Why are continental shelves the areas of the ocean richest in marine life?

Sunlight penetrates the shallow waters, and many kinds of organisms flourish—from microscopic shrimp to giant seaweed called kelp. Ocean currents and runoff from rivers bring nutrients to organisms that live on continental shelves. Plants and algae make continental shelves rich feeding grounds for sea creatures.

1. Why is there more life in the continental shelf region of the ocean than in the abyssal plain?
2. Why are continental shelves Good fishing areas?
3. Why are continental shelves more productive?
4. What is the marine life like in the continental shelf?
5. What is true about the relationship of coastal plains and continental shelves?
6. What do you mean by continental shelf?
7. What is continental shelf why it is important?
8. Why is continental shelf paradise for fishing activity?
9. Why is the continental slope important?
10. What does the continental shelf of a coastal state comprise?
11. What does the continental shelf look like?
12. What is a continental shelf and how is it formed?
13. What is an example of a continental shelf?
14. Where in the ocean basin would we find the continental shelf?
15. Which ocean has the widest continental shelf?
16. Where is the continental shelf in the Atlantic ocean?

Why is there more life in the continental shelf region of the ocean than in the abyssal plain?

Why is there more life in the continenetal shelf region of the ocean than in the abyssal plain? The sun shines down on the continental shelf region which allows for more plant life to grow. Name one benefit hydrogen bonding provides for marine organisms. It can dissolve salt.

Why are continental shelves Good fishing areas?

Continental shelves are shallower in relation to deep sea, this enables sunlight to penetrate through water. Thus, with sunlight marine flora grows abundantly, for instance grass, sea weds and planktons. Thus, continental shelves become good feeding grounds for fishes.

Why are continental shelves more productive?

One of the reasons for this higher productivity is the increased nutrient loads via runoff from the continental landmasses (mostly by rivers), however many shelf areas receive significant nutrients from upwelling of deeper ocean waters.

What is the marine life like in the continental shelf?

Lobster, Dungeness crab, tuna, cod, halibut, sole and mackerel can be found. Permanent rock fixtures are home to anemones, sponges, clams, oysters, scallops, mussels and coral. Larger animals such as whales and sea turtles can be seen in continental shelf areas as they follow migration routes.

What is true about the relationship of coastal plains and continental shelves?

What is true about the relationship of coastal plains and continental shelves? a. Coastal plains were part of the continental shelves that have been exposed by the fall of sea level. ... Continental shelves are submerged portions of coastal plains that were exposed during the peaks of the ice ages.

What do you mean by continental shelf?

The term "continental shelf" is used by geologists generally to mean that part of the continental margin which is between the shoreline and the shelf break or, where there is no noticeable slope, between the shoreline and the point where the depth of the superjacent water is approximately between 100 and 200 metres.

What is continental shelf why it is important?

Law Of The Sea

It does not include the deep ocean floor. The significance of the continental shelf is that it may contain valuable minerals and shellfish. UNCLOS addresses the issue of jurisdiction over these resources by allocating sovereign rights to the coastal State for exploration and exploitation.

Why is continental shelf paradise for fishing activity?

It is considered a paradise for fishing activity because of the favorable conditions available for growth of fishes. As the continental shelf is shallow, good amount of sunlight reaches on its bed facilitating the growth of planktons and algae which serves as food for fish.

Why is the continental slope important?

Over geologic time, the continental slopes are temporary depositional sites for sediments. During lowstands of sea level, rivers may dump their sedimentary burden directly on them. Sediments build up until the mass becomes unstable and sloughs off to the lower slope and the continental rise.

What does the continental shelf of a coastal state comprise?

The continental shelf of a coastal State comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth ...

What does the continental shelf look like?

Continental shelves are usually covered with a layer of sand, silts, and silty muds. Their surfaces exhibit some relief, featuring small hills and ridges that alternate with shallow depressions and valleylike troughs.

What is a continental shelf and how is it formed?

Continental shelves were formed in between glacial periods as the ocean flowed over the continents forming shallow areas along the coasts. About 18,000 years ago, during the height of the Pleistocene ice ages, much of what is now a continental shelf was actually above water.

What is an example of a continental shelf?

Example of a Continental Shelf Landform: Siberian Shelf, Arctic Ocean. The picture is of Southeast Florida Continental Shelf (It is under water). It is smaller than the side in the Gulf of Mexico.

Where in the ocean basin would we find the continental shelf?

Starting from land, a trip across an ocean basin along the seafloor would begin with crossing the continental shelf. The continental shelf is an area of relatively shallow water, usually less than a few hundred feet deep, that surrounds land.

Which ocean has the widest continental shelf?

The widest continental shelf in the world extends 1,210 km (750 miles) off the coast of Siberia, Russia, into the Arctic Ocean.

Where is the continental shelf in the Atlantic ocean?

The area of this investigation (fig. 3), occupies a coastal belt about 2,500 kilometers long. Nearest shore is the continental shelf, which ranges in width from less than 1 kilometer off Florida to more than 420 kilometers off Maine; it averages about 135 kilometers.