Ocean Flashcards
Thermocline
A layer of water extending from 300 m below sea level
Water cycle
A cycle that links all of Earths solid,liquid,and gaseous water together
Continental shelf
Begins at the shoreline and slopes toward the ocean
Continental slope
Begins at the edge of the continental shelf
Continental rise
The base of the continental slope
Abyssal plain
The broad flat portion of the,deep-ocean basin
Mid-ocean ridges
Mountain chains formed where tectonic plates pull apart
Rift Valley
Forms between rift zones
Seamount
Individual mountains of volcanic material
Ocean trenches
Bottomless cracks in the deep ocean basin
Surface current
Stream like movements
Coriolis effect
The curving of moving objects from a straight path
Deep current
Stream like movement of ocean water far below the surface
Upwelling
Process in which cold,nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean rises to the surface and replaces warm surface water
El Niño
A periodic change in the location of warm and cool surface waters in the Pacific Ocean
Crest
Highest point in a wave
Trough
Lowest point in a wave
Wavelength
A distance between two adjacent wave crests wave trough
Wave height
the vertical distance between a wave crest and its trough
Wave period
The time between the passage of two wave crests
Breaker
Gravity pulling the high wave crests down
Surf
The area between the breaker zone and the shore
Whitecaps
White foaming waves with very steep crests that breaks open
Swells
Rolling waves that move in steady procession across the ocean
Storm surge
A local rise in sea level near the shore that is caused by strong winds
Tides
Daily movement of movements of ocean water
Tidal range
The difference between levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide
Spring tides
Tides with maximum daily tidal range
Neap tide
When the sun Earth,and moon form a 90 degree angle
Salinity
A measure of the amount of dissolved salts and other solids
