Students define and provide examples of abiotic and biotic factors of different ecosystems. Then they investigate the importance of abiotic factors and physical processes within ocean ecosystems.

study the Biology concept of ecosystems. The marine ecosystem tutorial comprises of definitions, pictures, and examples of an assortment of ocean benthic biomes.

Students investigate the Biology topic of ecosystems. The marine ecosystem tutorial consists of definitions, pictures, and examples of different ocean-benthic biomes.

A suite of lessons focusing on the process of upwelling. Inquiry-based exploration of seasonal upwelling includes marine food webs, food production in the ocean, wind-driven ocean currents, and seasonal changes in biotic and abiotic...

Smithsonian Education presents Contrasts in Blue: Life on the Caribbean Coral Reef and the Rocky Coast of Maine. Teachers can download this comprehensive teaching package in which learners explore two marine ecosystems, the coral reefs...

View images and learn facts about this zone found deep in the ocean.

Plankton is a passively swimming plant life in a body of water known as the ocean. The Plankton that live in our ocean have one of the most important roles in the our Carbon Ecosystem. The importance of Plankton in our Ecosystem is...

Learn about the different zones of the open ocean, the pelagic biome, and what organisms call each zone home.

Make learning about Earth's biomes fun and easy with video clips, photographs, and diagrams. Learn about estuaries, the water environments formed where freshwater from rivers or streams mix salt ocean water. [6:38]

The photic zone is the upper layer of the ocean where sunlight can penetrate and support photosynthesis. This article explains the characteristics of this zone, the food chain that exists there, the adaptations of the plants and animals,...

Describes the characteristics of the marine biome, the plants and animals that live in each of the four ocean zones, coral reefs and estuaries, the climate of the marine biome, and the marine food web.

Read about the different zones and life in the deep sea as well as watch videos and examine photos of this aquatic biome. [5:54]

Describes the multitude of plastic trash scientists have found on a beach in Hawaii and in the oceans. Explains what a gyre is, and how plastic trash gets trapped in the eye of a gyre. Looks at the serious impact plastic materials have...

A research biologist at the Monterey Aquarium and a professor at UC-Santa Cruz is interviewed to explain the studies done in the deep sea. Steven Haddock addresses the purpose of uncovering the mysteries of life and environment lying out...

Learn about the flora and fauna of the intertidal aquatic zone and the characteristics that describe this aquatic biome through reading and watching video clips. [6:42]

Describes the issue of overfishing, its causes, its impact on our ocean fish resources and ecosystems, and efforts to combat it.