The Marine Environment: United and Divided

• Main Author: Kent, Michael
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University Press 2022
• Subjects: Arctic; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; ice algae
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/hesc/9780198869085.003.0001

This chapter provides an overview of the marine environment, which generally refers to the abiotic (physical) and biotic (biological) conditions that occur in the global ocean. The marine environment can be divided into polar, temperate, and tropical zones. The polar zones occur in the Arctic and Antarctic; ice algae form the base of polar food webs, with krill playing a central role in the Antarctic. The temperate zones are characterized by seasonal fluctuations in weather and primary production. Meanwhile, the warm sunlit waters of the tropical zones have a very low biodiversity in the open ocean and a very rich biodiversity in coral reefs. Spatially, the marine environment can be divided into two major zones: the pelagic and benthic zones. It can also be divided into a sunlit photic zone and a dark aphotic zone.