Minerals from the Sea

 The sea is a treasure house of minerals It contains substances of great value dissolved by
its water.
 The richest minerals of all is the water itself.
 Dissolve minerals examples:
o Every cubic mile (mile3) of sea water contains about 4 million tons of magnesium,
90 million dollars’ worth of Gold.
o Ordinary Salt
The Temperature of Sea Water
 The sea is the greatest storage reservoir for the radiant energy from the sun. Water has
much greater capacity to absorb heat.
 The sea accumulates hear from the sun’s radiation during warm season the in the colder
periods the heat is released in the air. Thus, balancing the Earth’s temperature.
 The sea receives more heat near the equator.
 Persian Gulf. Highest of all the ocean’s surface temperature, where readings of 96°F are
common.
 Most tropical areas - 70°F
 Polar Regions – average 28°F
 The surface temperature of the sea follows the shifting pattern resulting from the currents
that bring together and mixes hot and cold water.
 Thermocline. The zone of rapid temperature change.

Economic Aspects of Oceans and Seas

 The sea is generally accepted by scientist as the place where life began on earth.
 The sea is also used as a source of:
o Food and Water
 Fishing – man can get 60,000,000 tons of food from the ocean annually
by fishing.
o Energy Resources
 Power generation – energy is extracted from the tides of the ocean
 Minerals – billions of tons of material can be obtained from the sea
 Petroleum – 2,000,000,000,000 barrels of oil resources can be obtained
o Building Products – sand, gravel, and lime
o Jewelry – corals and pearls
o Fertilizers – seaweeds and dead organisms.

LEONARD JOHN FLORES 1