Sheet # 63/Diatoms

Name: _____________________ Date_____________

 Diatoms are one-celled plants that live in the shells and are a primary source of food in the sea. They produce an enormous amount oxygen by means of photosynthesis.

A diatom has a mass of about 10^-12 g, and measures about 5 x 10^-7 m across. It is estimated that 1 liter of sea water contains as many as 10⁷ diatoms. They do not live at depths greater than 1 m.

1) If diatoms are placed side by side, about how many would be needed to make a line 1 cm long?









2) Estimate the mass in kilograms of the diatoms in 1 liter of seawater.









3) If the surface area of the world's oceans is about 4 x 10¹⁴ square meters, estimate the total number of diatoms in the oceans.

















Answers for Sheet # 63 (Diatoms)

1) 2.0 x 10⁶ diatoms

2) 10⁷ diatoms/liter x 10^-12 grams/diatom = 10^-5 grams or 10^-8 Kg

3) Volume of the sea = 4 x 10¹⁴ m x 1 m = 4 x 10 raised to the power 14

I liter = 1000 cubic centimer or 10 raised to power minus 3 cubic meter

1 cubic meter has 10 raised to the power 10 diatoms

Hence there are 4 x 10¹⁴ x ten raised to the power 10.

4 x 10²⁴ diatoms