Ocean Vocab

Question 1

Pacific ocean

Answer 1

largest and deepest ocean

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 polar region

Question 5

southern ocean

Answer 5

60 degrees south

Question 6

salinity

Answer 6

dissolved salt

Question 7

the surface zone

Answer 7

5 great divisions

Question 8

thermocline

Answer 8

temperature change

Question 9

deep zone

Answer 9

the lowest level in the ocean

Question 10

the water cycle

Answer 10

The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle or the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth

Question 11

evaporation

Answer 11

Evaporation is a type of vaporization, that occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gaseous phase. The surrounding gas must not be saturated with the evaporating substance

Question 12

condensation

Answer 12

Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from the gas phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of vapourisation. The word most often refers to the water cycle

Question 13

precipitation

Answer 13

In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, graupel and hail

Question 14

the continental shelf

Answer 14

The continental shelf is an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea. Much of the shelves were exposed during glacial periods and interglacial periods

Question 15

continental slope

Answer 15

The continental shelf is an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea. Much of the shelves were exposed during glacial periods and interglacial periods

Question 16

continental divide

Answer 16

The Continental Divide of the Americas is the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas

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 metres and 6,000 metres

Question 18

mid-ocean ridge

Answer 18

A mid-ocean ridge is an underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonics. It consists of various mountains linked in chains, typically having a valley known as a rift running along its spine

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 seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water’s surface, and thus is not an island, islet or cliff-rock

Question 21

ocean trench

Answer 21

Oceanic trenches are topographic depressions of the sea floor, relatively narrow in width, but very long. These oceanographic features are the deepest parts of the ocean floor

Question 22

plankton

Answer 22

Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that live in large bodies of water and are unable to swim against a current. They provide a crucial source of food to many large aquatic organisms, such as fish and whales

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

Desalination is a process that extracts mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture