Ocean Vocab

Question 1

Pacific ocean

Answer 1

the largest and deepest of Earth’s oceanic divisions

Question 2

Atlantic ocean

Answer 2

Second-largest ocean in the world

Question 3

Indian ocean

Answer 3

Third-largest ocean

Question 4

Arctic ocean

Answer 4

The cold, ice-covered waters surrounding the North Pole

Question 5

Southern ocean

Answer 5

also known as the Antarctic Ocean or the Austral Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean

Question 6

salinity

Answer 6

Salinity is the measure of all the salts dissolved in water

Question 7

surface zone

Answer 7

compare frigid zone, temperate zone, torrid zone portion of the surface of

Question 8

thermocline

Answer 8

a steep temperature gradient in a body of water such as a lake

Question 9

deep zone

Answer 9

The deep zone ocean is a zone of the world’s oceans occupying intermediate position between the abyssalpolegic region and the sea bed

Question 10

water cycle

Answer 10

the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow

Question 11

evaporation

Answer 11

when water evaporates into the sky

Question 12

condensation

Answer 12

water stores in the clouds

Question 13

precipitation

Answer 13

when it rains

Question 14

continental shelf

Answer 14

the area of seabed around a large landmass where the sea is relatively shallow compared with the open ocean

Question 15

continental slope

Answer 15

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

Question 16

continental divide

Answer 16

An imaginary geographic line defined by the fact that water poured on one side of it would ultimately flow into the ocean on one side of a continent

Question 17

abyssal plain

Answer 17

An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3,000 meters

Question 18

mid-ocean ridge

Answer 18

a long, seismically active submarine ridge system situated in the middle of an ocean basin and marking the site of the upwelling of magma associated with seafloor spreading

Question 19

rift valley

Answer 19

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

Question 20

seamount

Answer 20

a submarine mountain

Question 21

ocean trench

Answer 21

a long, narrow ditch

Question 22

plankton

Answer 22

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

Question 23

nekton

Answer 23

aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents

Question 24

benthos

Answer 24

the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water

Question 25

desalination

Answer 25

remove salt from saltwater