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#marine science

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

ECOSYSTEM TYPES

What describes the neritic zone?

The neritic zone is the shallow marine water extending from the low-tide margin to the edge of the continental shelf. Its exact offshore width varies because continental shelves may be narrow or hundreds of kilometres broad, but depth commonly remains below about 200 metres. Sunlight can reach much or all of this water column, while rivers, coastal runoff, sediment resuspension, and upwelling often supply nutrients. These conditions support phytoplankton, seaweeds, seagrasses, benthic invertebrates, fishes, and many commercial fisheries. The neritic zone is not simply the shoreline: the intert

Ref: Ecology: Concepts and Applications, Molles, 9th Ed., Ch. 2-3

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Ecosystem Cycles

What process describes nutrients settling and locking into ocean sediments?

“Sedimentation” for what process describes nutrients settling and locking into ocean sediments. This relationship follows from the ecological mechanism represented by the terms in the item, not merely from an association between their names. Rates depend on temperature, moisture, substrate quality, consumer physiology, and the elemental balance between organisms and their food. These controls explain why the same process can differ among terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems without changing its definition. The remaining alternatives—“Leaching”, “Respiration”, “Immobilization”—refer to d

Ref: Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, Begon et al., 5th Ed., Ch. 18

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