ENV100Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Neritic Zone, Coral Bleaching, Bottom Trawling

• School: UTM
• Department: Environment
• Course: ENV100Y5
• Professor: Barbara Murck

Document Summary

Wetlands are the most biologically diverse & productive ecosystems. Benthic: habitats and ecosystems occurring on ocean floor. Neritic zone: between littoral and continental shelf. Littoral zone: habitats and ecosystems occurring in coastal areas. Upwelling = upward flow of cold, deep water where wind blow away from, or parallel to, coastlines. Downwelling = oxygen-rich water sinks where surface currents come togethere. El nino: failure of trade winds and upwelling leaves hot water build up. La nina: upwelling is successful and rich cool nutrient water makes everything flourish and continue its cycle. Filter pollutants, protect from storm surges; extremely bio diverse. Ocean resources: renewable waves, tides, ocean thermal energy. Most variable in earths atmosphere = water vapour, 2nd most variable = aerosols. Troposphere: lowest layer, air for breathing, temp declines with altitude, tropopause limits mixing between troposphere and layer above, contains most of the mass.