Aquatic Ecosystems
Jay Flores and Katie Bland
Freshwater Ecosystems
Only 3% of the Earth's water is fresh. The majority of the Earth's freshwater in frozen in glaciers but the rest makes up ponds, lakes, and rivers. Freshwater can be divided into three zones, the littoral zone, limnetic zone, and the profundal zone. The littoral zone is closest to the shore and light reaches the bottom on the zone. It consists of many tiny crustaceans, flatworms, snails, frogs, and fish. The Limnetic zone is the layer of open water where photosynthesis can occur. The profundal zone is the deepest point of the body of water where no light reaches. Marine Biologists are scientists who study these different bodies of water.
Brackish Water
The Baltic Sea
The Caspian Sea
The Amazon River
Chesapeake Bay
Brackish Marsh
Brackish Water Fish
Brackish Water Fish
Brackish Water Manatee
Brackish Water Turtle
Salt Water
Nearly three quarters of the Earth is covered by saltwater. Oceans make up 97% of the Earth's water. The ocean floor is so deep that almost 90% of the Ocean has currently gone undiscovered known as the "abyss".
The Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean and contains 30% of the Earth's saltwater.
Fish
The ocean is home to thousands of different fish species.
Great White Shark
Sea Anemone
The ocean provides many different habitats.
Saltwater Octopus
Blue Whale
The ocean is home to the Earth's largest animal.
Coral Reefs
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth and can be seen from the moon.
Islands
The Pacific Ocean alone has over 25,000 islands.
Oceanographer
An oceanographer studies the physical and biological aspects of the sea.