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 Oceans of the World

Arctic
Ocean

Atlantic
Ocean Pacific
Ocean
Pacific Indian
Ocean Ocean

Southern Ocean
 Ocean Habitats

Across the world’s oceans, there are massive variations

in water temperatures and the amount of light
received. Because of this, oceans are home to a huge
number of different species.

Some creatures which

live in oceans have gills Many plants that live in the ocean
so they can breathe have adapted to survive with reduced
underwater. Others are sunlight.
able to hold their breath
for long periods of time
and come to the surface u
Did Yo
to breathe once in a Know.
..?
Oceans cover nearly 71% of the
while.
Earth’s surface.
 Ocean Habitats
Here are some of the different types of ocean habitats found on Earth. Click on
the images to learn more about them.
Next

Intertidal Mudflat Mangrove

Estuary Kelp Forest Coral Reef Seagrass Meadow

Oyster Reef Open Ocean Salt Marsh Tidewater Glacier

Kelp Forest by NOAA's National Ocean Service is licensed under CC BY 2.0
 Intertidal Habitats

Back

There are four zones in an intertidal habitat:

Spray zone – this is land High intertidal zone – this is

which is occasionally land which is covered only by
splashed with water but is the highest tides but stays out
never fully covered by the of the water most of the time.
ocean.

Mid intertidal zone – this Low intertidal zone – this is

is
Anland
Animals that
andisplants
intertidal usuallythat
habitat is where
live intheland
this
landwhich
zone, is mostly
andsuch
ocean
as meet.
crabs,Itmussels,
is underwater
barnacles
during
and
underwater
high tide and
seaweeds, but
mustinat
be low
open
abletide,
airtoduring
surviveunderwater
lowboth
tide. andhabitat
onThis
land onlyindry
and atwater.found on
istheusually
it is open
rocky andtosandy
the air.
shorelines. the lowest tides.
 Mudflat Habitats

Back

Mudflat habitats occur where silt and mud are brought in with the tide of a
sea, ocean
This type oforhabitat
one of has
its tributaries.
little plant The
life, silt
but and mud
is still anare usuallyhome
important deposited to
to many
createof
types bays and lagoons
marine and hasoysters,
life, including a quicksand-like
snails and texture.
cockles. The habitat is also a
breeding ground for many different types of fish.
 Mangrove Habitats

Back

Mangroves are an essential habitat for many species of marine life, including
mosses
Mangrove andforests
algae that grow on the
are important trees and
habitats that animals, such along
can be found as fish,coastlines
crabs, in
corals,
tropical
The sponges
cover and oysters
andprovided
subtropical
by the which
areas. The live
mangroves among
mangrove
also the trees’
tree
creates can roots.
grow
a shaded in salt water
shelter and
for many
has special
animals rootsand
to nest thatraise
sticktheir
up out of the
young, water.
such as seabirds.
 Estuary Habitats

Back

Estuaries are places where freshwater rivers meet the saltwater seas and
oceans. Therefore,
Estuaries have some theofwater herebiologically
the most is a mix of fresh and saltwater.
rich habitats They are
in the world. There
sometimes
are often
Plants, such also
areas known
as used foras
seagrasses bays,
breedinglagoons,
and seaand inlets,
so are
lavender, sounds
filled
grow or estuary
with in
well wetlands.
young fishhabitats.
and
shellfish, which attracts a variety of birds looking for food.
 Kelp Forest Habitat

Back

Kelp forests
is a typeprovide
of largeshelter
brownand
algae
food
that
forismore
foundthan
in nutrient-rich,
1000 differentcold
types
waters,
of
usuallyand
plants on animals.
the west coasts
Fish, snails,
of continents.
sea urchins
It can
andgrow
sea otters
up to live
150 within
feet in the
length
kelp
and other
looks creatures,
like an underwater
such as seatree.
lions
Forests
and whales,
of kelp live
are essential
beneath the
for kelp’s
a wide
range of species.
canopy.
Kelp Forest by NOAA's National Ocean Service is licensed under CC BY 2.0
 Coral Reef Habitat

Back

Coral reefs are the most diverse of the marine habitats. Only around 1% of the
ocean isthemselves
Corals made up from coral creatures.
are living reefs but around 25%
They are of marine
made up fromlife depends
lots of tinyon
them to survive.
animals They need
called polyps. Thesewarm,
polypsshallow waterthousands
grow over with lots of
of years
sunlight and so
to form the
are only
reefs.
Coral found
They
reefs are in
attracttropical
homealgae and subtropical
to awhich
wide turn them
variety climates.
into lots including
of species, of different
seacolours.
turtles, fish,
seahorses, sharks, sponges, shellfish and starfish.
 Seagrass Meadow Habitat

Back

Seagrass meadows
Seagrasses are plants
arewhich
homegrow
to many
alongfish
theandground
shellfish
in shallower
species, many
watersofwhere
the sunlight
which
Seagrassusemeadows
the
cangrasses
reach
alsoto
thehave
ocean
act as their
floor.
young.
barriers Meadows
for Animals
other of seagrass
such such
habitats, as manatees,
form and sea
as coral are an
reefs
important
turtles
and andfood
coastal aquatic
source
areas, birds
as and
they use
habitat
the seagrass
absorb forforce
the many asofaspecies.
food source.
waves They can
during be found on
storms.
every continent except for Antarctica.
 Oyster Reef Habitat

Back

Oyster reefs are made from clusters of individual oysters, creating a large
structure.
Oyster They
reefs helparetosimilar
clean theto coral
waterreefs in that they
by filtering provide
particles, foodimproves
which and shelter
for a variety
water quality.ofThey
marinealsolife, as well
create as being
barriers a place areas
that protect that some
from species choose
waves and
to reproduce.
stormy waters.
 Open Ocean Habitat
Epipelagic (‘sunlight’) zone (surface to 200 metres deep)
Back – there is enough light here for plants to grow.

Mesopelagic (‘twilight’) zone (200 – 1000 metres deep) – only a little light
can reach here and there is less oxygen.

Bathypelagic (‘midnight’) zone (1000 – 4000 metres deep) – no light can

reach here. The water is cold and there is high pressure.

Abyssopelagic (‘abyss’) zone (4000 – 6000 metres deep) – dark and cold.
However, it is the largest environment for life on Earth, covering 83% of the
world’s oceans and seas.

Hadalpelagic
The open
There are ocean
different
(‘trenches’)
(known
zonesaswithin
the
zonepelagic
the
(more
open
zone)
than
ocean,
6000
is vast.
each
metres
Itwith
covers
deep)
their
the
–own
the
majority
deepest
varietyof
region
themarine
of Earth’s
of the
species.
surface
ocean.Some
and
Lifevaries
of
herethese
in
is specially
depth,
species
inlive
adapted
some soplaces
deep
to the
inreaching
the
extreme
oceanmore
dark
thatthan
and
they
cold.
6000 only
have metres
recently
deep. been discovered.
 Salt Marsh Habitat

Back

Salt marshes filter many types of nutrients, improving water quality for other
marine habitats, such as bays and estuaries. They are also effective at
absorbing
Salt marshesrainwater,
are homepreventing
to a hugeflooding nearby areas
number of species and protecting
and provide shelter, food
shorelines
and placefrom
Salt amarshes toareerosion
coastal by
reproduce foracting
areasmany as protection
creatures,
of land against
that aresuch risingby
asflooded
often shrimp, tides.
crabs and
tides. Thefish.
soil
is marshy and has areas of deep mud.
 Tidewater Glacier Habitat

Back

If enough snow falls to flow out of the mountainous glaciers and into the sea,
it is knownglaciers
Tidewater as a ‘tidewater
are foundglacier’. These cold
in extremely typesparts
of glaciers break off
of the planet. and fall
Here,
into
The the
glaciers sea
form
fallen water,
pieces ofsometimes
because glacier inaschunks
of theact
extreme over
amount
a habitat for200 feet high.
ofa snow
numberthatoffalls everyincluding
species, year.
seals which use them for a place to have their young.
 Threats to Ocean Habitats

Plastics that make their way into the ocean can be mistaken for food by marine
species
Pollution
Chemicals and acause
isand majorharm
pollutantswhen
threatcan eaten.habitats.
to ocean
make Scientists
their havethe
wayThere
into found
are tiny
water,
many pieceshabitats
different
making of
types of
plastic
toxic toinside
pollution that the
species bodies
cause
living in of
harm tofish.
them. They
these
Oil canand
alsodumped
environments,
spills harm animals
as well as toby
sewage thecausing
can make them
species that
to
livegetintrapped.
animals them.
sick and cause them injury.
 Threats to Ocean Habitats

Rising temperatures are also leading to the destruction of corals; as the

temperature of the water
Rising temperatures, due rises, corals
to global release are
warming, the causing
algae inside themtocausing
ice caps melt. This
their colours
in turn to fade.
is causing sea This
levelsisto
known as coral bleaching.
rise, resulting If theoftemperature
in the flooding areas, loss of
doesn’t
Climatecool,
habitats and isthen
change the corals
allowing
caused won’t letis the
contaminants
by pollution to algae
get
having anback
into the inside effect
water.
enormous them and they will
on ocean
die.
habitats.
Bent Sea Rod Bleaching by U.S. Geological Survey is licensed under CC BY 2.0
 Threats to Ocean Habitats

Overfishing can also have a massive impact on the ocean. According to the
United
Some
By Nations,
overfishing
species around
ofand are31.4%
fishreducing
important of fish
forstocks
populations are fished
theofsurvival
some speciesto of
their
of creatures maximum
fish,
in the
ways limit
delicate
other
or arefor
than
balance overfished.
Overfishingof
feeding.
the food
can There
For
not chain
only islead
isalso
example, the
upset, risk
tocorals of on
meaning
rely
shortages ‘by-catch’
ofthat
some
fishsome –humans,
fish
for other
speciesanimals
specieswill
to keep
but starve
for allthem
while
the
accidentally
clean
others
speciesand
may caught
healthy.
that become
rely up in fishing
unsustainably
on the fish nets.
for theiroverpopulated.
own survival.