APES Chapter 16 Flashcards
continental shelves
shallow waters bordering the continents
currents
a flow of liquid or gas in a certain direction
upwelling
the cold water moves up when warm water is moved so that nutrients and sediments are brought up from the bottom
downwelling
when warm water currents come together and are forced down bringing dissolved gases into the lower levels of life
thermohaline circulation
worldwide current system where warmer water moves along the surface and colder, saltier water moves deeper beneath the surface
el niño souther oscilation
a systematic shift in the atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation in the Tropical Pacific Ocean
photic zone
top layer
pelagic
area between ocean surface and floor
benthic
ocean floor
kelp
large brown algae
coral reef
an underwater outcrop of a mass of calcium carbonate composed of the tine skeletons of tiny marine animals
intertidal/littoral
zone where highest high tides are to lowest low tides are
tides
periodic rising and falling of ocean’s height at a given location, caused by the gravitational pull from sun and moon
salt marshes
flat land that is intermittently flooded by the ocean where the tide reaches inland
mangroves
trees that are salt tolerant and have roots that curve upward to attain oxygen
