Ocean

Question 1

Pacific Ocean

Answer 1

covers more than 30% of the Earths surface.

Question 2

Atlantic Ocean

Answer 2

The Average Depth: 11,961 feet.

Question 3

Indian Ocean

Answer 3

The highest point is at sea level.

Question 4

Arctic Ocean

Answer 4

Total Volume of Water: 160.7 million mi3

Question 5

Southern Ocean

Answer 5

On average, the Southern Ocean is approximately 11,000 feet deep.

Question 6

Salinity

Answer 6

the concentrations of salts in water or soils

Question 7

Surface zone

Answer 7

the uppermost level of the land or sea.

Question 8

Thermocline

Answer 8

a steep temperature gradient in a body of water such as a lake, marked by a layer above and below which the water is at different temperatures.

Question 9

deep zone

Answer 9

extending or situated relatively far down from a surface.

Question 10

water cycle

Answer 10

shows the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere

Question 11

Evaporation

Answer 11

the process of turning from liquid into vapor.

Question 12

Condensation

Answer 12

water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.

Question 13

Precipitation

Answer 13

rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground.

Question 14

continental shelf

Answer 14

a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea.

Question 15

continental slope

Answer 15

the slope between the outer edge of the continental shelf and the deep ocean floor.

Question 16

continental rise

Answer 16

a wide, gentle incline from a deep ocean plain (abyssal plain) to a continental slope

Question 17

abyssal plain

Answer 17

a flat region of the ocean floor, usually at the base of a continental rise, where slope is less than 1:1000.

Question 18

mid-ocean ridge

Answer 18

a seafloor mountain system formed by plate tectonics

Question 19

rift valley

Answer 19

a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift.

Question 20

Seamount

Answer 20

an underwater mountain formed by volcanic activity.

Question 21

ocean trench

Answer 21

a long, narrow ditch.

Question 22

Plankton

Answer 22

marine drifters — organisms carried along by tides and currents.

Question 23

Nekton

Answer 23

aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents.

Question 24

Benthos

Answer 24

the assemblage of organisms inhabiting the seafloor

Question 25

desalination

Answer 25

the process of removing salts or other minerals and contaminants from seawater, brackish water, and wastewater effluent