oceans Flashcards
Pacific ocean
the largest and deepest ocean on Earth.
Atlantic ocean
lies between North and South America on the west and Europe and Africa on the east.
Indian ocean
a vast theater, stretching from the Strait of Malacca and western coast of Australia in the East to the Mozambique Channel in the West
Arctic ocean
Earth’s northernmost body of water
Southern Ocean
body of salt water covering approximately one-sixteenth of Earth’s total ocean area.
Salinity
the quality or degree of being saline.
Surface zone
the uppermost level of the land or sea.
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
extending or situated relatively far down from a surface.
water cycle
the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.
Evaporation
the process of turning from liquid into vapor.
Condensation
water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.
Precipitation
the action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution.
continental shelf
the area of seabed around a large landmass where the sea is relatively shallow compared with the open ocean. The continental shelf is geologically part of the continental crust.
continental slope
the slope between the outer edge of the continental shelf and the deep ocean floor.
continental rise
A wide, gentle incline from an ocean bottom to a continental slope.
abyssal plain
any of the great flat sediment-covered areas of ocean floor.
mid-ocean ridge
a long, seismically active submarine ridge system situated in the middle of an ocean basin and marking the site of the upwelling of magma associated with seafloor spreading. An example is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
rift valley
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.
Seamount
a submarine mountain.
ocean trench
a long, narrow ditch.
Plankton
usually microscopic, often less than one inch in length, but they also include larger species like some crustaceans and jellyfish.
Nekton
aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents.
Benthos
the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water.
desalination
the process of removing salt from seawater.
