Ocean Flashcards

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1
Q

Pacific Ocean

A

the largest and deepest ocean on Earth

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2
Q

Atlantic Ocean

A

the youngest of the five oceans

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3
Q

Indian Ocean

A

third-largest Ocean in the world

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4
Q

Arctic Ocean

A

5.4 million square miles

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5
Q

Southern Ocean

A

the most southerly of the planet’s five oceans

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6
Q

salinity

A

the quality or degree of being saline

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7
Q

thermociline

A

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

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8
Q

deep zone

A

extending or situated relatively far down from a surface

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9
Q

water cycle

A

the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.

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10
Q

evaporation

A

the process of turning liquid into vapor

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11
Q

condensation

A

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

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12
Q

precipitation

A

water falling from the sky

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13
Q

continental shelf

A

the area of seabed around a large landmass where the sea is relatively shallow compared with the open ocean. The continental shelf is geologically part of the continental crust.
“extensive areas of continental shelf”

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14
Q

continental slope

A

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

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15
Q

continental rise

A

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

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16
Q

abyssal plain

A

the largest habitat on earth.

17
Q

mid-ocean ridge

A

continuous range of underwater volcanoes that wraps around the globe like seams on a baseball

18
Q

rift valley

A

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

19
Q

seamount

A

a submarine mountain.

20
Q

ocean trench

A

a long, narrow, deep depression in the ocean floor, typically one running parallel to a plate boundary and marking a subduction zone.

21
Q

plankton

A

the small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water, consisting chiefly of diatoms, protozoans, small crustaceans, and the eggs and larval stages of larger animals. Many animals are adapted to feed on plankton, especially by filtering the water.

22
Q

Nekton

A

mobile organisms which are able to swim or otherwise move independently of all but the strongest water currents

23
Q

benthos

A

depths of the sea

24
Q

desalinantion

A

the process of removing salt from seawater.