AQUATIC CHEMISTRY AND

SEDIMENT
CHARACTERISTICS
Sadia Khan Department of Environmental Engineering
The layers of the Ocean
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 Profile of the Ocean

1-The Sunlight (Epipelagic) Zone
2-The Twilight (Mesopelagic)
Zone
3-The Midnight (Bathypelagic)
Zone
4-The Pitch-black (Abyssal or
Abyssalpelagic) Zone
5-The Hadalpelagic Zone

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 1-The Sunlight (Epipelagic) Zone
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 This surface layer extends from the surface to 200 meters deep
 It is the top layer where enough sunlight penetrates for plants
to carry out photosynthesis
 With the light comes heating from sun
 This zone have a wide range of temperatures, from as high as
36°C (Persian Gulf) to -2°C (near the north pole)
 Since the sun shines on this layer the most the water is very
warm
 Most plants and animals spend there lives upon this layer
 Most sharks are found in this zone as well

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 2-The Twilight (Mesopelagic) Zone
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 This zone extends from 200- 1,000 meters (600-3300 ft).

 Only some light penetrates, but not enough for plants to grow.
 Temperature changes the greatest in this zone as this is the zone
which contains the thermocline.
 Because of the lack of light, it is within this zone that
bioluminescence begins to appear on life.
 The eyes on the fishes are larger and generally upward directed,
so that they can see other animals (for food) against the dim light.
 A variety of unusual creatures can be found in this zone.
 Relatively cool, temperature 41°F

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 3-The Midnight (Bathypelagic) Zone
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 This zone extends from 1,000-4,000 meters.

 No light penetrates and the only light at this depth
(and lower) comes from the bioluminescence of the
animals themselves.
 The temperature in this zone is constant at about 4°C
or around 35 degrees F.
 The pressure is extreme and yet sperm whales can
dive down to this level in search of food.
 The water pressure down there is massive, a
surprising amount of sea animals can03/09/2021
be found in this
layer.
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 Many animals that live in this layer are black or red

due to the shortage of light.
 Little food can be found here.
 Over 90% of the ocean's water is in this zone.
 The types of animals that can be found in this
region include angler fish, tripod fish, sea
cucumber, vampire squid, and opposum shrimp.

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 4-The Pitch-black (Abyssal or
Abyssalpelagic) Zone
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 This zone extends from 4,000 - 6,000 m.

 The name, Abyssopelagic, comes from the Greek word

meaning "no bottom."

 There is absolutely no light (deep sea floor)

 Three-quarters of the area of the deep-ocean floor lies in this

zone.
 The water temperature is constantly near freezing.

 Only a few creatures can be found at these crushing

depths…….. invertebrates such as squids

 Interesting enough the mud that is on this layer is made from

the small skeletons of the sea creatures that used to live here.
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 5-The Hadalpelagic Zone
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 The deepest zone of the ocean extends from 6,000 meters)

to10,911 meters in the Mariana Trench off the coast of
Japan.
 The temperature is constant at just above freezing.
 The weight of all the water over head is over 8 tons per
square inch (the weight of 48 Boeing 747 jets).
 Even at the very bottom life exists.
 In 2005, tiny single-celled organisms, called foraminifera,
a type of plankton, were discovered in the Pacific Ocean.

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 Sediments Deposits
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 Mineral grains from soil

 Rock fragments from volcanic eruption
 Shell and bones of marine organisms
 Usually thin on newly formed crust at mid ocean
ridges and in mid ocean areas
 Thickest on cold crustal segments, in enclosed basin
and near land
 Much of the ocean sediments lie at the base of
continental slopes, forming the continental rise
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 Deep Sea Sediment
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 Soft mud
 White to grey to reddish brown
 Two main kinds
a. Terrigenous
1. Formed by weathering &erosion of land areas
2. Transported to oceans by rivers, glaciers and wind
3. Consist of gravel, sands, silts and clays

a. Biogenous
1. Made up of microscopic remains of planktonic marine organisms,
their skeleton of CaCO3 and silica

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 Pelagic Biogenic Sediments
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 Pelagic sediment…sediments deposit along continental margins

in sea
 Roughly 75 percent of the deep seafloor is covered by slowly
accumulating deposits known as pelagic sediments.
 Include both terrigenous and biogenic material
 Volcanic eruption….dust and ash carried to distance by
wind……washed out directly into oceans by rain
 Ocean basin change shape and size ….cm/y
 Species composition of biogenic components change with depth
 Sediments deposit on ocean crust do not remain same
chemically
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 No pure terrigenous or biogenic sediment

 Biogenic…always contain material from non-biogenic origin
 Calcareous sediments…contain siliceous materials
 Terrigenous sediment….contain biogenic compounds
 Red clay in abyssal….due to absence of materials which dilute
the terrigenous components….not due to clay particles
 > 30% biogenic components….calcareous or siliceous
 < 30 % biogenic components….red clay

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 Reaction of sediment with water take place at sea bed and in

sediment pile
 Sedimentation in not a continuous process
 Erosion can occur
 Periods of non deposition is common because of current
change
 Zooplankton, plankton (CaCO3) unicellular algae (Diatoms,
SiO2)
 Biogenic sediment depends on the production of plankton on
surface waters

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 Pelagic Terrigenous Sediment
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 Consists of small size grain

 Icebergs shedding and carrying by melted ice
 Found up to several hundred kilometres
 Mostly less than 20 um in size
 Mostly quartz and clay mineral
 Wind borne anthropogenic components in deep sea… consists of
dust from power station, cement, plastic, PCBs, lead
compounds, radio nuclei…..enter in ocean ….go to sea bed

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 Red clay…found in deep ocean floor

 Consists of different minerals
 Actual colour is brown, result from oxidation of iron in
sediments…very low rate
 Kaolinite…formed by silicate mineral
 Chlorite…formed by rocks , mostly clay
 Montmorillonite…..formed by weathering of volcanic ash at sea
floor

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 Chemical Cycles in the Oceans
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 Most of the natural element present in the sea (92)

1. Major Constituents
 Conc. greater than 1 ppm by weight

 Cause 99.9% salinity of sea water

 N and O are not include because they are dissolve

2 2
gases
 Cl, Na, Mg, S, Ca, K, Br, Sr, C, Bo, Si, Fl, Ar, Li,

Ru, P, I, Ba, Mo, As, Ur, V, Ti

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2. Minor and trace constituents

 Remaining elements

 Conc. 1 ppb by weight or less

 Zn, Ni, Al, Cs, Cr, Kr, Ne, Mn, Cd, Cu, Fe, He,

Ag, Co, Pb, Hg, ……

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