GEO 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Photosynthesis
Document Summary
How life survives in the ocean: food availability. Phytoplankton: photosynthesizing plankton that fish eat, these are closer to the surface because they need sunlight, they also need co2 and the ocean is full of it. They create proteins, fats, and nucleic acids: food chain. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, small fish, big fish, etc. When fish die, the dead organic matter sinks into the deep ocean. It decomposes and oxidizes, releasing co2, nitrogen, phosphorus: life is controlled by the distribution of light and these other elements. Plankton: all other types of foods and bacteria fish eat, climate/temp of water. Some organisms can"t survive in hot/cold water: depth. Winter at the poles: some locations don"t provide enough sunlight and vice versa. Decaying matter produces co2, n, and p: ocean circulation controls distribution of life. Why the seafloor looks the way it does: trenches, from ri to spain. Huge ridge in the middle of the seafloor. Spain is moving away from us cm per year.
