European Marine Biology Symposium Held in Reykjavik, Iceland, 5-9 August 2002. Springer Science Business Media, 2013.Karleskint, George, et al. Introduction to Marine Biology. 3rd ed., Cengage Learning, 2009.

The Rise Of Renewable Energy - 1775 Words

Kammen, D. M., Kammen, D. M. (2006). The rise of renewable energy. Scientific American, 295(3), 84-93. The author of this article is Daniel Kammen, a distinguished professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the climate advisor to the Obama administration. In this article, the author’s major arguments were, one: greenhouse gas emissions can succeed through an increase in energy efficiency sources alone, two: the world should invest in solar cells, which is also known as photovoltaics, three, the commercialization of renewable energy sources accelerated, since 2000; four, wind power has been growing at the same pace of the solar energy industry, five, researchers are pressing hard for the development of†¦show more content†¦The only Kammen believes that this problem could be solved is to increase the energy efficiency technologies and that the United States and other developed nations must take the lead in developing renewable energy sour ces that generate little or no carbon. In my opinion, this option has a lot to do with the political will of these developed countries. Politicians and policymakers have worked in harmony in order to achieve this goal, which is often challenging, given the different interests of the two. In addition, the author believes that solar cells, which use semiconductor materials to convert sunlight into electricity, has a global generating capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) could potentially supply the world’s energy about 5,000 times as much as the world currently need (Kammen, 2006, p. 86). This sounds very impressive, but the question is, can countries in the developing afford to invest in this source of energy? I don’t think so, at least for now. Next to solar, wind energy is another renewable energy source that Kammen believes as a possible alternative, given the fact the wind energy industry has climbed to the pace of solar energy in terms of energy efficiency. The wind turbines, according to this author, has an increased rate of 25 percent per year for the past decade, and it produced nearly

Nuclear Technology Free Essays

One question that has caused a great deal of controversy over the years is nuclear technology. Although it offers a number of advantages in world peace and green power, it is also a dangerous technology. In this essay I intend to show how these benefits outweigh that disadvantage. We will write a custom essay sample on Nuclear Technology or any similar topic only for you Order Now The opponents of nuclear power generally base their arguments on the danger it represents to the world. There are two main dangers: the risk of nuclear warfare and the nuclear disasters. If one thinks about Chernobyl, it is easy to understand why people are worried about nuclear power, as it can cause major suffering. There are, however, two good reasons for believing that nuclear technology is generally advantageous. The first of these is that there has not been a major world conflict since the invention of nuclear weapons. While there have been wars, they have not been on the same scale as the Second World War. It is possible to say that the world is a safer place because of nuclear weapons. The other most significant benefit relates to the environment. Perhaps the greatest danger facing our world today is a combination of global warming and the greenhouse effect. This danger is caused partly by burning fossil fuels which leads to our polluted atmosphere. Nuclear power, however, is a much greener alternative which does not have such negative effects. Furthermore, in the last 50 years there have not been too many nuclear disasters and many experts claim that it is in fact a safe technology. In conclusion I would say that nuclear technology is better than the current alternatives. However, I also believe we should keep looking for ways to make it safer. How to cite Nuclear Technology, Papers