Ocean Vocab Flashcards
Pacific ocean
Largest and deepest ocean
Atlantic ocean
second largest ocean
Indian ocean
third largest ocean
Arctic ocean
Smallest and shallowest ocean
Southern ocean
also known as the atlantic ocean
Salinity
a measure of the amount of dissovled salts in a given amount of liquid
surface zone
the upper most part of the oceanic zone
Thermocline
a steep temperature gradient in a body of water such as a lake, marked by a layer above and below which the water is at different temperatures.
deep zone
is a zone of the world’s oceans occupying intermediate position between the abyssalpolegic region and the sea bed
water cycle
the continuous movement of water
Evaporation
when it evaporates into the air
Condensation
goes back into a rain cloud
Precipitation
when it rains down into the ground
continental shelf
the gently sloping section of the continental margin
continental slope
the steeply inclined section of the continental margin
continental rise
the gently sloping section of the continental margin
abyssal plain
a large flat almost level area of the deep ocean basin
mid-ocean ridge
a long undersea mountain
rift valley
a long narrow valley
Seamount
a submerjed mountain on the ocean floor
ocean trench
a steep and long depression in the deep sea floor
Plankton
the mass of mostly microsoptic organisms that float
Nekton
all organisms that swim actively in open water
Benthos
the organisms that live at the bottom of the sea or ocean
desalination
a process of removing salt from the ocean
