Ocean Vocabulary Flashcards
Pacific Ocean
It is the largest and deepest ocean
Atlantic Ocean
It covers approximately 1/5 of the surface of the earth
Indian Ocean
It is the 3rd largest ocean
Arctic Ocean
It is the worlds smallest and shallowest oceans, it is also known as the coldest ocean.
Southern Ocean
It is also known as the the Austral Ocean
salinity
a measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid
surface zone
it is the warm, top layer of ocean water, it can extend 300 m below sea level.
thermocline
It is the 2nd layer of ocean water, it can extend from 300 m below sea level to about 700 m below sea level
deep zone
It is the bottom layer that extends its base of the thermocline to the bottom of the ocean.
water cycle
the continuous movement of water from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land and back to the ocean
evaporation
The sun heats liquid water, causing it to rise into the atmosphere as water vapor, this physical change from a liquid to an gas is evaporation.
condensation
As water vapor rises into the atmosphere, it cools and interacts with dust particles, and eventually the water vapor turns into liquid water.
precipitation
When water droplets become heavy enough, they fall back to the Earths surface.
continental shelf
The gently sloping section of the continental margin located between the shoreline and the continental slope.
continental slope
The steeply inclined section of the continental margin located between the continental rise and the continental shelf.
continental rise
The gently sloping section of the continental margin located between the continental slope and the abyssal plain.
abyssal plain
A large flat, almost level area of the deep-ocean basin.
mid-ocean ridge
They are mountain chains that form where tectonic plates pull apart.
rift valley
As mountains build up, a rift valley forms between them in the rift zones.
seamount
They are individual mountains of volcanic material
ocean trench
They are huge cracks in the deep ocean basin.
plankton
the mass mostly microscopic organisms that float or drift freely.
nekton
all organisms that swim actively in open water
benthos
the organisms that live at the bottom of the sea or ocean
