oceans Flashcards
the largest and deepest of Earth’s five oceanic divisions
Pacific Ocean
he second-largest of the world’s five oceans
Atlantic Ocean
third-largest of the world’s five oceanic divisions
Indian Ocean
the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five major oceans
Arctic Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean
Southern Ocean
a measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid
Salinity
the uppermost level of the land or sea.
Surface Zone
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.
Thermocline
extending or situated relatively far down from a surface.
Deep zone
the continuous movement of water from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land and back to the ocean
Water cycle
the sun heats liquid water, causing it to rise into the atmosphere as water vapor
Evaporation
as the water vapor rises into the atmosphere, it cools and interacts with dust particles.
Condensation
when the water droplets become heavy enough , they fall back to earth’s surface as precipitation
Precipitation
the gently sloping section of the continental margin located between the shoreline and the continental slope
Continental Shelf
the steeply inclined section of the of the continental margin located between the continental rise and the continental shelf
Continental slope
the gently sloping section of the continental margin located between the continental slope and the abyssal plain
Continental rise
the broad flat part of the deep ocean basin
abyssal plain
the long, undersea mountain chain that forms along the floor of the major oceans
Mid-ocean ridge
a long, narrow valley that forms as tectonic plates separate
Rift valley
a submerged mountain on the ocean floor that is at least 1,000 meters high and that has a volcanic origin.
seamount
a steep, long depression in the deep-sea floor that runs parallel to a chain of volcanic islands or a continental margin
Ocean trench
the mass of mostly microscopic organisms that float or drift freely in freshwater and marine environments
plankton
all organisms that can swim actively in open water, independent of currents
Nekton
the organisms that live at the bottom of the ocean or sea
Benthos
the process of removing salt from ocean water
desalination
