Finding Coral's Ideal Environment
Part B: Ocean Depth
Temperature is just one measurable quantity that can be used to characterize coral reefs' favored environment. Ocean depth is another important factor in determining why coral reefs are found in specific areas of the world. Continue your investigation by exploring ocean depth.
- Examine the combined bathymetry (ocean depth) and topography (land surface features) map below. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the color-coded elevation (height) scale.
Checking In
Answer the following questions to check your understanding of bathymetry and topography.
- Why are there negative values on the elevation scale? What does an elevation of zero mean?
- The scale on the bathymetry map covers such a wide range of values that it is extremely difficult to make a precise depth measurement of how deep coral reefs really live. To get a little more insight, let's look at another classification guide. Based on two variables, one of which is depth, the ocean is divided into three zones: aphotic, euphotic, and dysphotic. These names derive from Greek prefixes and root words. Below are the definitions of the root and prefixes.
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Checking In
Using what you understand about the words, try to match the location of these zones on the image above.
4. The three ocean zones are determined by depth and what second variable?
Stop and Think
3: Do coral reefs seem to favor deeper or shallower waters? (Refer back to the map of coral reef locations in Part A if necessary.) Based on what you know about the life processes of coral, explain why you think coral reefs thrive at these depths.
3. Examine the image below. This graph is a representation of how deep light of each color of the visible spectrum penetrates below the ocean surface.
Stop and Think
4: Explain why you think light penetrates significantly deeper into open ocean waters than coastal waters.
Optional Extensions
NOAA Story Map about Deep Sea Corals in the Gulf of Maine
Video about Cold Water Coral in Atlantic Ocean (20 minutes)