The seawater environment and ecological adaptations
|
| Abstract |
This chapter describes the ocean in terms of its seawater environment and the way parameters affect important aspects of the ecology, biology, physiology and geographical distribution of marine organisms and ecosystems. Temperature, chemical composition, density, pressure, light, currents, tides and waves are discussed in turn. The oceanography of each parameter is described and detailed as well as the ecology. Sea temperature: thermoclines, biogeography and effects on physiology. Composition of seawater: major and minor constituents, salinity, dissolved organic matter, osmotic regulation; Density and viscosity: effects on sinking and swimming; Water pressure: buoyancy, mammalian diving reflex, physiological effects such as decompression sickness; Light and illumination: diel vertical migration, bioluminescence, adaptations to darkness; Ocean currents: origin, Coriolis, eddies, El Nino; Tides: movements, tables, storm surges; Waves: tsunamis, rogue waves, effects on intertidal organisms. Methods and equipment for measuring these parameters are described, including the use of satellites and seawater sampling. |
|
