1. Ocean Resources
Mr. Silva
Ag Earth Science

2. Fresh Water from the Ocean
• Fresh water supplies are limited
• Many developing countries lack a source
of fresh water.
• Distillation, is starting to increase.
– Three methods:
• Heating
• Freezing
• High pressure

3. Mineral from the Ocean
• The ocean is a large source of minerals,
its just very costly to harvest the minerals.
• Each cubic kilometer= 6kg of gold
• Nodules high in iron, copper, nickel,
cobalt, phosphates.
• Only grow 1-10 mm every million years!
• Petroleum (oil)- limited supply and is
being depleted faster than produced.

4. Food from the Ocean
• Over half a billion people in the world lack
protein in their diet.
• Fish is a great source of protein.
• Aquaculture (farming of the ocean), can
solve many of those problems.
• Problem is a lot of nutrients are on the
bottom of the ocean.

5. Ocean-Water Pollution
• Until recently, most waste was diluted, or
destroyed as it spread throughout the
ocean.
• Increased about of
– Lead
– Insecticides
– Plastic

6. Ocean Currents
• A. Surface Currents Move in a
Circular Motion!!
– 1. Winds affect surface currents
a. Wind provides energy to the water, causing
movement
b. Winds move along latitude lines in opposite
directions
• i. Tradewinds: Above & below the equator
• Currents blow toward the equator line
– Westerlies: In the middle latitude zones
– Currents blow toward the poles

7. Ocean Currents
• 2. Earth’s rotation affects surface
currents
– a. The Coriolis effect is the deflection of
the earth’s winds and ocean currents
caused by the earth’s rotation
– b. The water flows in a circular motion
• Northern Hemisphere: clockwise
• Southern Hemisphere: counter-clockwise

8. Ocean Currents

9. Ocean Currents

10. Ocean Currents
• B. Deep Ocean and Air Currents
– 1. Currents move in a circular motion that
is affected by temperature
– 2. Temperature inversion: when warm
temperatures are above the cooler
temperatures either in the oceans or the
atmosphere
• Cold water (near the poles) sinks because it is
more dense
• Warm water (near the equator) rises because it
is less dense

11. Ocean Currents
3. Convection: the circular pattern made by
water or air caused by the differential
heating of earth
a. Ocean water is heated unevenly due to the depth
of the ocean and the heat energy from the sun
– Pressure differences in the atmosphere (warm air
is less dense, cold air is more dense) cause
uneven heating and form convection cells around
the earth
• These patterns of circulation globally
distribute the heat among ocean waters
and the atmosphere