The Atlantic Ocean is located mainly in. Western hemisphere. From north to south, it stretches for 16 thousand km. In the northern and southern parts, the ocean expands, and in equatorial latitudes it sounds up to 2900 km.
. Atlantic Ocean- the second largest among the oceans. Coastline of the ocean. The northern hemisphere is heavily dissected by peninsulas and bays. The continents in the ocean have many islands, inland and marginal seas.
Bottom relief
It stretches across the entire ocean at approximately the same distance from the shores of the continents. Mid-ocean ridge. The relative height of the ridge is 2 km. In the axial part of the ridge there is a rift valley of the ridge from 6 to. ZO. Km and depth up to 2 km. Transverse faults divide the ridge into separate segments. With rifts and faults of mid-ocean ridges, associated underwater active volcanoes as well as volcanoes. And sland and. Azores. The ocean has its greatest depth within the trench. Puerto Rico - 8742 m. Shelf area. The Atlantic Ocean is quite large - larger than in. Pacific Ocean.
Climate
The Atlantic Ocean is located in all climatic zones. Earth, so its climates are very diverse. Most of the ocean (between 40 ° N and 42 ° S) is located in subtropical, tropical, subequatorial and equatorial climatic zones; the southern parts of the ocean are characterized by a strict climate, somewhat less cold northern regions.
Water properties and ocean currents
The zonality of water masses in the ocean is very complicated by the influence of land and sea currents, which is manifested primarily in the distribution of temperatures surface water. The northern half of the ocean is warmer than the southern, with different temperatures reaching up to 6 °. C. The average surface water temperature is 16.5 °C.
Salinity of surface waters c. Atlantic Ocean high. Many large rivers flow into the ocean and its seas (Amazon, Coigo, Mississippi, Nile, Danube, Parana, etc.). In desalinated bays and seas of subpolar and temperate latitudes, ice forms near the eastern shores in winter. A feature of the ocean is numerous icebergs and floating sea ice brought here from. Northern. the Arctic Ocean and from the shores. Antarctica tidi.
Because of the strong stretch. Atlantic Ocean from north to south, it is more developed ocean currents meridional than latitudinal. In the Atlantic, two systems are formed on top of the currents. In the northern hemisphere, it looks like a figure eight -. Northern. Passat,. Gulfstream,. North Atlantic and Ka-Nar currents form the movement of waters clockwise in temperate and tropical latitudes. In the northern part. The North Atlantic Current directs the waters. Atlantic to North. Arctic Ocean counterclockwise. Like cold currents they come back in. Atlantic Ocean in the northeast. V. Southern hemisphere. South. Passat,. Brazilian,. Western. Vetrov and. Benguela currents form the movement of waters counterclockwise in the form of one ring.
organic world
Atlantic Ocean vs. Tikhim had a poorer species composition of living organisms. However, in terms of quantity and total biomass, then. The Atlantic Ocean is rich in organisms. This is primarily due to the significant spread of the shelf, on which many demersal and demersal fish (cod, perch, flounder, etc.) live.
Natural complexes
In the Atlantic Ocean, all zonal complexes are distinguished - natural belts, except for the northern polar one. The waters of the north subpolar belt are rich different kinds living organisms - especially on the shelf at b berets. Greenland and. Labrador. The temperate zone is characterized by an intense interaction of cold and warm waters, an abundance of living organisms. These are the most fishy areas. Atlantic. Large spaces warm x waters of the subtropical, tropical and equatorial zones are less productive than the waters of the northern temperate zone. A special natural water complex stands out in the northern subtropical zone. Sargasovog in the sea. It is characterized by increased salinity of water - up to 37.5% w and low productivity.
In the temperate zone. In the southern hemisphere, complexes are distinguished (as in the northern hemisphere) where waters mix with different temperatures and density. The complexes of the subantarctic and antarctic belts are characterized by this seasonal distribution of floating ice and icebergs.
Economic use
In the Atlantic Ocean, all types of maritime activities are represented, among which the most important is marine, transport, underwater oil and gas production, and only then - the use biological resources
. Atlantic Ocean- the main sea route of the world, an area of intensive shipping. On the shores The Atlantic Ocean hosts more than 70 coastal countries with a population of more than 1.3 billion people
TO mineral resources The ocean includes placer deposits of rare metals, diamonds, and gold. In the bowels of the shelf, reserves of iron ore and sulfur are concentrated, large deposits of oil and gas have been discovered, which are exploited by many countries (the North Sea, etc.). Some areas of the shelf are rich in coal. Ocean energy is used in the operation of tidal power plants (for example, at the mouth of the river. Rance in the north. France).
Many of the Atlantic countries extract from the ocean and its seas such mineral wealth as table salt, magnesium, bromine, and uranium. Desalination plants operate in arid regions
The biological resources of the ocean are also intensively used. The Atlantic Ocean is the largest per unit area, but its biological resources are depleted in some areas
Due to the intense economic activity in many seas in the open ocean there is a deterioration natural conditions- pollution of water, air, reduction of stocks of valuable commercial fish, etc. Other animals. Recreational conditions on the shores of the ocean are deteriorating.
Some areas of the Atlantic shelf are rich in coal. Great Britain conducts the largest underwater mining of coal. The largest exploited Nor Tumberland Derham field with reserves of about 550 million tons is located on the northeast coast of England. Coal deposits have been explored in the shelf zone northeast of Cape Breton Island. However, in the economy, underwater coal is of less importance than offshore oil and gas fields. The main supplier of monazite to the world market is Brazil. The United States is also the leading producer of ilmenite, rutile and zircon concentrates (placers of these metals are almost ubiquitous on the shelf of North America - from California to Alaska). Of considerable interest are cassiterite placers off the coast of Australia, off the Cornwall peninsula (Great Britain), and in Brittany (France). The largest deposits of ferruginous sands are located in Canada. Ferrous sands are also mined in New Zealand. Alluvial gold in coastal marine deposits has been found on the western coasts of the United States and Canada.
The main deposits of coastal-marine diamondiferous sands are concentrated on the southwestern coast of Africa, where they are associated with deposits of terraces, beaches, and shelves down to depths of 120 m. Significant marine terrace diamond placers are located in Namibia. African coastal-marine placers are promising. In the coastal zone of the shelf there are underwater deposits of iron ore. The most significant development of offshore deposits of iron ore is carried out in Canada, on the east coast of Newfoundland (the Wabana deposit). In addition, Canada mines iron ore in the Hudson Bay.
Fig.1. Atlantic Ocean
In small quantities, copper and nickel are mined from underwater mines (Canada - in the Hudson Bay). Tin is mined on the Cornwall peninsula (England). In Turkey, on the coast of the Aegean Sea, mercury ores are being developed. Sweden mines iron, copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver in the bowels of the Gulf of Bothnia. Large salt sedimentary basins in the form of salt domes or stratal deposits are often found on the shelf, slope, foot of the continents and in deep-sea basins (Gulf of Mexico, shelves and slopes of West Africa, Europe). The minerals of these basins are represented by sodium, potassium and magnesite salts, gypsum. Calculation of these reserves is difficult: the volume of potassium salts alone is estimated in the range from hundreds of millions of tons to 2 billion tons. Two salt domes are being exploited in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.
More than 2 million tons of sulfur are extracted from underwater deposits. Exploited the largest accumulation of sulfur Grand Isle, located 10 miles from the coast of Louisiana. Commercial reserves of phosphorites have been found near the Californian and Mexican coasts, along coastal zones. South Africa, Argentina, off the coast of New Zealand. Phosphorites are mined in the California region from depths of 80-330 m, where the concentration averages 75 kg/m3.
A large number of offshore oil and gas fields have been discovered in the Atlantic Ocean and its seas, including those with one of the highest levels of production of these fuels in the world. They are located in different areas of the ocean shelf zone. In its western part, the bowels of the Maracaibo lagoon are distinguished by very large reserves and production volumes. Oil is extracted here from more than 4,500 wells, from which in 2006 93 million tons of "black gold" were produced. The Gulf of Mexico is considered to be one of the richest offshore oil and gas regions in the world, believing that only a small part of potential oil and gas reserves have been identified in it at present. 14,500 wells have been drilled at the bottom of the bay. In 2011, 60 million tons of oil and 120 billion m 3 of gas were produced from 270 offshore fields, and in total, 590 million tons of oil and 679 billion m 3 of gas were extracted here during the development period. The most significant of them are located off the coast of the Paraguano Peninsula, in the Gulf of Paria and off the island of Trinidad. Oil reserves here amount to tens of millions of tons.
In addition to the above areas, three large oil and gas provinces can be traced in the western Atlantic. One of them stretches from the Davis Strait to the latitude of New York. Within its limits, commercial oil reserves have so far been identified near Labrador and south of Newfoundland. The second oil and gas province stretches along the coast of Brazil from Cape Calcañar in the north to Rio de Janeiro in the south. 25 deposits have already been discovered here. The third province occupies the coastal areas of Argentina from the Gulf of San Jorge to the Strait of Magellan. Only small deposits have been discovered in it, so far unprofitable for offshore development.
In the shelf zone of the eastern coast of the Atlantic, oil shows have been discovered south of Scotland and Ireland, off the coast of Portugal, in the Bay of Biscay. A large oil and gas region is located near the African continent. About 8 million tons are produced by the oil fields concentrated near Angola.
Very significant oil and gas resources are concentrated in the depths of some seas of the Atlantic Ocean. Among them, the most important place is occupied by the North Sea, which knows no equal in terms of the pace of development of underwater oil and gas fields. Significant underwater deposits of oil and gas have been explored in the Mediterranean Sea, where 10 oil and 17 offshore gas fields are currently operating. Significant volumes of oil are extracted from fields located off the coasts of Greece and Tunisia. Gas is being developed in the Gulf of Sidra (Bol. Sirte, Libya), off the Italian coast of the Adriatic Sea. In the future, the subsoil of the Mediterranean Sea should produce at least 20 million tons of oil per year.
8. Life of the Atlantic Ocean and its biological resources, features of aquatic ecosystems.
Ocean life in the light contemporary ideas considered as an ecosystem (biogeocenosis, according to the terminology of V. N. Sukachev, 1960; L. A. Zenkevich, 1970), interconnected and interdependent by geophysical and geochemical processes and phenomena global scope. Indeed, all aquatic animals and plants, their ranges, forms of existence, biological cycles, sizes, life span of individuals, their energy balance, bioproduction are associated with abiotic factors that are derivatives of the geophysical processes of the planet. In turn, biological processes are of great importance in the formation of the planet within the limits covered by life. The ecosystem of the ocean differs from terrestrial ecosystems in a number of fundamental features, of which two seem to be particularly significant. Producers (plants) of terrestrial ecosystems are inextricably linked by the root system with the biogenic fund, which is formed as a result of the vital activity of plants. Producers of aquatic ecosystems (algae) are disconnected from the main biogenic fund of water bodies, whether it be an ocean, a lake, a reservoir, or even a pond. In the photo layer, which does not exceed several tens of meters even with very high transparency of the ocean, there are not enough biogenic salts, and, above all, phosphates, but they limit the formation of organic matter. Biogenic elements are located at a depth where light does not penetrate and from where they are carried out into the illuminated layer of the sea as a result of vertical mixing of water masses as a result of thermal and mechanical interaction between the atmosphere and the hydrosphere.
In terrestrial ecosystems, plants are the most important component of the food of many animals, so their distribution is associated with plant association. In the marine environment, there is a disunity between the animal population (consumers) and phytoplankton fields (producers). Most of the aquatic biocenoses exist without direct contact with living vegetation, concentrated in a thin near-surface trophogenic layer. The mass of animals lives below the mass of plants, using degradation products plant organisms. With depth, the amount of food decreases: 2/3 of the biomass of ocean animals are in a layer up to 500 m. At great depths, there is a lack of food resources and a decrease in the biomass of the ichthyocene. Thus, the life of most marine animals takes place in twilight lighting, and at great depths in complete darkness. The lack of food causes the rarefied existence of deep-sea organisms. Many representatives of the deep fauna have organs of luminescence, and in some species of fish there are males living on the body of females - an adaptation that eliminates the need for difficult meetings in complete darkness with rarefied distribution. In the life of the hydrosphere importance also has a group of decomposers, or reducing agents. They feed on the dead remains of animals and plants, and mineralize these remains, bringing them to carbon dioxide, ammonia and water, making them available to autotrophic producing plants. So, in relation to the food organic substances present and formed in the water, the entire aquatic population is combined into three large groups: producers, consumers and decomposers. The ocean is inhabited by about 200 thousand species of plants and animals, and marine researchers would never be able to understand their relationship if the leading role in the life of the ocean did not belong to only a few thousand species, which are the main biomass and production. All animals and plants are combined into three large complexes: plankton, whose representatives drift from water masses; benthos, whose representatives live on the ground. And nekton, which includes actively swimming animals - fish, cephalopods and mammals - pinnipeds, dolphins, whales.
In addition to animals and plants that make up the permanent complex of plankton, it includes larvae of mollusks, worms, echinoderms, as well as fish fry. A significant amount of plankton are amphipod and euphausiid crustaceans, which are an important component of the diet of many fish species. Euphausiids are especially numerous in the area of the polar front, as well as in the waters surrounding Antarctica, where krill (Euphasia superba), the main food source of baleen whales, is especially numerous.
The composition of benthos includes mollusks, echinoderms, worms that feed on detritus in the silts. According to the nature of the vertical distribution on the ground, benthic animals are combined into epifauna, infauna. Benthic animals penetrate into the depths of the ocean for several thousand meters. Among the benthic animals, many species are of economic value - these are, first of all, mussels, oysters, spiny lobsters, lobsters.
Most of the nekton biomass is made up of fish, the total number of species of which exceeds 15 thousand. Their biomass reaches 80-85% of the total nekton biomass. In second place are cephalopods (about 600 species), about 15% of the nekton biomass. There are about 100 species of whales and pinnipeds. They make up less than 5% of the total nekton biomass.
Of great practical interest are data characterizing the productivity of the primary source of food - phytoplankton and consumers. The productivity of phytoplankton is enormous compared to its biomass. The ratio of production to biomass in phytoplankton reaches 200-300 units. For zooplankton, this ratio is 2-3 units. In benthos, it decreases to 1/3, and in most fish, to 1 5. At the same time, in fish with a short life cycle this ratio can be as high as 1/2, and in slow-growing fish with a late onset of puberty, it can reach 110.
We will try to show the details of a number of features of ocean life when characterizing individual regions of the Atlantic Ocean.
To the question Describe the mineral and biological resources of the Atlantic Ocean. Please, help. given by the author hospitality the best answer is The distribution of the fauna of the Atlantic Ocean has a pronounced zonal character. In the subantarctic and antarctic waters, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance from fish. Benthos and plankton in the Atlantic are poor in both species and biomass. In the subantarctic zone and in the adjacent zone of the temperate zone, the biomass reaches its maximum. Copepods and pteropods predominate in zooplankton, while whales (blue whales), pinnipeds, and nototheniids predominate in nekton. In the tropical zone, zooplankton is represented by numerous species of foraminifera and pteropods, several species of radiolarians, copepods, larvae of molluscs and fish, as well as siphonophores, various jellyfish, large cephalopods (squids), and octopuses among benthal forms. Commercial fish are represented by mackerel, tuna, sardines, in areas of cold currents - anchovies. Corals are confined to tropical and subtropical zones. The temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere are characterized by abundant life with a relatively small variety of species. Of the commercial fish, the most important are herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass. The most common zooplankton species are foraminifera and copepods. The greatest abundance of plankton is in the area of the Newfoundland Bank and the Norwegian Sea. The deep-sea fauna is represented by crustaceans, echinoderms, specific fish species, sponges, and hydroids. Several species of endemic polychaetes, isopods, and holothurians have been found in the Puerto Rico Trench.
There are 4 biogeographic regions in the Atlantic Ocean: 1. Arctic; 2. North Atlantic; 3. Tropical-Atlantic; 4. Antarctic.
biological resources. The Atlantic Ocean provides 2/5 of the world catch and its share decreases over the years. In subantarctic and antarctic waters, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance, in the tropical zone - mackerel, tuna, sardine, in areas of cold currents - anchovies, in temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere - herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass. In the 1970s, due to overfishing of some fish species, the volume of fishing fell sharply, but after the introduction of strict limits, fish stocks are gradually recovering. Several international fisheries conventions operate in the Atlantic Ocean basin, aiming at efficient and rational use biological resources, based on the application of scientifically based measures to regulate the fishery.
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Climate and hydrological regime of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Hydrological resources.
Diversity climatic conditions on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean is determined by its large meridional extent and the circulation of air masses under the influence of four main atmospheric centers: Greenland and Antarctic max., Icelandic and Antarctic minima. In addition, two anticyclones constantly operate in the subtropics: Azores and South Atlantic. They are separated by an equatorial region of low pressure. This distribution of baric regions determines the system of prevailing winds in the Atlantic. The greatest impact on temperature regime The Atlantic Ocean is rendered not only by its large meridional extent, but also by water exchange with the North Arctic Ocean, the seas of Antarctica and the Mediterranean Sea. Tropical latitudes are characterized by tempera. - 20°C. To the north and south of the tropics are subtropical zones with more noticeable seasonal ones (from 10 ° C in winter to 20 ° C in summer). Tropical hurricanes are a frequent occurrence in the subtropical zone. In temperate latitudes average temperature the warmest month is kept within 10-15 °C, and the coldest -10 °C. Precipitation is about 1000 mm.
surface currents. North Equatorial Current (t)> Antilles (t)> Mexico. Gulf>Florida(t)>Gulf Stream>North Atlantic(t)>Canary(x)>Northern Equatorial Current(t) – northern circle.
South trade winds> Guiana temp. (North) and the Brazilian Warm. (south)>tech. Western winds (x)> Benguela (x)> South trade winds - southern circle.
There are several levels in the Atlantic Ocean deep currents. A powerful countercurrent passes under the Gulf Stream, the main core of which lies at a depth of up to 3500 m, with a speed of 20 cm/s. The powerful deep Louisiana current is observed in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, formed by the bottom runoff of saltier and warmer Mediterranean waters through the Strait of Gibraltar.
The highest tide values are confined to the Atlantic Ocean, which are noted in the fjord bays of Canada (in Ungava Bay - 12.4 m, in Frobisher Bay - 16.6 m) and Great Britain (up to 14.4 m in Bristol Bay). The highest tide in the world is recorded in the Bay of Fundy, on the east coast of Canada, where the maximum tide reaches 15.6-18 m.
Salinity. The highest salinity of surface waters in the open ocean is observed in the subtropical zone (up to 37.25 ‰), and the maximum in the Mediterranean Sea is 39 ‰. In the equatorial zone, where the maximum amount of precipitation is noted, salinity decreases to 34 ‰. A sharp desalination of water occurs in the estuarine areas (for example, at the mouth of La Plata 18-19 ‰).
Ice formation. Ice formation in the Atlantic Ocean occurs in the Greenland and Baffin Seas and Antarctic waters. The main source of icebergs in the South Atlantic is the Filchner Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea. floating ice in the northern hemisphere in July they reach 40°N.
Upwelling. A particularly powerful upwelling zone stretches along the entire western coast of Africa, due to the wind<связан. с пассатной циркуляцией. Также это зоны у Зелёного мыса, у берегов Анголы и Конго. Эти области наиболее благоприятны для развития орг. мира.
The bottom flora of the northern part of the Atlantic is represented by brown (mainly fucoids, and in the subditoral zone by kelp and alaria) and red algae. In the tropical zone, green (caulerpa), red (calcareous lithotamnia) and brown algae (sargasso) predominate. In the southern hemisphere, bottom vegetation is mainly represented by kelp. Phytoplankton of the Atlantic Ocean includes 245 species: peridine, coccolithophorids, diatoms. The latter have a clearly defined zonal distribution; the maximum number of them lives in temperate latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres. The population of diatoms is most dense in the strip of the Current of the Western Winds.
The distribution of the fauna of the Atlantic Ocean has a pronounced zonal character. In the subantarctic and antarctic In the waters of fish, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance. Benthos and plankton in the Atlantic are poor in both species and biomass. In the subantarctic zone and in the adjacent zone of the temperate zone, the biomass reaches its maximum. Copepods and pteropods predominate in zooplankton, while whales (blue whales), pinnipeds, and nototheniids predominate in nekton. In the tropical zone, zooplankton is represented by numerous species of foraminifera and pteropods, several species of radiolarians, copepods, larvae of molluscs and fish, as well as siphonophores, various jellyfish, large cephalopods (squids), and octopuses among benthal forms. Commercial fish are represented by mackerel, tuna, sardines, in areas of cold currents - anchovies. To tropical and subtropical corals are confined to zones. temperate latitudes northern hemisphere are characterized by abundant life with a relatively small diversity of species. Of the commercial fish, the most important are herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass. The most common zooplankton species are foraminifera and copepods. The greatest abundance of plankton is in the area of the Newfoundland Bank and the Norwegian Sea. The deep-sea fauna is represented by crustaceans, echinoderms, specific fish species, sponges, and hydroids. Several species of endemic polychaetes, isopods, and holothurians have been found in the Puerto Rico Trench.
There are 4 biogeographic regions in the Atlantic Ocean: 1. Arctic; 2. North Atlantic; 3. Tropical-Atlantic; 4. Antarctic.
biological resources. The Atlantic Ocean provides 2/5 of the world catch and its share decreases over the years. In subantarctic and antarctic waters, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance, in the tropical zone - mackerel, tuna, sardine, in areas of cold currents - anchovies, in temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere - herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass. In the 1970s, due to overfishing of some fish species, the volume of fishing fell sharply, but after the introduction of strict limits, fish stocks are gradually recovering. Several international fisheries conventions operate in the Atlantic Ocean basin, which aim at the efficient and rational use of biological resources, based on the application of scientifically based measures to regulate fishing.