ocean vocabulary Flashcards
Pacific ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth’s five oceanic divisions
Atlantic ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world’s five oceans,
Indian ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world’s five oceanic divisions
Arctic ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five major oceans.
Southern ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean
Salinity
he concentrations of salts in water or soils
surface zone
a the uppermost level of the land or sea.
Thermocline
A thermocline is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid
deep zone
extend from the surface to the most extreme depths where light can no longer penetrate.
water cycle
shows the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere.
Evaporation
the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapor.
Condensation
Condensation is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase,
Precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds.
continental shelf
a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea
continental slope
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea.
continental rise
a wide, gentle incline from a deep ocean plain (abyssal plain) to a continental slope
abyssal plain
a flat region of the ocean floor, usually at the base of a continental rise, where slope is less than 1:1000.
mid-ocean ridge
a seafloor mountain system formed by plate tectonics.
rift valley
a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift.
Seamount
an underwater mountain formed by volcanic activity
ocean trench
Oceanic trenches are prominent long, narrow topographic depressions of the ocean floor.
Plankton
marine drifters — organisms carried along by tides and currents.
Nekton
living organisms that are able to swim and move independently of currents.
Benthos
the assemblage of organisms inhabiting the seafloor
desalination
the process of removing salts or other minerals and contaminants from seawater, brackish water, and wastewater effluent