Exploring the Ocean(Hapalochlaena maculosa)

Blue-ringed Octopus

The Ocean generates:

• Fresh H2O that we drink.

• The O2 we breath

• Our climate

• Seafood

• Medicines

Earth• 75% of earth’s surface is composed of

water.

• 25% land

Water

• Water- 97% is salt water

• 3% freshwater-only about 1% is available to us.

• Only 5% of the ocean has been explored.

• 95% still remains unexplored.

Famous Explorers

• Jacques Cousteau• Co-inventor of the

Aqua-lung.

• Revolutionized the way humans view water through books, films and TV series.

Dr. Sylvia Earle

• Marine Biologist- has led more than 60 expeditions worldwide.

• Has spent more than 7,000 hours underwater. (291 days or 9 and ½ months.)

• Dr. Robert Ballard• One of the world’s

most famous ocean explorers best known for his discovery of the Titanic in 1985.

• Revolutionized explorations with the use of ROVs (remotely operated vehicles).

• 1977 he discovered hydrothermal vents and their unique life forms.

• Dr. Peter Auster• Director for the

National Undersea Research Center, University of Connecticut.

• Ecologist and Conservation Biologist whose focus is marine fishes and their habitat.

Most Amazing Ocean Locations

1. Mariana Trench• At a depth of 35,805 feet, almost seven

miles below surface.

• One of the least explored places on earth.

• Was pinpointed by the Challenger II in 1951.

• Deep enough to swallow Mt Everest.

• In 1960 Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard descended in the submersible called the Trieste which could withstand 16,000lbs of pressure per square inch.

• Japanese-built robot Kaiko

• Five hours to descend to the bottom.

Nereus (AUV)Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

2. American Samoa

• American Samoa group of 6 islands in the Southern Pacific.

• Home of the Polynesian culture.

• In Samoan Culture Sea turtles have the power to save fisherman.

• American Samoa’s reefs are home to many hundreds of fish species.

• The largest tuna processing plant.

• 1,000 lbs of tuna each day in sustainable fisheries.

Tuna

3. North Western Hawaiian Islands• World’s largest marine protected areas.

• A chain of coral atolls, reefs and islands.

• Most diverse aquatic ecosystem.

• Stretching over 1,200 miles.

• A marine national monument.

4. Gulf of Alaska Seamount Chains• Underwater mountains rise above the

seafloor.

• Most are extinct volcanoes that formed above hotspots.

• Expeditions using ROVs have discovered many deep sea coral, sponges and fish

5. Arctic Ocean- Beaufort Sea

• Special species adaptations to harsh conditions and temperatures.

• Sea ice protects arctic communities and shorelines from erosion.

• Ringed seals depend on sea ice to breed and raise their young.

• Polar bears depend on ringed seals

• Climate changes are causing the ice to melt.

• Causing loss of habitat.

• Many native Alaskans are forced into wildlife habitat because of the diminishing shoreline.

6. Juan De Fuca Ridge

• Stretching 300 miles along the coast of Oregon and Washington.

• Underground Volcanic mountain range.

• Created by the separation of the Juan de Fuca plate and the Pacific plate.

• Home to many chemo-autotrophic organisms.

• Hydrothermal vents-Deep sea vents release lava heated water of 400°F.

• Black clouds or black smokers.

• On contact with seawater minerals crystalize and settle on the sea floor around vent openings.

• Over time the mineral deposits grow like chimneys.

7. Monterey Canyon

Deep Sea Medusan (Periphylla periphylla)

Barreleye Fish

• A canyon under the sea.

• Twice as deep as the Arizona Grand Canyon.

• Seafloor-absolute darkness: chemo-autotrophic organisms

• Giant kelp and algae major O2 producers.

• Full of biodiversity.

8. Gulf of Mexico

• Accumulated sediments has formed a belt of salt domes underneath the seafloor.

• Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

• Carbon Rich sediments produce oil banks.

9. Dry Tortugas National Park

• Seven small islands of coral and rock in the Florida Keys.

• Sanctuary for endangered green and loggerhead turtles.

Hawksbill Turtle

10. Puerto Rico Trench

• Deepest place in the Atlantic ocean.

• 27,395 ft. (5.2mi)

• Caused by tectonic plates similar to San Andreas fault.

• Tsunamis and earthquakes are a threat to nearby islands.

11.The Gulf Stream

• Warm water from the tropics flows to higher latitudes.

• Effects weather patterns

12.Georges Bank

• Lucrative fishery for cod and halibut fish.

• Oceanographer canyon located at 6,600 ft.