About the Exhibit
The 360-degree view of ocean life not only provides a great viewing experience but is also essential for some of the animals on exhibit. On the first level of the exhibit, there is an artificial reef home to smaller, benthic fish, which means they live on the bottom of the ocean floor. The second level simulates the 'open ocean,' where many pelagic fish can be found. Pelagic fish, known for swimming long distances in their natural habitat, benefit from the racetrack design of the exhibit, which allows them to swim as far and as fast as they wish. This exhibit, like others in the aquarium, mimics the animals’ natural habitats, encouraging behaviors they would exhibit in the wild.
This two-story exhibit is the first aquarium stop for guests and is the largest exhibit at our aquarium, holding just under 280,000 gallons of water. Inside the habitat, you will find roughly 80 different animal species and over 500 individual specimens.
About Our Oceans
The open ocean is a vast area, and despite its openness, it teems with life at every turn. Roughly 90% of marine life is found along the coastlines of the world’s ocean with only 10% living in open waters. The animals here are well adapted to thrive in Earth's largest body of water. But how big is it, really? To give you an idea, salt and fresh water combined cover 71% of the Earth’s surface, while the ocean alone accounts for 97% of all water on Earth. For example, there are roughly 320.3 million cubic miles of water in the ocean, yet just one cubic mile of water could fill over 1.66 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. To put that into perspective, the entire ocean could fill roughly 531.6 trillion Olympic-sized swimming pools! The ocean is so vast that it is estimated 95% of it remains unexplored, meaning our understanding of life below the surface has just begun.
The five great oceans are made up of the Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans. The Southern (or Antarctic) Ocean originally wasn't a historically named region but is now recognized by the United States along with most other countries.
Beneath the surface, the ocean’s habitats and biomes are equally as diverse when compared to the terrestrial world. From the icy cold waters in the polar regions, to the warm coastal waters found near the equator; the ocean varies greatly. The surface currents act as the highways of the oceans where many aquatic species will travel to quickly migrate from one region to another. Forces under the Earth’s crust shape the ocean floor, which is covered in a variety of landscapes like rocky reefs, coastal seabeds, living coral reefs, sea vents, muddy plains, kelp forests, mountain ranges, and volcanoes.
Depth is a defining characteristic of life in the ocean. Just like on land, most living organisms in the ocean rely on light, except for a few species who thrive deep below the surface. Less and less light is available the deeper the water gets. This gradation of light creates distinct zones in the ocean. Starting at the surface and reaching down 660 feet is the sunlit zone. This glittering blue zone is teeming with life and receives enough light for plankton and other organisms that use photosynthesis to gain energy. A sizable portion of marine organisms start their life as plankton and zooplankton. These almost-microscopic creatures often drift near the ocean surface and through the ocean currents as they grow and mature into either juveniles or their next life form stage. These microscopic organisms are the beginning of many marine food chains and make the sunlit zone populated with an abundance of food compared to other oceanic zones.
Between the ocean's surface and floor, the ocean is divided into zones based on sunlight levels. From the surface to 660 feet is the sunlight zone, which is light enough for plankton and other photosynthetic organisms to thrive. As plankton and zooplankton serve as food for many organisms, the sunlight zone is heavily populated. The twilight zone extends from 660 to 3,300 feet, receiving much less light and unable to support photosynthetic life. Below that, starting at 3,300 feet, is the midnight zone, named for its perpetual darkness. Life here is highly adapted to the dark conditions. The abyssal and trench zones follow, with unique ecosystems of their own.
The ocean produces more than 50% of the air we breathe. Not only do our oceans produce a large percentage of the earth’s oxygen, but they also absorb an immense amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide). Microscopic plants called diatoms absorb 10-20 billion metric tonnes (1 metric tonne = 2,204.6 lbs.) of carbon dioxide every year. Oceans currently absorb 30-50 percent of CO2 emissions.