Ocean Test Review Flashcards
the continual rise and fall of water in seas and oceans
tides
The lowest point of the water
low tide
highest point of the water
high tide
What pulls the water on the side
of Earth facing it to create a high tide?
the moon’s gravity
the sun and moon are at right angles and create special tides with low tides that aren’t as low and high tides that aren’t as high as normal.
neap tides
the sun and moon are in a line and create tides that have higher high tides and lower low tides than normal
spring tides
the massive flow of water through Earth’s oceans.
ocean current
rivers of water that move through the ocean’s surface.
surface currents
winds that move from east to west, towards the equator.
trade winds
winds that move from west to east, away from the equator.
westerlies
the gently sloping part of the ocean floor nearest land
continental shelf
the steep drop of ocean floor between the continental shelf and the abyssal plain
continental slope
the large, flat part of the ocean floor
abyssal plain
underwater mountain
seamount
peaks that form an underwater mountain chain alongside a central valley
mid-ocean ridge
an ocean canyon
trench
particles that settle on the ocean floor
sediments
the amount of salt dissolved in
water
salinity
the curving effect on
winds and currents that results from Earth’s rotation.
Coriolis effect
the result of differences in the density of ocean water.
deep current
a process in which deep, cold water rises to the surface.
upwelling
tiny, plant-like organisms that cannot swim against current and use sunlight to make their own food by
photosynthesis.
phytoplankton
animal-like organisms that drift in the water and feed on other organisms
zooplankton
tiny organisms that are planktonic for their whole lives
holoplankton
organisms that are planktonic for merely part of their lives
meroplankton
when salt is removed from ocean water
desalination
the electric energy generated by the difference between the water level of the ocean’s high and low tides
tidal energy
