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Ocean Review
Review of Ocean terms
22
Science
5th Grade
12/01/2008

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Cards

Term
Abyss
Definition
a deep space, gulf, or cavity that extends from 4,000 meters to 6,000 meters
Term
Abyssal plain
Definition
the flat part of the ocean floor (3,500-6,000m deep)
Term
Continental rise
Definition
pile of sand and sediments at the base of the continental slope; curves down from the slope to the ocean floor (4,000-5,000m deep)
Term
Continental shelf
Definition
the land around the edge of a continent that is under the shallowest water (150-200m deep)
Term
Continental slope
Definition
the steep drop-off in the seafloor that extends from the shelf down to the rise (200m- 4.000m deep)
Term
Crest
Definition
the top of a wave before it breaks
Term
Currents
Definition
streams of water within the ocean; can be caused by wind or water temperature and salinity deeper in the ocean
Term
Depth
Definition
the distance below the ocean’s surface
Term
Gulf Stream
Definition
a major ocean current on the east coast of the United States
Term
Midnight Zone
Definition
the area that extends from 1,000 meters to 4,000 meters; pitch black due to no sunlight at all; extreme pressure due to depth
Term
Ocean ridges
Definition
mountains found on the ocean floor where plates of the Earth come together
Term
Ocean trenches
Definition
deep cracks in the flat bottom of the ocean floor ( up to 11,000m deep)
Term
Phytoplankton
Definition
plant-like organisms that produce most of the Earth’s oxygen and serves as the base of the oceans ecosystem
Term
Plankton/Zooplankton
Definition
small floating organisms that eat the phytoplankton
Term
Salinity
Definition
a measurement of the amount of salt dissolved in water
Term
Seamount
Definition
an underwater mountain that lies completely below the sea (also called an ocean ridge)
Term
Sunlight Zone
Definition
the area that extends to a depth of 200 meters; well lit by sunlight and most of the oceanic food is produced and found there
Term
Tides
Definition
the rise and fall of the oceans due to the gravitational pull of the moon and, to a lesser degree, the sun
Term
Trench
Definition
deep valley on the bottom of the ocean
Term
Trough
Definition
the bottom portion of a wave
Term
Twilight Zone
Definition
the area that extends from 200 meters to 1,000 meters; some light is found there (Most organisms there are consumers and come up to the Sunlight Zone to feed.)
Term
Wave
Definition
a disturbance seen on the surface of the water caused by winds.
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