HabitatOpen Ocean, or Pelagic Zone, is huge and doesn't really contain any habitat besides ocean. In this habitat, the water is very nutrient-poor because the plants and producers are so far from the surface and an organism might have trouble surviving if it does not find other sources of food. Many ocean species really don't ever come into contact with the open ocean or the surface.
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Human Impact
Humans mainly have a negative impact on the open ocean. Pollution, chemical release, and oil spills heavily damage the ocean and its organisms. Humans litter and it eventually finds its way into the ocean and can kill animals in the ocean or severely injure them. Of course, the human race can positively affect the environment through the restoration of habitat or the building of artificial reefs to help ocean species.
Additional Information
- 50-80% of all life on Earth is estimated to be found under the ocean surface.
- The oceans are estimated to make up 99% of all living space on Earth and less than 10% of that space has been explored by humans.
- The oceans make up over 70% of the Earth's surface and 97% of Earth's water.
- The top ten feet of the ocean holds as much heat as the entire atmosphere.
- The sea level has risen an average of 10-25 cm over the past 100 years.