Between the shallow, gently sloping continental shelf and the abyss of the deep ocean lies the steep continental slope. The edge between the shelf and the slope is called the shelf break. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish, seabirds, whales, and dolphins thrive in the waters above the shelf break, supported by nutrients brought from great depths by upwelling. MIT/WHOI Joint Program student Jessica Benthuysen analyzed how the currents near the shelf break south of Cape Cod control upwelling. (Illustration by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)[back]
|
