Biological resources of the Pacific Ocean briefly. Biological resources of the Pacific Ocean
Mineral resources Pacific Ocean.
The bottom of the Pacific Ocean hides rich deposits of various minerals. On the shelves of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the United States of America (Alaska), Ecuador (Guayaquil Bay
), Australia (Bass Strait) and New Zealand produce oil and gas. According to existing estimates, the subsoil of the Pacific Ocean contains up to 30-40% of all potential oil and gas reserves of the World Ocean. The largest producer of tin concentrates in the world is Malaysia, and Australia is the largest producer of zircon, ilmenite and others. The ocean is rich in ferromanganese nodules, with total reserves on the surface up to 7‣‣‣1012 tons. The most extensive reserves are observed in the northern deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, as well as in the Southern and Peruvian basins. In terms of the main ore elements, the concretions of the ocean contain manganese 7.1‣‣‣1010 t, nickel 2.3‣‣‣109 t, copper 1.5‣‣‣109 t, cobalt 1‣‣‣109 t. In the Pacific Ocean rich deep-water deposits of gas hydrates were discovered: in the Oregon depression, the Kuril ridge and the Sakhalin shelf in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Nankai trench in the Sea of Japan and around the coast of Japan, in the Peruvian depression. In 2013, Japan intends to begin pilot drilling to extract natural gas from methane hydrate deposits on the Pacific Ocean floor northeast of Tokyo.
Red clays are widespread in the Pacific Ocean, especially in the northern hemisphere. This is due to the great depth of the ocean basins. In the Pacific Ocean, there are two belts (southern and northern) of siliceous diatom oozes, as well as a distinct equatorial belt of siliceous radiolarian deposits. Vast areas of the bottom of the southwestern ocean are occupied by coral-algal biogenic deposits. To the south of the equator, foraminiferal oozes are widespread. There are several fields of pteropod deposits in the Coral Sea
In the northern deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, as well as in the Southern and Peruvian basins, extensive fields of ferromanganese nodules are observed.
Many peoples inhabiting the Pacific shores and islands from ancient times made voyages on the ocean, mastered its riches. The beginning of the penetration of Europeans into the Pacific Ocean coincided with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. The ships of F. Magellan for several months of navigation crossed a huge body of water from east to west. All this time, the sea was surprisingly calm, which gave Magellan reason to call it the Pacific Ocean. Much information about the nature of the ocean was obtained during the voyages of J. Cook. A great contribution to the study of the ocean and islands in it was made by Russian expeditions led by I. F. Kruzenshtern, M. P. Lazarev, V. M. Golovnin, Yu. F. Lisyansky. In the same 19th century complex studies were carried out by S. O. Makarov on the vessel ʼʼ Vityazʼʼ. Regular scientific flights since 1949 ᴦ. made by Soviet expeditionary ships. A special international organization is engaged in the study of the Pacific Ocean.
In the waters of the Pacific Ocean is concentrated more than half of the living matter of the entire oceans Earth. This applies to both plants and animals. The organic world as a whole is distinguished by species richness, antiquity, and a high degree of endemism.
The fauna, numbering up to 100 thousand species in general, is characterized by mammals living mainly in temperate and high latitudes. A representative of toothed whales, the sperm whale, has a massive distribution, and several species of striped whales from toothless whales. Their fishing is strictly limited. Separate genera of the eared seal family (sea lions) and fur seals are found in the south and north of the ocean. Northern fur seals are valuable fur-bearing animals, the trade of which is strictly controlled. In the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean, there are also very rare sea lions (from eared seals) and walrus, which has a circumpolar range, but is now on the verge of extinction.
very rich fauna fish. In tropical waters, there are at least 2000 species, in the northwestern seas - about 800 species. The Pacific Ocean accounts for almost half of the world's fish catch. The main fishing areas are the northern and central parts of the ocean. The main commercial families are salmon, herring, cod, anchovies, etc.
The predominant mass of living organisms inhabiting the Pacific Ocean (as well as other parts of the World Ocean) falls on invertebrates that live at different levels of ocean waters and at the bottom of shallow waters: these are protozoa, coelenterates, arthropods (crabs, shrimps), mollusks (oysters, squids, octopuses), echinoderms, etc.
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Οʜᴎ serve as food for mammals, fish, sea birds, but also constitute an essential component of marine fisheries and are objects of aquaculture.
Pacific Ocean thanks to high temperatures its surface waters in tropical latitudes, is especially rich various types corals, incl. having a calcareous skeleton. In no other ocean is there such an abundance and variety of coral structures of various types as in the Pacific.
basis plankton are unicellular representatives of the animal and flora. There are almost 380 species in the phytoplankton of the Pacific Ocean.
The greatest wealth of the organic world is characteristic of areas where the so-called upwelling(raising to the surface of deep waters rich in mineral substances) or mixing of waters with different temperatures occurs, which creates favorable conditions for the nutrition and development of phyto- and zooplankton, which fish and other nekton animals feed on. In the Pacific, upwelling areas are concentrated along the coasts of Peru and in divergence zones in subtropical latitudes, where there are areas of intensive fishing and other trades.
The Amundsen Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica.
Banda, the inter-island sea of the Pacific Ocean in Indonesia.
Bellingshausen Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica
The Bering Sea is the largest and deepest among the seas of Russia
The Inland Sea of Japan (Seto-Nikai) is located inside the straits between the islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku (Japan).
The East China Sea (Donghai) is a semi-enclosed sea of the Pacific Ocean, between the coast of East Asia (China) and the islands of Ryukyu and Kyushu (Japan).
The Yellow Sea is limited from the Yellow and East China Seas by a conditional border that runs from the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula to Chechzhudo Island and further to the coast somewhat north of the mouth of the Yangtze River.
Coral Sea, a semi-enclosed sea of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia.
Mindanao, an interisland sea in the southern part of the Philippine archipelago.
The Moluccas Sea is an inter-island sea of the Pacific Ocean, in the Malay Archipelago, between the islands of Mindanao, Sulawesi, Sula, Moluccas and Talaud. Area 274 thousand square meters. km, maximum depth 4970 m.
The New Guinea Sea lies to the northeast of the island of New Guinea.
The Sea of Okhotsk is one of the largest and deepest seas in Russia.
The Ross Sea is located off the coast of Antarctica.
Seram is an inter-island sea in the Malay Archipelago.
The Solomon Sea is bounded by the islands of New Guinea.
Sulawesi (Celebes Sea) is located between the islands of Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Mindanao, Sangihe and the Sulu archipelago.
The Tasman Sea is located between Australia and the island of Tasmania.
Fiji is located between the islands of Fiji, New Caledonia, Norfolk, Kermadec and New Zealand.
The Philippine Sea is located between the islands of Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines in the west, underwater ridges and the Izu Islands.
FLORES is located between the island of Sulawesi in the north, the islands of Sumba and Flores in the south.
South China Sea, in the west of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Southeast Asia, between the Indochina peninsula.
JAVAN SEA, in the west of the Pacific Ocean, between the islands of Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan.
The Sea of Japan lies between the Eurasian mainland and the Korean peninsula, the Sakhalin and Japanese islands, which separate it from other Pacific seas and the ocean itself.
Biological resources of the Pacific Ocean. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Biological resources of the Pacific Ocean." 2017, 2018.
It led to the formation and accumulation in its waters, at the bottom and on the banks of large and diverse natural resources. Partial use of them in the coastal zone began in antiquity. At present, ocean resource exploitation is broad and comprehensive, but it is characterized by spatial differences. This is explained not only by natural factors, but also by socio-economic reasons, as well as by the peculiarities of the EGP of the Pacific Ocean. All this in combination affects the development of each type of the main resources of the ocean.
As a result of the favorable impact of hydrological and hydrobiological factors, the Pacific Ocean is characterized by high (about 200 kg/km 2) productivity. Many of its vast areas are richly populated with various animals and plants, many of which have long been used by man. However, until the second half of the 50s, catches in the Pacific Ocean were less than in. This is due to the relatively weak development of fisheries in most of the Pacific countries, the low technical level of their fishing. A sharp increase in the catches of the Peruvian anchovy since 1958 and the intensification of fishing not only in Japan, but also in other countries in this ocean, brought it to the first place in the world in the production of fish and non-fish objects. In 2004, the Pacific Ocean provided 52% of the total world catch. A similar level of production is preserved here at the present time. Most of catches (about 2/3 of the total catch in the ocean) falls on its northern part. Of course, the volume of fish and seafood production is subject to both temporal and spatial fluctuations.
Areas of mining and fishing
In the ocean as a whole, catches were high in 2009. In some fishing areas, production increased from 2006 to 2009, while in others it decreased over the same period.
The northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean is its main fishing area, where a little more than half of all fish and non-fish species caught in the Pacific Ocean are caught. In this area, the catch in 2009 exceeded the catch in 2006 by 198 thousand tons, mainly as a result of an increase in the catch by Japan and our country.
The catch of the Central-Eastern region of the ocean in 2009 increased by 172 thousand tons compared to the catch of 2008. In these waters, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama increased their catch, while the USA, Canada and Japan, on the contrary, reduced their catches mainly due to a decrease in tuna production.
The Central-Western region is the third in the ocean in terms of catches. Here, in 2009, production increased by 292 thousand tons compared to 2006, since the Asian countries adjacent to it (Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia) expanded their fishing. According to experts, this is a promising area for the development of fishing.
The southeastern region of the ocean is a unique region of the world fishery. In the recent past, in some years, catches here reached 11-13 million tons, mainly due to the Peruvian anchovy. However, such high production volumes and the unfavorable oceanological situation in the area in last years depleted the stocks of this fish and worsened the conditions for its reproduction, which led to a sharp decrease in its catches. Thus, in 2006 the total catch of Peruvian anchovy reached 4297 thousand tons, and in 2007 it dropped to 807 thousand tons. True, the main producing countries of this region - Peru and Chile - increased the catch of other types of fish, such as sardines, horse mackerels, but in general, production here decreased slightly, by only 281 thousand tons, and the Southeast Pacific Ocean continues to rank second in terms of catches.
Northeast region in 2005, 2006 and 2008 ranked fourth in catches among other fishing areas of the Pacific Ocean. In 2007, there was a noticeable decrease in catch volumes due to fishing restrictions. foreign countries within 200 mile zones in the US and Canada. The catches of Japan (296 thousand tons) and our country (312 thousand tons) were especially reduced, mainly as a result of a decrease in pollock production. It is characteristic that the catches of the USA and Canada have increased here by only 67 thousand tons, thus, the fishing opportunities of this rather rich region are not fully used. In 2008 and 2009 catches increased but remained below 2006 catches.
The southwestern region of the ocean is still little developed by the world fishery, although the catches in 2009 were higher than the catches of 2005, but lower than the catches of 2007. Here, in addition to the countries adjacent to this region - Australia and New Zealand - Japan, Russia are fishing and other countries that account for more than 70% of the catch in these waters. In 2007, the catch of Japan and Russia increased significantly, which increased the total production in this area.
In 2009, the catch of the Antarctic region, which is still little mastered by the world fishery, increased noticeably. Here, 800 thousand tons of fish and other seafood were caught, mainly by countries leading expeditionary catches.
Production of non-fish objects in all fishing areas of the Pacific Ocean is generally characterized by relative stability and upward trends. The catch of shrimp, and in recent years, krill, which is caught in the Antarctic waters, has increased most noticeably.
A brief review of biological resources shows that the Pacific Ocean is the largest modern supplier of fish and seafood. Unjustified restrictions of some capitalist countries in their exclusive economic zones reduce the possibility of rational use of the biological wealth of these areas, which adversely affects economic activity in the ocean.
Mineral resources
The oceans are rich in mineral resources that are mined from the ocean floor. The most significant among them are oil and gas. They cost 90% of all resources extracted from the seabed. Offshore oil production in the total volume is approximately 1/3. The World Ocean is a source of such ores as: iron, tin, copper-nickel. Rich seams of coal lie at the bottom of the ocean.[*]
Table 1 - Explored oil and gas reserves for 2012
Explored reserves in barrels |
||
Saudi Arabia |
||
Venezuela |
||
Explored reserves in m3 |
||
47 570 000 000 000 |
||
33 070 000 000 000 |
||
25 200 000 000 000 |
||
Turkmenistan |
24 300 000 000 000 |
|
Saudi Arabia |
8 028 000 000 000 |
|
7 716 000 000 000 |
||
6 089 000 000 000 |
||
Venezuela |
5 524 000 000 000 |
|
5 110 000 000 000 |
||
4 502 000 000 000 |
The main wealth of the deep-sea bed of the ocean is ferromanganese nodules containing up to 30 different metals. They were discovered at the bottom of the ocean back in the 70s of the XIX century by the English research vessel Challenger. The largest volume of ferromanganese nodules is located in the Pacific Ocean (16 million km²). The first experience in the extraction of nodules was undertaken by the Americans in the Hawaiian Islands. [*]
Brief description of the mineral resources of the oceans
1. The Pacific Ocean is the largest basin of the World Ocean. Oil and gas deposits have been discovered in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, and placers of heavy minerals and other minerals have been found at the bottom. The main oil and gas bearing regions are concentrated on the periphery of the ocean. Oil and gas fields have been discovered in the Tasman Basin - Barracuta (over 42 billion m3 of gas), Marlin (over 43 billion m3 of gas, 74 million tons of oil), Kingfish, near the island New Zealand Kapun gas field explored (15 billion m3). Of the solid minerals, alluvial deposits of magnetite sands have been discovered and are partially developed (Japan, west coast North America), cassiterite (Indonesia, Malaysia), gold and platinum (Alaska coast, etc.). Large accumulations of deep-sea iron-manganese nodules, also containing a significant amount of nickel and copper, have been found in the open ocean (the Clarion-Clipperton fault). On many seamounts and slopes of oceanic islands, iron-manganese crusts and nodules enriched in cobalt and platinum have been found. Phosphorite deposits are known on the shelves of California and the island of New Zealand.
2. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest basin of the World Ocean. Among the mineral resources Atlantic Ocean oil and gas are of paramount importance. In North America, the shelves of the Labrador Sea, bays of St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia, Georges Bank are oil and gas bearing. Oil reserves on the eastern shelf of Canada are estimated at 2.5 billion tons, gas 3.3 trillion. m3, on the eastern shelf and the continental slope of the United States - up to 0.54 billion tons of oil and 0.39 trillion. m3 of gas. More than 280 fields have been discovered on the southern shelf of the United States, more than 20 fields off the coast of Mexico. The total reserves of the Caribbean Sea shelves are up to 13 billion tons of oil and 8.5 trillion. m3 of gas. Oil and gas bearing areas have been identified on the shelves of Brazil (Toduz-yc-Santos Bay) and Argentina (San Xopxe Bay). Oil fields have been discovered in the North (114 deposits) and the Irish Seas, the Gulf of Guinea (50 offshore Nigeria, 37 off Gabon, 3 off the Congo, etc.).
Sulfur is mined in the Gulf of Mexico. Coal is mined in offshore extensions of continental basins - in Great Britain (up to 10% of national production) and Canada. Off the east coast of the island
Newfoundland is the largest iron ore deposit of Waban (total reserves of about 2 billion tons). Heavy minerals (ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite) are mined off the coast of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. off the coast of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, the Scandinavian and Iberian Peninsulas, Senegal, South Africa. The shelf of South-West Africa is an area of industrial diamond mining (reserves of 12 million carats). Gold-bearing placers have been discovered off the Nova Scotia Peninsula. Phosphorites are found on the shelves of the USA, Morocco, Liberia, on the Agulhas Bank.
3. Indian Ocean. Oil and gas deposits have been discovered almost throughout the entire shelf of the Indian Ocean. The largest reserves are concentrated on the shelf of Southeast Asia, where geological reserves are estimated at 2.4 billion tons of oil and 2.3 trillion. m3 of gas. The largest deposits are located in the oil and gas basin of the Persian Gulf. On the western and northwestern shelves of Australia, 10 oil fields are known (potential recoverable reserves are 600-900 million tons), 7 gas fields have been discovered off the coast of Bangladesh. Gas deposits have been discovered in the Andaman Sea, oil and gas bearing areas in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, along the coast of Africa. The most important alluvial deposits in Indian Ocean found off the coasts of Southeast Asia and Australia. In the open ocean, large fields of ferromanganese nodules have been found at the bottom of the West Australian, Central, South Arabian, and Crozet basins; relatively small fields have been found in the Somali, Mascarene, and other basins. iron, copper, zinc, etc.
4. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean on Earth. On the continental margin of the Arctic Ocean, large oil and gas bearing basins (OGB) are known that extend to its shelves: the West Siberian, the northern periphery of which is located in the southwestern part of the Kara Sea shelf, the Pechora (Barents Sea shelf), the North Slope of Alaska oil and gas bearing basin (USA ), Sverdrup (on the Arctic islands of Canada). Oil and gas bearing areas have also been identified on the shelf of the Norwegian Sea and in the part of the Barents Sea adjacent to Norway, as well as on the shelf of northeastern Greenland. The depths of the Arctic Ocean are favorable for the formation of gas hydrates due to their thermobaric conditions. Placers of cassiterite are known on the coast of the Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas. The rift gorges of the Mid-Arctic Ridge are apparently promising for metal-bearing silts and polymetallic hydrothermal deposits of massive sulfides.
Energetic resources
The potential for using the energy resources of the waters of the World Ocean is enormous. The greatest progress has been made in the use of tidal energy. It has been established that the best opportunities for creating large tidal stations are available in 25 places on the Earth. Such countries as France, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Argentina, USA, Russia have large resources of tidal energy. The best opportunities of these countries are explained by the fact that the height of the tide here reaches 10-15 m.
Scientists have calculated that with the rational use of the energy of ocean tides, humanity can receive an astronomical amount of electricity - approximately 70,000,000 billion kilowatt-hours per year.
biological resources
We must not forget about the biological resources of the oceans: plants (algae) and animals (fish, mammals, mollusks, crustaceans). The volume of the entire biomass of the ocean is 35 billion tons, of which 0.5 billion tons are fish. As on land, there are more and less productive territories in the oceans. They cover the areas of the shelf and the peripheral part of the ocean. The most productive in the world are the Norwegian, Bering, Okhotsk, and Japan seas. Ocean spaces, characterized by low productivity, occupy almost 2/3 of the ocean area.
More than 85% of the biomass that humans use is fish. A small proportion is accounted for by algae. Thanks to fish, molluscs, crustaceans caught in the oceans, humanity provides itself with 20% of animal proteins. Ocean biomass is also used to produce high-calorie feed meal for livestock.
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Summarizing, we can say that the World Ocean is an important supplier of almost all substances necessary for existence. The oceans are the most valuable source of important mineral resources such as oil and natural gas. It is also not necessary to deny the role of biological resources, because they account for about 20% of animal proteins consumed by mankind. A huge role is assigned to the oceans as a new source of energy, it is possible to use the energy of waves, ebb and flow. It is possible to use sea water to obtain fresh water.
The largest of the Earth's oceans. It is the deepest and warmest ocean in the surface layer. The highest wind waves and the most destructive tropical hurricanes form here. It ranks first in terms of the number of islands and is distinguished by a variety of natural conditions.
The Pacific Ocean covers more than 30% of the Earth's surface with its waters and surpasses all continents in area. It stretches for 16,000 km from north to south, and more than 19,000 km from west to east. The Pacific Ocean washes the shores of all continents except. The margins of the continents surrounding the ocean are distinguished by the presence, volcanism and strong (Pacific ring of fire).
Stretch for 11,700 km. Unlike other oceans, they do not occupy a median position, but are strongly shifted to the southeast, where the boundaries of the lithospheric ones pass.
The bed of the Pacific Ocean is characterized by isolated volcanic uplifts and whole chains of seamounts. The tops of many underwater ridges and uplifts form islands, of which there are more than 10 thousand in the ocean, their total area is 36 million km2.
The largest of the islands are Hawaiian. At the bottom are many volcanic mountains called guyots. They have flat tops crowned with coral buildings. Guyots due to subsidence earth's crust submerged to a depth of 2-2.5 km, and around some small coral islands - atolls are formed. Numerous islands of the central part of the ocean are united under the common name Oceania.
It is diverse and varies from to in the north and south. The widest part of the ocean is located in hot zones. Therefore, the average water temperature in the surface layer is 2 °C higher than in and . The average salinity of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean - 34.5% o - is lower than in other oceans, since more fresh water than evaporate.
In the Pacific Ocean, as in the Atlantic, there are two circulations of currents - in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
The Pacific Ocean is the richest in terms of the number of species of living organisms and their total mass. In general, 100 thousand species of animals live in the Pacific Ocean, which is 3-4 times more than in other oceans. Life is most abundant in the shelf zone. As you move away from the coasts and with increasing depth, it becomes poorer. The richest organic world interisland seas of the Great, where there are more than 800 species of coastal algae and 50 thousand species of animals. Corals are widespread in the shallow waters of this area, as well as to the northeast.
Coastal areas are rich in fish, especially where warm and cold currents interact or cold deep waters rise to the surface. There are many mammals (sperm whales, striped whales, fur seals, sea lions, sea otters, walruses) and invertebrates (crabs, shrimps, oysters, scallops, mollusks) in the ocean.
Natural resources and economic development
Almost half of the world's fish is caught in the Pacific Ocean. One of the most fish-producing areas is the coast of Peru and Northern Chile. The main commercial fish here is anchovy, the abundance of which provides cold and rise to the surface of cold deep waters.
Fields are being developed in coastal areas, among the countries - leaders in underwater oil production -