Mineral resources of the Atlantic Ocean. Mineral resources of the Atlantic Ocean and their extraction
Oceanological conditions in large areas of the Atlantic Ocean are favorable for the development of life, therefore, of all the oceans, it is the most productive (260 kg / km 2). Until 1958, he was a leader in the extraction of fish and non-fish products. However, many years of intensive fishing had a negative impact on the resource base, which led to a slowdown in the growth of catches. At the same time, a sharp increase in the catch of the Peruvian anchovy began, and the Atlantic Ocean gave way to the Pacific in catches. In 2004, the Atlantic Ocean provided 43% of the world's catch. The volume of production of fish and non-fish objects fluctuates both over the years and over the areas of production.
Mining and fishing
Most of the catch comes from the Northeast Atlantic. This district is followed by the Northwestern, Central Eastern and Southeastern regions; The North Atlantic has been and continues to be the main fishing area, although in recent years the role of its central and southern zones. In the ocean as a whole, catches in 2006 exceeded the annual average for 2001-2005. In 2009, production was lower than in 2006 by 1,985 thousand tons. Against the background of this general decrease in catches in two areas of the Atlantic, in the North-West and North-East, production decreased by 2198 thousand tons. Consequently, the main catch losses occurred in the North Atlantic.
Analysis of fisheries (including non-fish objects) in Atlantic Ocean over recent years, has identified the main causes of changes in catches in different fishing areas.
IN Northwestern region ocean production has declined due to the strict regulation of fishing in the 200-mile zones of the United States and Canada. At the same time, these states began to pursue a discriminatory policy in relation to socialist countries, sharply limiting their catch quotas, although they themselves do not use raw material base region to the fullest.
The increase in catches in the Southwest Atlantic is associated with an increase in the catches of countries South America.
In the South-East Atlantic, the total catch of African countries has decreased, but at the same time, compared with 2006, the catches of almost all states conducting expeditionary fishing here, and transnational corporations, whose nationality is difficult to determine by FAO, have increased.
In the Antarctic part of the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, the total production volume reached 452 thousand tons, of which 106.8 thousand tons were accounted for by crustaceans.
The data presented indicate that in modern conditions the extraction of biological resources in the Atlantic Ocean has largely become determined by legal and political factors.
The Atlantic Ocean provides 2/5 of the world catch and its share decreases over the years. In subantarctic and antarctic waters, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance, in the tropical zone - mackerel, tuna, sardine, in areas of cold currents - anchovies, in temperate latitudes northern hemisphere- herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass. In the 1970s, due to overfishing of some fish species, the volume of fishing fell sharply, but after the introduction of strict limits, fish stocks are gradually recovering. In the Atlantic Ocean there are several international conventions on fisheries, which aim at the efficient and rational use of biological resources, based on the application of scientifically based measures to regulate fishing. The shelves of the Atlantic Ocean are rich in deposits of oil and other minerals. Thousands of wells have been drilled offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and in the North Sea. Phosphorite deposits discovered in the area of deep water rise off the coast North Africa in tropical latitudes. Placer deposits of tin off the coast of Great Britain and Florida, as well as diamond deposits off the coast of South-West Africa, have been found on the shelf in the sediments of ancient and modern rivers. Ferromanganese nodules have been found in bottom basins off the coasts of Florida and Newfoundland.
In connection with the growth of cities, the development of shipping in many seas and in the ocean itself in Lately there is deterioration natural conditions. Water and air are polluted, conditions for recreation on the shores of the ocean and its seas have worsened. For example, the North Sea is covered with many kilometers of oil slicks. Off the coast of North America, the oil film is hundreds of kilometers wide. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most polluted on Earth. The Atlantic is no longer able to clean up waste on its own.
124.Physical-geographical zoning of the Atlantic Ocean. At the level of physical and geographical zones, the following divisions are distinguished: 1. Northern subpolar belt (north-western part of the ocean adjacent to Labrador and Greenland). In spite of low temperatures water and air, these areas are distinguished by high productivity, have always been of great commercial importance.2. Northern temperate belt (spreads far beyond the Arctic Circle into the waters of the Arctic Ocean). The coastal regions of this belt have a particularly rich organic world and have long been famous for the productivity of the fishing regions.3. Northern sub tropical belt(narrow). It stands out primarily for its high salinity and high temperature water. Life here is much poorer than in higher latitudes. Commercial value is small, except for the Mediterranean (the pearl of the entire belt =)4. Northern tropical belt. It is characterized by a rich organic world within the neritic zone of the Caribbean Sea and very sparse within the open water area.5. equatorial belt. Distinguished by constancy temperature conditions, abundance precipitation and the general wealth of the organic world.6. The southern tropical, subtropical and temperate belts, in general, are similar to those of the same name in the northern hemisphere, only the boundaries of the southern tropical and southern subtropical are in the western part of approx. to the south (influence of the Brazilian current), and in the east - to the north (influence of the cold Benguela current) .7. Southern subpolar - important commercial value.8. South polar! (it is absent in the north), they are distinguished by the greatest severity of natural conditions, ice cover and much less populated.
125. Geographical position, size, boundaries, configuration of the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Ocean - greatest ocean of the earth. It accounts for about half (49%) of the area and more than half (53%) of the volume of the waters of the World Ocean, and the surface area is equal to almost a third of the entire surface of the Earth as a whole. In terms of the number (about 10 thousand) and the total area (more than 3.5 million km 2) of islands, it ranks first among the rest of the oceans of the Earth. Pacific Ocean to the northwest and west limited coasts of Eurasia and Australia, in the northeast and east - the coasts of North and South America. Border with the North Arctic Ocean is carried out through the Bering Strait along the Arctic Circle. The southern border of the Pacific Ocean (as well as the Atlantic and Indian) is considered the northern coast of Antarctica. When identifying the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean, its northern boundary is drawn along the waters of the World Ocean, depending on the change in regime surface water from temperate latitudes to Antarctic. Area The Pacific Ocean from the Bering Strait to the coast of Antarctica is 178 million km 2, the volume of water is 710 million km 3. Borders with other oceans south of Australia and South America are also conditionally drawn along the water surface: with the Indian Ocean - from Cape South East Point at about 147 ° E, with the Atlantic Ocean - from Cape Horn to the Antarctic Peninsula. In addition to a wide connection with other oceans in the south, there is communication between the Pacific and the northern part of the Indian Ocean through the interisland seas and the straits of the Sunda archipelago. Northern and western (Eurasian) coasts of the Pacific Ocean dismembered seas (there are more than 20 of them), bays and straits, separating large peninsulas, islands and entire archipelagos of continental and volcanic origin. coast Eastern Australia, the southern part of North America and especially South America, as a rule, are straightforward and difficult to access from the ocean. With a huge surface area and linear dimensions(more than 19 thousand km from west to east and about 16 thousand km from north to south) the Pacific Ocean is characterized by underdevelopment the margins of the continents (only 10% of the bottom area) and a relatively small number of shelf seas. Within the intertropical space, the Pacific Ocean is characterized by accumulations of volcanic and coral islands.
Coastal marine placers rich in ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and monocyte are represented by large deposits on the coasts of Brazil and the Florida peninsula (USA). On a smaller scale, minerals of this type are concentrated off the coast of Argentina, Uruguay, Denmark, Spain, and Portugal. Tin-bearing and ferruginous sands are found on the Atlantic coast of North America and Europe, and coastal-marine placers of diamonds, gold, platinum are found off the coast of South-West Africa (Angola, Namibia, South Africa). On the shelf Atlantic coast North and South America and Africa (Blake Plateau, near Morocco, Liberia, etc.) have been found phosphorite formations and phosphate sands (the extraction of which is still unprofitable due to their lower quality compared to land phosphorites). Extensive fields of ferromanganese nodules are located in the northwestern part of the ocean, in the North American Basin and on the Blake Plateau. The total reserves of ferromanganese nodules in the Atlantic Ocean are estimated at 45 billion tons. The level of concentration of non-ferrous metals in them (with a low content of manganese) is close to that of ore-bearing land rocks. In the Atlantic Ocean and its seas openly a large number of offshore oil and gas fields that are being intensively developed. The richest offshore oil and gas regions of the world include the Gulf of Mexico, the Maracaibo lagoon, the North Sea, the Gulf of Guinea, which are being intensively developed. Three large oil and gas provinces have been identified in the Western Atlantic: 1) from the Davis Strait to the latitude of New York (commercial reserves near Labrador and south of Newfoundland); 2) offshore Brazil from Cape Kalkanyar to Rio de Janeiro (more than 25 fields have been discovered); 3) in coastal waters Argentina from the Gulf of San Jorge to the Strait of Magellan. According to estimates, promising oil and gas bearing areas make up about 1/4 of the ocean, and the total potential recoverable oil and gas resources are estimated at more than 80 billion tons. Some areas of the Atlantic shelf are rich coal(Great Britain, Canada), iron ore (Canada, Finland).
24. Transport system and ports of the Atlantic Ocean.
Leading place among other sea basins of the world. The world's largest cargo flow of oil from the Persian Gulf countries on its way to the Atlantic is divided into two branches: one goes around Africa from the south and goes to Western Europe, North and South America, and the other - through the Suez. Oil from North African countries to Europe and, in part, to North America, from the countries of the Gulf of Guinea to the USA and Brazil. From Mexico and Venezuela to the USA via the Caribbean, and from Alaska via the Panama Canal to ports on the Atlantic coast. Liquefied gas from the countries of North Africa (Algeria, Libya) to Western Europe and the USA. In transportation of dry bulk - iron ore(from Brazilian and Venezuelan ports to Europe), grain (from USA, Canada, Argentina to European ports), phosphorites (from USA (Florida), Morocco - Western Europe), bauxite and alumina (from Jamaica, Suriname and Guyana to USA ), manganese (from Brazil, Western and South Africa), chromium ore (from South Africa and the Mediterranean), zinc and nickel ores (from Canada), timber cargo (from Canada, the Scandinavian countries and northern Russian ports to Western Europe). General cargo, 2/3 of which is carried by liner ships. Universal ports with high level mechanization. Western Europe-1/2 cargo turnover. English Channel to the Kiel Canal, East Coast Great Britain, Mediterranean port complexes along the coast of the Gulf of Lion and the Ligurian Sea. United States from the Gulf of Maine to the Chesapeake Bay: New York - New Jersey, Ameriport and Hampton Rhodes. The Gulf of Mexico, where three main port-industrial complexes stand out (New Orleans and Baton Rouge; Galveston Bay and the Houston Canal; the ports of Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange connected with the Gulf of Mexico by channels through Lake Sabine). oil (Amuay, Cartagena, Tobruk) and chemical (Arzev, Alexandria, Abidjan) plants, al (Belen, San Luis, Puerto Madryn), metallurgy (Tubaran, Maracaibo, Varrij), cement (Freeport) industries. southeast coast of Brazil (Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Victoria) and in La Plata Bay (Buenos Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe). (Port Harcourt, Lagos, Niger Delta). North African ports are widely open to the sea, and their universal nature requires significant costs for the modernization of port facilities (Algiers, Tripoli, Casablanca, Alexandria and Tunisia). On a number of Caribbean islands (Bahamas, Caymans, Virgin Islands) the deepest transshipment terminals in this part of the ocean for large tankers (400-600 thousand deadweight tons) have been built.
Atlantic Ocean
Geographical position.The Atlantic Ocean stretches from north to south for 16 thousand km from subarctic to antarctic latitudes. The ocean is wide in the north and southern parts, narrows in equatorial latitudes to 2900 km. In the north it communicates with the Arctic Ocean, and in the south it is widely connected with the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is bounded by the shores of North and South America - in the west, Europe and Africa - in the east and Antarctica - in the south.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest among the oceans of the planet. The coastline of the ocean in the northern hemisphere is heavily dissected by numerous peninsulas and bays. There are many islands, inland and marginal seas near the continents. The Atlantic consists of 13 seas, which occupy 11% of its area.
Bottom relief. Through the entire ocean (approximately at an equal distance from the coasts of the continents) passes Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The relative height of the ridge is about 2 km. Transverse faults divide it into separate segments. In the axial part of the ridge there is a giant rift valley with a width of 6 to 30 km and a depth of up to 2 km. They are confined to the rift and faults of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge as underwater active volcanoes, and the volcanoes of Iceland and Azores. On both sides of the ridge there are basins with a relatively flat bottom, separated by elevated elevations. The shelf area in the Atlantic Ocean is larger than in the Pacific.
Mineral resources. Oil and gas reserves discovered on the shelf North Sea, in the Gulf of Mexico, Guinea and Biscay. Phosphorite deposits have been discovered in the area of deep water rise off the coast of North Africa in tropical latitudes. Placer deposits of tin off the coast of Great Britain and Florida, as well as diamond deposits off the coast of South-West Africa, have been found on the shelf in the sediments of ancient and modern rivers. Iron-manganese nodules have been found in bottom basins off the coasts of Florida and Newfoundland.
Climate.The Atlantic Ocean is located in all climatic zones Earth. The main part of the ocean area is between 40°N. and 42° S - is located in subtropical, tropical, subequatorial and equatorial climatic zones. Here all year round high positive air temperatures. The most severe climate is in the subantarctic and antarctic latitudes, and to a lesser extent in the subpolar, northern latitudes.
currents.In the Atlantic, as in the Pacific Ocean, two rings are formed surface currents . In the northern hemisphere, the North Equatorial Current, the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic and Canary Currents form the movement of waters in a clockwise direction. In the southern hemisphere, the South Equatorial, Brazilian, Current Western winds and Benguela form the movement of the waters counterclockwise. Due to the significant length of the Atlantic Ocean from north to south, meridional water flows are more developed in it than latitudinal ones.
Water properties. The zonality of water masses in the ocean is complicated by the influence of land and sea currents. This is manifested primarily in the distribution of surface water temperatures. In many areas of the ocean, the isotherms near the coast deviate sharply from the latitudinal direction.
The northern half of the ocean is warmer than the southern, the temperature difference reaches 6°C. The average surface water temperature (16.5°C) is slightly lower than in the Pacific Ocean. The cooling effect is exerted by the waters and ices of the Arctic and Antarctic. Salinity of surface waters in the Atlantic Ocean is high. One of the reasons for increased salinity is that a significant part of the moisture evaporating from the water area does not return to the ocean again, but is transferred to neighboring continents (due to the relative narrowness of the ocean).
A lot of water flows into the Atlantic Ocean and its seas. big rivers: Amazon, Congo, Mississippi, Nile, Danube, La Plata, etc.
Hosted on ref.rf
Οʜᴎ carry huge masses into the ocean fresh water, suspended material and contaminants. In desalinated bays and seas of subpolar and temperate latitudes, ice forms near the western shores of the ocean in winter. Numerous icebergs and floating sea ice hinder navigation in the North Atlantic Ocean.
organic world . The Atlantic Ocean is poorer in species in the composition of flora and fauna than the Pacific. One of the reasons for this is its relative geological youth and a noticeable cooling in quaternary period during the glaciation of the northern hemisphere. At the same time, in quantitative terms, the ocean is rich in organisms - it is the most productive per unit area. This is primarily due to the wide development of shelves and shallow banks, on which many bottom and bottom fish live (cod, flounder, perch, etc.). biological resources The Atlantic Ocean in many areas is depleted. The share of the ocean in world fisheries has declined significantly in recent years.
natural complexes.In the Atlantic Ocean, all zonal complexes are distinguished - natural belts, except for the north polar. Water northern subpolar belt rich in life. It is especially developed on the shelves off the coasts of Iceland, Greenland and the Labrador Peninsula.
Hosted on ref.rf
Temperate zone characterized by intense interaction of cold and warm waters, its waters are the most productive areas of the Atlantic. Vast expanses of warm waters subtropical, two tropical and equatorial belts
less productive than the waters of the northern temperate zone.
In the northern subtropical zone stands out special natural aquatic complex Sargasso Sea . It is worth saying that it is characterized by increased water salinity (up to 37.5 ppm) and low bioproductivity. IN clear water, pure blue grow brown algae - sargasso, which gave the name of the water area.
IN temperate zone southern hemisphere , as in the northern natural complexes rich in life in areas where waters mix with different temperatures and water density. In the subantarctic and Antarctic belts characterized by the manifestation of seasonal and permanent ice phenomena, reflected in the composition of the fauna (krill, cetaceans, nototheniids).
Economic use. In the Atlantic Ocean, all types of human economic activity in marine areas are represented. Among them highest value have maritime transport, then - underwater oil and gas production, only then - the catch and use of biological resources.
More than 70 coastal countries with a population of over 1.3 billion people are located on the shores of the Atlantic. Many transoceanic routes pass through the ocean with large volumes of freight and passenger traffic. On the coasts of the ocean and its seas, the most significant ports of the world in terms of cargo turnover are located.
The already explored mineral resources of the ocean are significant (examples are given above). At the same time, oil and gas fields are being intensively developed on the shelf of the North and Caribbean Seas, in the Bay of Biscay. Many countries that did not previously have significant reserves of these types of mineral raw materials are now experiencing an economic upswing due to their extraction (England, Norway, the Netherlands, Mexico, etc.).
biological resources oceans have long been intensively used. At the same time, in connection with the overfishing of a number of valuable commercial species fish, in recent years the Atlantic has been inferior Pacific Ocean for fish and seafood.
intensive economic activity man in the Atlantic Ocean and its seas causes a noticeable deterioration natural environment- both in the ocean (pollution of water, air, decrease in stocks of commercial fish species), and on the coasts. In particular, recreational conditions on the ocean coast are deteriorating. In order to prevent further and reduce the existing pollution of the natural environment of the Atlantic Ocean, scientific recommendations are being developed and international agreements on rational use ocean resources.
Atlantic Ocean - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Atlantic Ocean" 2017, 2018.
climate and hydrological regime waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Hydrological resources.
Diversity climatic conditions on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean is determined by its large meridional extent and circulation air masses under influence four main atmospheric centers: Greenland and Antarctic maximums, Icelandic and Antarctic minimums. In addition, two anticyclones constantly operate in the subtropics: Azores and South Atlantic. They are separated by the equatorial region reduced pressure. This distribution of baric regions determines the system prevailing winds in the Atlantic. Biggest Influence on the temperature regime The Atlantic Ocean has not only its large meridional extent, but also water exchange with the Arctic Ocean, the seas of Antarctica and mediterranean sea. Tropical latitudes are characterized by tempera. - 20°C. North and south of the tropics are subtropical belts with more noticeable seasonal ones (from 10 °C in winter to 20 °C in summer). Frequent occurrence in subtropical zone - tropical hurricanes. In temperate latitudes average temperature most warm month keeps within 10-15 ° C, and the coldest -10 ° C. Precipitation is about 1000 mm.
surface currents. North Equatorial Current (t)> Antilles (t)> Mexico. Gulf>Florida(t)>Gulf Stream>North Atlantic(t)>Canary(x)>Northern Equatorial Current(t) – northern circle.
South trade winds> Guiana temp. (North) and the Brazilian Warm. (south)>tech. Western winds (x)> Benguela (x)> South trade winds - southern circle.
There are several levels in the Atlantic Ocean deep currents. A powerful countercurrent passes under the Gulf Stream, the main core of which lies at a depth of up to 3500 m, with a speed of 20 cm/s. The powerful deep Louisiana current is observed in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, formed by the bottom runoff of saltier and warmer Mediterranean waters through the Strait of Gibraltar.
confined to the Atlantic Ocean largest values tides that are observed in the fjord bays of Canada (in Ungava Bay - 12.4 m, in Frobisher Bay - 16.6 m) and Great Britain (up to 14.4 m in Bristol Bay). The highest tide in the world is recorded in the Bay of Fundy, on the east coast of Canada, where the maximum tide reaches 15.6-18 m.
Salinity. The highest salinity of surface waters in the open ocean is observed in the subtropical zone (up to 37.25 ‰), and the maximum in the Mediterranean Sea is 39 ‰. IN equatorial zone, where noted maximum amount precipitation, salinity decreases to 34 ‰. A sharp desalination of water occurs in the estuarine areas (for example, at the mouth of La Plata 18-19 ‰).
Ice formation. Ice formation in the Atlantic Ocean occurs in the Greenland and Baffin Seas and Antarctic waters. The main source of icebergs in the South Atlantic is the Filchner Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea. floating ice in the northern hemisphere in July they reach 40°N.
Upwelling. All along west coast Africa stretches a particularly powerful upwelling zone, due to the wind surge of water,<связан. с пассатной циркуляцией. Также это зоны у Зелёного мыса, у берегов Анголы и Конго. Эти области наиболее благоприятны для развития орг. мира.
The bottom flora of the northern part of the Atlantic is represented by brown (mainly fucoids, and in the subditoral zone by kelp and alaria) and red algae. In the tropical zone, green (caulerpa), red (calcareous lithotamnia) and brown algae (sargasso) predominate. In the southern hemisphere, bottom vegetation is mainly represented by kelp. Phytoplankton of the Atlantic Ocean has 245 species: peridine, coccolithophorids, diatoms. The latter have a clearly defined zonal distribution; the maximum number of them lives in temperate latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres. The population of diatoms is most dense in the strip of the Current of the Western Winds.
The distribution of the fauna of the Atlantic Ocean has a pronounced zonal character. In the subantarctic and antarctic In the waters of fish, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance. Benthos and plankton in the Atlantic are poor in both species and biomass. In the subantarctic zone and in the adjacent zone of the temperate zone, the biomass reaches its maximum. Copepods and pteropods predominate in zooplankton, while whales (blue whales), pinnipeds, and nototheniids predominate in nekton. In the tropical zone, zooplankton is represented by numerous species of foraminifera and pteropods, several species of radiolarians, copepods, larvae of molluscs and fish, as well as siphonophores, various jellyfish, large cephalopods (squids), and octopuses among benthal forms. Commercial fish are represented by mackerel, tuna, sardines, in areas of cold currents - anchovies. To tropical and subtropical corals are confined to zones. temperate latitudes northern hemisphere are characterized by abundant life with a relatively small diversity of species. Of the commercial fish, the most important are herring, cod, haddock, halibut, and sea bass. The most common zooplankton species are foraminifera and copepods. The greatest abundance of plankton is in the area of the Newfoundland Bank and the Norwegian Sea. The deep-sea fauna is represented by crustaceans, echinoderms, specific fish species, sponges, and hydroids. Several species of endemic polychaetes, isopods, and holothurians have been found in the Puerto Rico Trench.
There are 4 biogeographic regions in the Atlantic Ocean: 1. Arctic; 2. North Atlantic; 3. Tropical-Atlantic; 4. Antarctic.
biological resources. The Atlantic Ocean provides 2/5 of the world catch and its share decreases over the years. In subantarctic and antarctic waters, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance, in the tropical zone - mackerel, tuna, sardine, in areas of cold currents - anchovies, in temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere - herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass. In the 1970s, due to overfishing of some fish species, the volume of fishing fell sharply, but after the introduction of strict limits, fish stocks are gradually recovering. Several international fisheries conventions operate in the Atlantic Ocean basin, which aim at the efficient and rational use of biological resources, based on the application of scientifically based measures to regulate fishing.