Marine Biome
Below is information about marine biomes but mainly the ocean. The classifications for a marine biome is that the salt concentration is above 1%. Marine biomes include seas, coral reefs and oceans. Places where the freshwater and salt water meet and mix are called mangroves, salt marches and mud flats. Marine biomes generally have five different zones,intertidal, neuritic, oceanic pelagic, abyssal and benthic zones. The ocean is the earth's number one most valuable resource. It provides food in form of fish, shell fish and seaweed. About 200 billion pounds of fish are caught each year. The ocean is also used for transportation and shipping of products and supplies. It is also mined for minerals such as sand, salt, gravel, manganese copper, nickel iron and cobaltm these can be found can be found in the deep sea, the ocean is also drilled for crude oil. The ocean has a critical role of removing carbon from the atmosphere and providing oxygen is another important role it has, so the ocean is a vital part of our survival. Not only does it do all that it also regulates the earth's climate and is an important source of biomedical organisms with enormous potential for fighting diseases. We have fished oceans for thousands of years, its been a huge part of history. Vikings cod trade happened across Europe, Italy, Portugal, Spain and India, fishing has been an important part of our life from the beginning of it. 16% of total worlds protein is found in the ocean, but there is a higher percentage in developing nations. Worlds fisheries refers to all fishing activity in the ocean even industrial fisheries, (when fish is not consumed). 86 million tons of fish were captured in 2000, one third of the total was caught by China. In recent years its levelled to 88 million tons, 40% of catches are used for fish meal or to feed fish that are chronic in captivity. Different fishes are used for different things, like canning, freezing, fish oil and fish meal. Phytoplankton which is found in water is possibly responsible for 90% of the worlds oxygen production because water covers 70% of the earth's surface. One last obvious fact about oceans is that there is an ever changing number of fish, it is very hard to find an estimate so sadly I cant say how many fish our world has, but it's a lot.