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Oceanography ch. 21-21 terms
vocab
31
Other
10th Grade
01/09/2011

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Term
abyssal plain
Definition
extremely level area of the deep ocean basin where depth is greater than 4 km
Term
aquaculture
Definition
farming of the ocean
Term
bathyal zone
Definition
benthic environment that begins at the end of the continental shelf and extends to 4,000 m
Term
benthos
Definition
organisms that live on the ocean floor
Term
intertidal zone
Definition
benthic environment that lies between the low-tide and high-tide lines
Term
neritic zone
Definition
pelagic environment above the sublittoral zone filled with marine life
Term
oceanic zone
Definition
pelagic environment that extends seaward beyond the continental shelf
Term
pack ice
Definition
floating layer of sea ice that completely covers an area of the ocean surface
Term
phytoplankton
Definition
microscopic ocean plants
Term
salinity
Definition
number of grams of dissolved salt in 1kg of ocean water
Term
sublittoral zone
Definition
shallow benthic environment that is continuously submerged and that contains the largest number of benthos
Term
thermocline
Definition
zone of rapid temperature change that begins just below the surface of the ocean
Term
upwelling
Definition
process in which surface water moves farther out into the ocean and deep water moves upward to replace the surface water
Term
zooplankton
Definition
microscopic ocean animals
Term
breaker
Definition
foamy mass of water that washes onto the shore
Term
crest
Definition
highest point of a wave
Term
current
Definition
steady movement in one direction, such as that of water in the ocean
Term
drift
Definition
weak, slow-moving, ocean current
Term
gulf stream
Definition
swift, warm atlantic current
Term
gyre
Definition
huge circle of moving ocean water formed as a result of the wind belts and the coriolis effect
Term
longshore current
Definition
forms sand bars, formed as waves approach the beach at an angle
Term
neap tide
Definition
tide with minimum daily tidal range that occurs during the first and third quarters of the moon
Term
rip current
Definition
swift movement of water caused by the return of water to the ocean through channels in underwater sand bars
Term
spring tide
Definition
tide with maximum daily tidal range that occurs during the new and full moons
Term
swell
Definition
one of a group of long, rolling waves that are all the same size
Term
tidal bore
Definition
surge of water that rushes upstream in a river as the tide rises
Term
tidal range
Definition
difference between the levels of the high and low tides at a specific location
Term
trough
Definition
lowest point between two wave crests
Term
undertow
Definition
irregular current that pulls water from a beach back to the ocean
Term
wave height
Definition
vertical distance between the crest and the trough of a wave
Term
wave period
Definition
time required for a complete wave length to pass a given point
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