Download Upwelling and Hydrothermal Vents

What is upwelling?
 a process in which currents bring deep, cold water to
the surface of the ocean
 is a result of winds and the rotation of the Earth.
 The Earth rotates on its axis from west to east
 Winds tend to veer right in the northern hemisphere
and left in the southern hemisphere.
 This is known as the Coriolis effect
 It’s largely responsible for upwelling in coastal regions.
What
are
the
effects
of
upwelling?
 Deep water brought to the surface is often rich
in nutrients
 coastal upwelling supports the growth of
seaweed and plankton, which provides food for
fish, marine mammals, and birds.
 Upwelling generates some of the world’s most fertile
ecosystems.
 In coastal regions the cold water welling up to the
surface cools the air
 promotes the development of sea fog.
What are hydrothermal vents?
 crack along a rift or ridge in the deep ocean floor that
spews out water heated to high temperatures by the
magma under the earth's crust
 The hot, mineral-rich waters then exit the oceanic
crust and mix with the cool seawater above.
 As the vent minerals cool and solidify into mineral
deposits, they form different types of hydrothermal
vent structures.
hydrothermal
vents?
 The base of the food chain in the deep
ocean is bacteria.
 There are animals that have the
bacteria live inside them to provide
them with food. These include tube
worms, clams, and mussels
 There are scavengers, including shrimp,
crabs, and anemones that feed on the
bacteria and other zooplankton that
live at the vent
 Lastly, there are predators including
octopi, fish, and squid that feed on
other vent creatures.
How do organisms of the
deep ocean get their
energy?
 These vents are found below 1000m.
 Photosynthesis can only happen until 100m
underwater
 The bacteria here use the hydrogen sulfide in
the water and turn it into energy to survive.
 Organisms feed on this bacteria (it is the
producer in the food chains of the deep ocean!)
 Making energy through chemical reactions
instead of the sun is called chemosynthesis.