Ocean Flashcards
(25 cards)
Pacific ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth’s five oceanic divisions.
Atlantic ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world’s five oceans, with an area of about 106,460,000 km²
Indian ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world’s five oceanic divisions.
Arctic ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five major oceans.
Southern ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean.
Salinity
Salinity is the dissolved salt content of a body of water.
surface zone
This surface layer is also called the sunlight zone and extends from the surface to 200 meters.
Thermocline
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.
deep zone
The deep ocean is generally defined as the depth at which light begins to dwindle, typically around 200 meters.
water cycle
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or the hydrological cycle.
Evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization that occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase.
Condensation
Condensation is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase.
Precipitation
precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds.
continental shelf
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea.
continental slope
the slope between the outer edge of the continental shelf and the deep ocean floor.
continental rise
A continental rise is a wide, gentle incline from a deep ocean plain to a continental slope.
abyssal plain
An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3,000 metres and 6,000 metres.
mid-ocean ridge
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The massive mid-ocean ridge system is a continuous range of underwater volcanoes that wraps around the globe like seams on a baseball.
rift valley
A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges
Seamount
A seamount is a large geologic landform that rises from the ocean floor that does not reach to the water’s surface.
ocean trench
Oceanic trenches are prominent, long, narrow topographic depressions of the ocean floor.
Plankton
Plankton are usually microscopic, often less than one inch in length, but they also include larger species like some crustaceans and jellyfish.
Nekton
Nekton or necton refers to the actively swimming aquatic organisms in a body of water.
Benthos
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The word benthos comes from a Greek term meaning “depths of the sea.
