"Seawater has an average salinity of 35 parts per thousand of water."
The study of the interactions between marine organisms and their environment, including the processes of nutrient cycling and biodiversity.
Oceanography: A multidisciplinary field of study that encompasses the physical, chemical, geological, and biological aspects of the ocean and its interactions with the atmosphere, land, and ice.
Physical oceanography: The study of the physical properties of seawater, including its temperature, salinity, currents, and waves.
Chemical oceanography: The study of the chemical composition and processes of the ocean, including dissolved gases, nutrients, and pollutants.
Geological oceanography: The study of the geology and geophysics of the ocean floor, including its structure, composition, and processes.
Biological oceanography: The study of the living organisms that inhabit the ocean and their interactions with each other and the environment.
Marine ecology: The study of the interactions between organisms and their environment in marine ecosystems.
Marine biodiversity: The variety of living organisms in marine ecosystems, including their diversity, abundance, and distribution.
Marine food webs: Networks of feeding relationships that exist among the different species in a marine ecosystem.
Marine conservation: The protection and management of marine biological diversity and ecosystems.
Marine pollution: The introduction of harmful substances into the marine environment, including plastics, oil spills, and chemical contaminants.
Climate change: The long-term changes in temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric conditions that affect marine ecosystems and their inhabitants.
Ocean acidification: The ongoing decrease in ocean pH as a result of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, which affects the ability of marine organisms to form and maintain their shells.
Coral reefs: Complex marine ecosystems composed of coral structures and a variety of other plant and animal species.
Estuaries: The areas where rivers meet the sea, characterized by the mixing of freshwater and seawater and the presence of unique plant and animal communities.
Seagrass beds: Underwater meadows composed of sea grasses that provide important habitat for a variety of marine species.
Mangrove forests: Coastal ecosystems composed of trees and shrubs that grow in salty water and provide important habitat and protection for a variety of marine and terrestrial species.
Deep-sea exploration: The study of the deep ocean floor and its unique habitats and organisms, including hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.
Marine technology: The development and use of advanced technologies to study and explore the ocean, including remote sensing, underwater vehicles, and ocean observatories.
Marine policy: The political, legal, and economic frameworks for managing and regulating human activities in the marine environment.
Marine tourism: The economic and recreational opportunities associated with activities such as scuba diving, whale watching, and beach tourism.
Open ocean: This refers to the vast expanse of deep water in the ocean, where there is little to no underwater vegetation and high levels of salinity. It is also often referred to as the pelagic zone.
Coral reefs: These are built by millions of tiny animals called coral polyps that secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard, reef-like structure on the ocean floor. Coral reefs are known for their vibrant colors and high biodiversity.
Estuaries: An estuary is the point where a river meets the sea, and are characterized by a unique mix of saltwater and freshwater. These habitats are critical to many species that need to move between freshwater and saltwater environments during their life cycle.
Mangrove forests: These are dense forests of trees and shrubs that grow in saltwater, often at the edges of estuaries and shallow coastal areas. They play a critical role in protecting coastlines from storm damage, providing nurseries for fish and other marine life, and filtering pollutants.
Kelp forests: Kelp is a type of large brown seaweed that can grow up to 200 feet tall. Kelp forests are found in cold, nutrient-rich waters near the coast, and are home to a wide range of marine life, including sea otters, seals, and sea urchins.
Seagrass meadows: These are shallow water habitats consisting of dense beds of seagrasses, which provide important feeding and breeding grounds for marine life, as well as helping to stabilize sediments and protect coastlines from erosion.
Abyssal plain: This refers to the vast, flat areas of the ocean floor that lie between the continental shelves and the mid-ocean ridges. They are home to a variety of deep-sea creatures adapted to the extreme pressure and lack of light.
Hydrothermal vents: These are areas on the ocean floor where hot water emerges from below the surface, creating mineral-rich environments that support unique communities of bacteria and other organisms.
Polar ice caps: These are the icy regions at the poles of the Earth, where the sea is covered in an ice sheet that can be several meters thick. They are home to a surprising amount of marine life, including whales, seals, and polar bears.
Seamounts: These are underwater mountains that rise up from the ocean floor, and can be found in all parts of the ocean. They are often hotspots of biodiversity and support unique communities of deep-sea creatures.
"Marine waters cover more than 70% of the surface of the Earth."
"Marine waters account for more than 97% of Earth's water supply."
"Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems."
"Classes of organisms found in marine ecosystems include brown algae, dinoflagellates, corals, cephalopods, echinoderms, and sharks."
"The intertidal zone is the area between high and low tides. Other near-shore (neritic) zones can include mudflats, seagrass meadows, mangroves, rocky intertidal systems, salt marshes, coral reefs, lagoons."
"Marine ecosystems are important sources of ecosystem services and food and jobs for significant portions of the global population."
"Human uses of marine ecosystems and pollution in marine ecosystems are significant threats to the stability of these ecosystems."
"Environmental problems concerning marine ecosystems include unsustainable exploitation of marine resources (for example overfishing of certain species), marine pollution, climate change, and building on coastal areas."
"Ocean chemistry is changing through processes like ocean acidification which in turn threatens marine ecosystems."
"The international community has prioritized 'Life below water' as Sustainable Development Goal 14."
"The goal is to 'Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development'."
"Other near-shore (neritic) zones can include mudflats, seagrass meadows, mangroves, rocky intertidal systems, salt marshes, coral reefs, lagoons."
"The benthic zone consists of substrates below water where many invertebrates live."
"The oceanic zone is the vast open part of the ocean where animals such as whales, sharks, and tuna live."
"Environmental problems concerning marine ecosystems include unsustainable exploitation of marine resources (for example overfishing of certain species)."
"Marine waters cover more than 70% of the surface of the Earth and account for more than 97% of Earth's water supply and 90% of habitable space on Earth."
"Hydrothermal vents may occur where chemosynthetic sulfur bacteria form the base of the food web."
"Marine waters account for more than 97% of Earth's water supply."
"Environmental problems concerning marine ecosystems include unsustainable exploitation of marine resources (for example overfishing of certain species), marine pollution, climate change, and building on coastal areas."