Name: ‫ عبدالملك مساعد المساعد‬ID: 444101465

Q. Watch the video from the link below and then summarize the content:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COz4XiqmQ1Y

This video discusses the different types of sediment found in the ocean, including muds,
sands, and gravels, and where they are located in the oceanic zones. It also explains the
sources of oceanic sediment, such as lithogenous sediment from rock weathering on land,
biogenous sediment from shells of dead organisms, hydrogenous sediment from
precipitation of dissolved ions, and cosmogenous sediment from meteorites. Additionally,
the video explores the distribution of muds in the ocean, particularly the dominance of
calcareous oozes in shallow areas and siliceous oozes in polar regions and areas of
upwelling.

✦Sediment in the ocean can be categorized into three sizes: muds, sands, and
gravels, with each size found in different oceanic environments.
Gravels are sediment grains larger than 2 mm in diameter, while muds are less than 1/16
mm and sands are everything in between.
The largest grains settle quickly in high-energy water, while the smallest grains require
perfectly still water to settle out.
Ocean environments are divided into neritic and oceanic zones, with neritic waters having
faster-moving currents and the ability to pick up and shift larger sediment grains.
Mud-sized sediments are retained in suspension in neritic waters, while gravels tend to stay
close to shore and fine sands can be carried out to the edge of the shelf.
Muds settle out only in closed-off no-energy lagoons, and in oceanic waters, only suspended
muds fall to the seafloor.
The muds in the oceanic zone come from nearby rivers, airborne dust and ash, and the
shells and debris of organisms that settle to the seafloor.

✦Ocean sediments can be either mud-sized or gravel-sized, and can consist of

calcium carbonate or minerals that precipitate from dissolved ions in water.
Mud-sized sediments are fine flour-like materials, while gravel-sized sediments contain larger
shells.
Calcium carbonate sediments are called calcareous oozes and are found in neritic nearshore
areas with large reefs.
Hydrogenous sediments are formed through precipitation of minerals from ions dissolved in
water, and can include halite, gypsum, and calcite.
Sediments can also precipitate from hydrothermal vents, where hot water rich in dissolved
ions cools and becomes supersaturated.
✦Ocean sediments in the deep oceans can be dominated by abyssal clays,
calcareous oozes, or siliceous oozes depending on the location and sources.

Abyssal clays are lithogenous and dominate near high-volume rivers with large deltas.
Abyssal clays can also come from airborne dust and ash blown from the land, especially if
there are nearby deserts with high wind activity.
The settling rate of abyssal clays in the deep oceans can range from 1 mm to 1 cm per 1,000
years.
Plankton in the surface waters are divided into autotrophic (phytoplankton) and heterotrophic
(zooplankton), with different shell types.
Autotrophic phytoplankton include diatoms with silica shells and coccolithophores with
calcium carbonate shells.
Heterotrophic zooplankton include radiolaria with silica shells and foraminifera with calcium
carbonate shells.

✦Silica-shelled autotrophs dominate in cold nutrient-rich water, while calcareous-

shelled autotrophs prefer warmer waters with lower nutrient content.

Siliceous oozes dominate under areas of upwelling.

Calcareous shells will dissolve in acidic waters.
The calcium carbonate compensation depth (CCD) is the depth at which calcareous shells
dissolve, which is around 4500 meters on average.
Deep abyssal plains will not have calcareous shells.