Organic world of the Indian Ocean. biological resources

Geographical position.The Indian Ocean is located entirely in the Eastern Hemisphere between Africa - in the west, Eurasia - in the north, the Sunda Islands and Australia - in the east, Antarctica - in the south. The Indian Ocean in the southwest communicates widely with the Atlantic Ocean, and in the southeast with the Pacific. The coastline is poorly dissected. There are eight seas in the ocean, there are large bays. There are relatively few islands. The largest of them are concentrated near the coasts of the continents.

Bottom relief. As in other oceans, the bottom topography in the Indian Ocean is complex and varied. Among the uplifts at the bottom of the ocean stands out mid-ocean ridge system diverging to the northwest and southeast. The ridges are characterized by rifts and transverse faults, seismicity and underwater volcanism. Between the ridges lie numerous deep sea basins. The shelf generally has a small width. But it is significant off the coast of Asia.

Mineral resources. There are significant oil and gas deposits in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Western India and off the coast of Australia. Large reserves of ferromanganese nodules have been found at the bottom of many basins. Sedimentary rock deposits on the shelf contain tin ores, phosphorites, and gold.

Climate.The main part of the Indian Ocean lies in the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical zones., only the southern part covers high latitudes, up to the subantarctic. The main feature of the ocean's climate is the seasonal monsoon winds in its northern part., which is heavily influenced by land. Therefore, in the northern part of the ocean there are two seasons of the year - a warm, quiet, sunny winter and a hot, cloudy, rainy, stormy summer. South of 10°S dominated by the southeast trade wind. To the south, in temperate latitudes, a strong and steady westerly wind blows. The amount of precipitation is significant in the equatorial zone - up to 3000 mm per year. There is very little precipitation off the coast of Arabia, in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

currents. In the northern part of the ocean, the formation of currents is influenced by the change of monsoons, which rebuilds the system of currents according to the seasons of the year: summer monsoon - in the direction from west to east, winter - from east to west. In the southern part of the ocean, the most significant are the South Equatorial Current and the Western Wind Current.

Water properties. The average surface water temperature is +17°С. The slightly lower average temperature is explained by the strong cooling effect of the Antarctic waters. The northern part of the ocean warms up well, is deprived of the influx of cold waters and is therefore the warmest. In summer, the water temperature in the Persian Gulf rises to +34°C. In the southern hemisphere, the temperature of the waters gradually decreases with increasing latitude. The salinity of surface waters in many areas is higher than average, and in the Red Sea it is especially high (up to 42 ppm).

organic world. It has a lot in common with the Pacific Ocean. The species composition of fish is rich and varied. Sardinella, anchovy, mackerel, tuna, dolphin, sharks, flying fish live in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. In southern waters - notothenia and white-blooded fish; there are cetaceans and pinnipeds. The organic world of the shelf and coral reefs is especially rich. Thickets of algae border the coast of Australia, South Africa, islands. There are large commercial accumulations of crustaceans (lobsters, shrimps, krill, etc.). In general, the biological resources of the Indian Ocean are still poorly studied and underutilized.

natural complexes. The northern part of the ocean lies in tropical zone. Under the influence of the surrounding land and monsoon circulation, several aquatic complexes are formed in this belt, differing in the properties of water masses. Especially sharp differences are noted in the salinity of the waters.

In the equatorial zone The temperature of surface waters hardly changes with the seasons of the year. Above the numerous uplifts of the bottom and near the coral islands in this belt, a lot of plankton develops, and bioproductivity increases. Tunas live in such waters.

Zonal complexes of the southern hemisphere in general terms, they are similar in natural conditions to similar belts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Economic use. The biological resources of the Indian Ocean have been used by the inhabitants of the coasts since time immemorial. And until now, handicrafts of fish and other seafood retain an important role in the economy of many countries. However, the natural resources of the ocean are used to a lesser extent than in other oceans. Biological productivity of the ocean as a whole is low, it increases only on the shelf and the continental slope.

Chemical resources ocean waters are still poorly used. On a large scale, desalination of salt water is being carried out in the countries of the Middle East, where there is an acute shortage of fresh water.

Among mineral resources oil and gas deposits are identified. In terms of their reserves and production, the Indian Ocean ranks first in the World Ocean. Coastal-marine placers contain heavy minerals and metals.

Important transport routes pass through the Indian Ocean. In the development of shipping, this ocean is inferior to the Atlantic and Pacific, but in terms of oil transportation it surpasses them. The Persian Gulf is the main oil export region of the world, from here a large cargo flow of oil and oil products begins. Therefore, systematic monitoring of the state of the aquatic environment and its protection from oil pollution are necessary in this region.

The water area of this basin is located for the most part in the Window Hemisphere and is the smallest in area among other oceans, occupying 76.2 million km 2, and it is characterized by a relatively small shelf and adjacent sections of the continental slope - only 7.14 million km 2 , i.e. 3.3% of the total area. The predominantly tropical location and, at the same time, wide articulation with the Antarctic regions, the relatively small development of shallow waters, the system of powerful warm currents, and a number of other features have led to the fact that the fauna of this ocean, along with exceptional diversity, is relatively poor in high-numbered species, and therefore it is characterized by a relatively low useful fish productivity. A little more than 6 million tons of water objects are caught here by fishermen of all countries, which is only 80 kg / km 2 for the entire ocean, i.e. much lower than other ocean basins. Undoubtedly, one of the reasons is the underdeveloped fishery, especially of pelagic fish, but the existing ideas suggest that even with a significant intensification of fishing and bringing the catch to the maximum possible (10-11 million tons), there is no reason to believe that its fish productivity the shelf exceeded 450 kg/km 2 , and the coastal pelagic - 350 kg/km 2 . those. its level will still be much lower than in other oceans. The most fish-producing areas are coastal zones in the northwestern part of the ocean (especially in the Gulf of Aden), in the Bay of Bengal along the East African coast of Australia, as well as in open areas of the ocean, in the zone of contact of water masses of various origins and in areas of uplift of the ocean floor .

Fishing objects here are sardine, large and small tuna, Indian mackerel, sharks, as well as sciene, snapper and other demersal fish. There are many squids, lobsters (off the African coast), shrimps and other commercial invertebrates. The areas adjacent to the Antarctic are inhabited by several species of fish (notothenia, toothfish, etc.), which may be of limited commercial importance, whales and seals, and finally, the already mentioned krill, which is widespread in the Antarctic regions.

Further development of fishing should proceed primarily through the development of pelagial fish resources, and especially sardines, mackerel, small tuna, squid, etc., as well as through the organization of fishing for bottom fish off the western coast of Australia and the eastern coast of Africa. Mesopelagic fish resources will be of particular importance here.

Thus, the level of fishery knowledge of the World Ocean indicates a real opportunity to significantly increase the current volume of catch of traditional commercial marine fish and large invertebrates.

In the greatest volume (by 10-15 million tons), the catches of these objects may increase in the Pacific basin. The most significant part of the probable increase will come from the inhabitants of the pelagic zone and, to a lesser extent, from near-bottom objects.

Federal Agency for Education

State educational institution
higher professional education

"Moscow State Pedagogical University"

Department of Physical Geography

Final qualifying work

Indian Ocean and recreational resources

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...31.Natural-aquatic complex “Indian Ocean”…………………… …...6

1.1.Geographical location ………………………………………..............6

1.2.History of the development of the Indian Ocean…………………………………….10

1.2.1.Ancient ocean research…………………………………………..10

1.2.2. Travel and research in the 20th and 21st centuries………………………….12

1.3. Relief and structure of the ocean floor………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16 1.3.

1.3.1. Geological structure and history of development………………………...16

1.3.2. Relief ………………………………………………………………….20

1.4. Bottom sediments…………………………………………………….........27

1.5.Climate……………………………………………………………………….28

1.5.1. Climate-forming factors……………………………………………28

1.5.2. Regularities in the distribution of temperature and precipitation………...35

1.6. Physical and chemical properties of water…………………………………………….37

1.7.Dynamics of water……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………43

1.7.2. Water masses………………………………………………………......45

1.7.3.Tides…………………………………………………………………48

1.8.Organic world…………………………………………………………...50

1.9.Environmental problems…………………………………………………...53

1.10. Model PAK "Indian Ocean"…………………………………………..55

2. Recreational resources of the Indian Ocean………………………………..56

2.1.Features of the recreational resources of the Indian Ocean…………..56

2.2.Maldives……………………………………………………….62

2.3.Seychelles……………………………………………………….71

2.4.Madagascar………………………………………………………………..79

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….87

References…………………………………………………………………88

Introduction

Relevance. The ocean separated people living on different continents for a very long time. Then he became the main link that united humanity. It is sometimes rightly said that it would be more correct to call our planet not the Earth, but the Ocean, because the world ocean is a continuous water shell of the Earth, which occupies 71% of its surface (361.1 million km 2). It is hard to imagine how important the ocean is in the life of the Earth.

The ocean determines many features of the nature of the Earth: it gives the atmosphere the accumulated heat, nourishes it with moisture, part of which is transferred to the land. It has a great influence on the climate, soil, flora and fauna of the land, it is the "kitchen of the weather", and the most spacious road in the world connecting the continents.

A large amount of gases and salts are dissolved in the oceans. If all the salts were extracted from the water, then they could cover the land with a layer 200 m thick. There is twice as much oxygen in the ocean as nitrogen; their ratio in water is 1:2, and in air 1:4. The abundance of oxygen and salts is a favorable basis for the development of life. And therefore, life on the globe not only arose in the ocean, but also turned out to be more developed than on land.

The wealth of the ocean has always played an important role in human life, especially for those living in the coastal zone. Now, the food, mineral and energy wealth of the ocean helps to provide a rapidly growing and developing humanity.

The Indian Ocean, especially its northern part, has been known since ancient times. Important trade routes passed through it, submarine cables were laid; sea fishing developed here first of all, scientific expeditions conducted research. And yet, until recently, the Indian Ocean remained one of the least studied oceans of the Earth. Only since the 1960s has the situation changed dramatically, which was largely facilitated by the holding of the International Geophysical Year 1957-1959. and the International Indian Ocean Expedition 1960-1965.

Now the Indian Ocean attracts special attention of oceanologists-researchers, since it is in many respects unlike other oceans, not only in geological and geomorphological features, but also in climatological ones.

Target- to draw up a comprehensive physical and geographical description of the Indian Ocean as a Natural Aquatic Complex (NAC) and assess its recreational resources.

Tasks:

1. Characterize the components of the PAC and determine the relationship between them.

2. Establish the influence of climate on the formation of ocean currents.

3. Study the environmental problems of the Indian Ocean.

4. Develop a model of PAK "Indian Ocean".

5. Identify the main areas and types of recreational resources of the Indian Ocean.

6. Compile a comprehensive physical and geographical description of the recreational areas of the Indian Ocean - the Maldives and Seychelles, about. Madagascar.

Subject of study: relationships between the natural components of the Indian Ocean and its recreational resources

Object of study: Natural aquatic complex of the Indian Ocean

Scientific novelty: a model of the PAC of the Indian Ocean was developed, the relationship between natural components was described, the recreational potential was assessed, complex physical and geographical characteristics of the Maldives, Seychelles and Islands were compiled. Madagascar.

Practical significance: the work can be used in the preparation of geography lessons in the 7th grade when studying the "Oceans" section, as well as for the development of sites by travel companies.

Approbation: on the topic, two term papers were defended, the article "Recreational Resources of the Indian Ocean" was submitted, two reports were submitted at the final scientific and practical conference of students of IESEN NSPU in April 2008, 2009.

Structure and scope: the thesis consists of an introduction, two chapters, conclusion, set out on 90 pages. The work has 12 figures, 2 tables. The list of references includes 48 sources.

1. Natural aquatic complex "Indian Ocean"

1.1 Geographic location

The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean on Earth, the ocean area is 76.2 million km 2, (Fig. 1) the volume of water is 282.6 million km 3. For the most part, it is located in the southern hemisphere, surrounded by four continents - Africa, Asia, Australia and Antarctica. All the continents surrounding it take part in the formation of the characteristics of the nature of the ocean. In the southwest, the Indian Ocean borders the Atlantic Ocean. The border runs from Africa to Antarctica along the meridian Cape Agulhas(20° E). In the southeast with the Pacific Ocean, the border is drawn from Australia to Antarctica along the meridian Cape South on about. Tasmania (147° E). The border with the Pacific Ocean in the northeast runs from Peninsula Malacca to the northern tip of Sumatra, further along the southwestern and southern coasts about. Sumatra and about. Java, along the southern and eastern shores Lesser Sunda Islands, southwest coast about. New Guinea and Torres Strait(Fig. 2).

Some scientists distinguish the Southern Ocean. And then the boundaries of the Indian Ocean change. The allocation of the Southern Ocean is due to the fact that the southern parts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans have

some similar hydrometeorological features, mainly general circulation patterns of the atmosphere and the ocean.

The northern boundary of the Southern Ocean is usually drawn along the Antarctic Convergence Zone, or conditionally along the lines connecting the southern margins of Africa, Australia and South America, since in nature there are no clear morphological boundaries separating the Southern Ocean from other oceans of the Earth.

Rice. 1 Area of oceans (million km 2) [compiled from 13].

Recognizing the possibility of isolating the Southern Ocean, which is characterized by specific natural conditions, in this work I nevertheless retained the idea of the Indian Ocean as a single geographical concept covering the space between four continents.

The Indian Ocean is located in all climatic zones of the southern hemisphere, and in the northern hemisphere its water area does not go beyond the tropical zone.

The coastline is slightly indented, except for the northeastern and northern regions, where most of the seas and large bays of the ocean are located.

There are relatively few seas in the Indian Ocean: in the north there are Mediterranean seas - the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, marginal seas - Arabian, Andaman, Timor and Arafura, large bays - Aden, Oman, Bengal, Carpentaria, Great Australian; in the very south are the Antarctic seas - Riiser-Larsen, Cosmonates, Davis, Mawson, D'Urville, Prydz Bay.

There are few large mainland islands in the Indian Ocean. They are located at short distances from the continents of which they are parts. The largest islands are Madagascar, Tasmania, Sri Lanka, Socotra.

The rest of the islands are small and represent either surface peaks of volcanoes - Kerguelen, Crozet, Amsterdam, or coral atolls - Maldives, Laccadive, Chagos, Cocos, etc.

The Indian Ocean is named after India, whose shores it washes. Prior to that, he visited the Great Gulf, the Indian, Eritrean, Indian Red and South Seas.

Thus, the Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in terms of area. It lies almost entirely south of the northern tropic. The coastline is slightly indented, so there are a small number of seas and islands in the Indian Ocean.

1.2.History of the development of the Indian Ocean

1.2.1 Ancient ocean exploration

The first ideas about the nature of the Indian Ocean developed among the ancient peoples who inhabited its shores. According to biblical legend, the ships of King Solomon and the Phoenician ruler Hiram sailed to the distant and rich country of Ophir and brought gold and ivory, expensive varieties of wood and precious stones from there ten centuries before our era. Most scholars agree that the country of Ophir is India.

The Indian Ocean is the third largest. The area of the Indian Ocean is 76.17 million km2, the average depth is 3711 m. The name of the ocean is associated with the name of the Indus River - “irrigator”, “river”.

A characteristic feature of the geographical position of the Indian Ocean is its location almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere and entirely in the Eastern. Its waters wash the shores of Africa, Eurasia, Australia and Antarctica. The Indian Ocean includes 8 seas, the largest is the Arabian. One of the warmest (up to +32 °C) and salty (38-42 ‰) seas in the world is the Red Sea. It got its name from the large accumulation of algae that gives the water its red color.

Bottom relief The Indian Ocean is diverse. The shelf zone occupies a narrow strip and makes up only 4% of the total bottom area. The continental slope is very gentle. The ocean bed is crossed by mid-ocean ridges with an average height of about 1500 m. They are characterized by rifts and transverse faults, areas of seismic activity. There are separate volcanic mountains, several large basins (Central, Western Australian, etc.). The greatest depth is 7729 m (Zonda Trench).

Climate is determined by the location of the main part of the Indian Ocean in the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical climatic zones. The climate of the northern part of the ocean is greatly influenced by land. Seasonal monsoon winds in summer from the ocean carry a huge amount of moisture to land (in the Bay of Bengal area up to 3000 mm per year), in winter they blow from land to the ocean. From the area of high pressure, the southeast trade wind blows towards the equator. In temperate latitudes, westerly winds of great strength dominate, accompanied by cyclones. The proximity of Antarctica has a cooling effect on the southern margins of the ocean.

The Indian Ocean is called the "ocean of heated waters" for the high temperature of the water on the surface. The average temperature is +17 °С. (Refer to climate maps for surface water temperatures and precipitation.) The Persian Gulf region has the highest temperature (+34°C in August). The least amount of precipitation (100 mm) falls off the coast of Arabia. The average salinity of the waters of the Indian Ocean is 34.7 ‰, the maximum is 42 ‰ (in the north of the Red Sea).

Due to high evaporation from the water surface, low precipitation and lack of river runoff, the Red Sea has the highest water salinity in the World Ocean.

Monsoons have a great influence on the formation of currents. The Indian Ocean has a complex system of currents. In the equatorial part of the ocean, the system of currents is directed clockwise, in the Southern Hemisphere - against. (Point currents on a map. Look for cold currents.)

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues of the Indian Ocean

The largest oil and gas fields are located in the Persian Gulf. The main areas of modern oil production are the countries of the Persian Gulf: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc. A large number of ferromanganese nodules have been found at the bottom of the ocean basins, but their quality is lower than in the Pacific Ocean, and they occur at great depths (4000 m ).

The fauna of the warm waters of the Indian Ocean is diverse, especially in the northern tropical part: there are many sharks, sea snakes, and coral polyps. Giant sea turtles are at the stage of extinction. Oysters, shrimps, crabs are found in the mangroves of tropical coasts. In the open waters of tropical zones, tuna fishing is common. The Indian Ocean is famous for pearling. Toothless and blue whales, seals, elephant seals live in temperate latitudes. The species composition of fish is rich: sardinella, mackerel, anchovy, etc.

Dozens of countries with a total population of about 2 billion people are located on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Basically it is developing countries. Therefore, the development of the natural resources of the ocean is slower than in other oceans. In the development of shipping, the Indian Ocean is inferior to the Atlantic and Pacific. (Explain why.) The Indian Ocean is of great transport importance for the countries of South and Southeast Asia and Australia. Intensive transportation of oil and oil products from the Persian Gulf has led to a deterioration in water quality, a decrease in the stocks of commercial fish and seafood.

Whaling has practically ceased. Warm waters, coral islands, the beauty of the Indian Ocean attract many tourists here.

In the shelf of the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean, intensive oil production is underway. Important transport routes pass through the Indian Ocean. The ocean holds the third place in the world in maritime transportation, the largest oil flow comes from the Persian Gulf.

Geographical position. The Indian Ocean is located entirely in the Eastern Hemisphere between Africa - in the west, Eurasia - in the north, the Sunda Islands and Australia - in the east, Antarctica - in the south. The Indian Ocean in the southwest is widely connected with the Atlantic Ocean, and in the southeast with the Pacific. The coastline is poorly dissected. There are eight seas in the ocean, there are large bays. There are relatively few islands. The largest of them are concentrated near the coasts of the continents.

Bottom relief. As in other oceans, the bottom topography in the Indian Ocean is complex and varied. Among the uplifts at the bottom of the ocean, a system of mid-ocean ridges, diverging to the northwest and southeast, stands out. The ridges are characterized by rifts and transverse faults, seismicity and underwater volcanism. Numerous deep-sea basins lie between the ridges. The shelf generally has a small width. But it is significant off the coast of Asia.

Mineral resources. There are significant oil and gas deposits in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Western India and off the coast of Australia. Large reserves of ferromanganese nodules have been found at the bottom of many basins. Sedimentary rock deposits on the shelf contain tin ores, phosphorites, and gold.

Climate. The main part of the Indian Ocean lies in the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical zones, only the southern part covers high latitudes, up to the subantarctic. The main feature of the ocean's climate is the seasonal monsoon winds in its northern part, which is significantly influenced by land. Therefore, in the northern part of the ocean there are two seasons of the year - a warm, quiet, sunny winter and a hot, cloudy, rainy, stormy summer. South of 10°S dominated by the southeast trade wind. To the south, in temperate latitudes, a strong and steady westerly wind blows. The amount of precipitation is significant in the equatorial zone - up to 3000 mm per year. There is very little precipitation off the coast of Arabia, in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

currents. In the northern part of the ocean, the formation of currents is influenced by the change of monsoons, which rebuilds the system of currents according to the seasons of the year: summer monsoon - in the direction from west to east, winter - from east to west. In the southern part of the ocean, the most significant are the South Equatorial Current and the Western Wind Current.

Water properties. The average surface water temperature is +17°С. The slightly lower average temperature is explained by the strong cooling effect of the Antarctic waters. In summer, the water temperature in the Persian Gulf rises to +34°C. In the southern hemisphere, the temperature of the waters gradually decreases with increasing latitude. The salinity of surface waters in many areas is higher than average, and in the Red Sea it is especially high (up to 42 ppm).

organic world. It has a lot in common with the Pacific Ocean. The species composition of fish is rich and varied. Sardinella, anchovy, mackerel, tuna, dolphin, sharks, flying fish live in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. In southern waters - notothenia and white-blooded fish; there are cetaceans and pinnipeds. The organic world of the shelf and coral reefs is especially rich. Thickets of algae border the coast of Australia, South Africa, islands. There are large commercial accumulations of crustaceans (lobsters, shrimps, krill, etc.). In general, the biological resources of the Indian Ocean are still poorly studied and underutilized.

Natural complexes. The northern part of the ocean lies in the tropical zone. Under the influence of the surrounding land and monsoon circulation, several aquatic complexes are formed in this belt, differing in the properties of water masses. Especially sharp differences are noted in the salinity of the waters. In the equatorial zone, the temperature of surface waters almost does not change during the seasons. Above the numerous uplifts of the bottom and near the coral islands in this belt, a lot of plankton develops, and bioproductivity increases. Tunas live in such waters.

The zonal complexes of the southern hemisphere are in general similar in natural conditions to similar belts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Economic use. The biological resources of the Indian Ocean have been used by the inhabitants of the coasts since time immemorial. And until now, handicrafts of fish and other seafood retain an important role in the economy of many countries. However, the natural resources of the ocean are used to a lesser extent than in other oceans. The biological productivity of the ocean as a whole is low; it increases only on the shelf and the continental slope.

The chemical resources of the ocean waters are still poorly used. On a large scale, desalination of salt water is being carried out in the countries of the Middle East, where there is an acute shortage of fresh water.

Oil and gas deposits stand out among the mineral resources. In terms of their reserves and production, the Indian Ocean ranks first in the World Ocean. Coastal-marine placers contain heavy minerals and metals.