Ocean Flashcards
Pacific Ocean
The largest ocean
Arctic ocean
Smallest ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Second largest ocean
Indian Ocean
Bounded by Asia, Africa and Australia
Southern Ocean
Southern most ocean
Salinity
Saltiness of water
Surface Zone
Layers/Depths of the water
Thermocline
A thin layer of where temperature changes more rapidly
Deep Zone
The lowest layer in the ocean
Water Cycle
The movement of water around the world
Evaporation
The phase of the water cycle where water turns into gas
Condensation
The phase of the water cycle where gas turns into water
Precipitation
The phase of the water cycle where water falls from clouds due to gravitational pull
Continental Shelf
A portion of a continent where it is underwater in a shallow area
Continental Slope
The slope between the outer edge of the continental shelf and the deep ocean floor
Continental Rise
The continental rise is a sediment underwater feature found between the continental slope and the abyssal plain
Abyssal Plain
An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3,000 meters and 6,000 meters
Mid-ocean ridge
Mid-ocean ridge is a seafloor mountain system formed by plate tectonics
Rift Valley
A large elongated depression with steep walls formed by the downward displacement of a block of the earth’s surface between nearly parallel faults or fault systems
Sea Mount
Underwater Mountain
Ocean Trench
These are long and narrow valleys underwater
Plankton
The diverse collection of organisms that live in large bodies of water and are unable to swim against a current
Nekton
aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents
Benthos
the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water
Desalination
Taking away salt and minerals from water
