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The ocean's surface acts like a skin between the atmosphere above and the water below, and hosts an ecosystem unique to this environment. This sun-drenched habitat can be defined as roughly one metre in depth, as nearly half of UV-B is attenuated within this first meter. [2]
Environments in which subsurface life has been found [1]. The deep biosphere is the part of the biosphere that resides below the first few meters of the ocean's surface. It extends 10 kilometers below the continental surface and 21 kilometers below the sea surface, at temperatures that may reach beyond 120 °C (248 °F) [2] which is comparable to the maximum temperature where a metabolically ...
The Bear Seamount (left), a guyot in the northern Atlantic Ocean. In marine geology, a guyot (/ ˈ ɡ iː. oʊ, ɡ iː ˈ oʊ /), [1] [2] also called a tablemount, is an isolated underwater volcanic mountain with a flat top more than 200 m (660 ft) below the surface of the sea. [3]
Depending on the water-body, the benthic zone may include areas that are only a few inches below the surface. The continental shelf is a gently sloping benthic region that extends away from the land mass. At the continental shelf edge, usually about 200 metres (660 ft) deep, the gradient greatly increases and is known as the continental slope.
A subsurface ocean current is an oceanic current that runs beneath surface currents. [1] Examples include the Equatorial Undercurrents of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, the California Undercurrent, [2] and the Agulhas Undercurrent, [3] the deep thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic, and bottom gravity currents near Antarctica.
Some groundwater finds openings in the land surface and emerges as freshwater springs. In river valleys and floodplains, there is often continuous water exchange between surface water and ground water in the hyporheic zone. Over time, the water returns to the ocean, to continue the water cycle. The ocean plays a key role in the water cycle.
[4] [5] Much of an iceberg is below the water's surface, which led to the expression "tip of the iceberg" to illustrate a small part of a larger unseen issue. Icebergs are considered a serious maritime hazard. Icebergs vary considerably in size and shape.
Closer to the surface at lower temperatures, the mantle behaves rigidly; deeper below the surface at higher temperatures, the mantle moves in a ductile fashion. [3] The asthenosphere is where the mantle rock most closely approaches its melting point, and a small amount of melt is likely to present in this layer. [4]