Oceans Flashcards
Thermocline
A layer of ocean water extending below sea level.
Water Cycle
Continuous movement of water from water sources.
Continental shelf
The flattest part of the continental margin.
Continental slope
The steepest part of the continental margin.
Continental rise
The base of the continental slope.
Abyssal plain
The broad, flat portion of the deep-ocean basin.
Mid-ocean range
A long mountain chain that forms on the ocean floor where tectonic plates pull apart, usually extends along the center of ocean basins.
Salinity
A measure of dissolved salts and other solids in liquid.
Crest
The highest point of a wave
Trough
The lowest point of a wave
Wave length
The distance between two adjacent wave crests or wave troughs
Wave height
The vertical distance between a waves crest and its troughs
Wave period
The time between the passage of two wave crests or troughs at a fixed point
Breaker
A heightened water wave that begins to tumble downward to break upon nearing the shore
Surf
The area between the breaker zone and the shore
WhiteCap
A white, foaming wave with a very steep crest that breaks in the open ocean before the wave gets close to the shore
Rift Valley
Forms between rift zones
Seamount
Individual mountains of volcanic material
Ocean trenches
Bottomless cracks in the deep ocean basin
Surface currents
Steam like movements
Coriolis effect
The curving of moving objects from a straight path
Deep current
Steam like movement of ocean water far below the surface
Upwelling
Process in which cold, nutrient rich water from the deep ocean rises to the surface and replaces warm surface water
El Niño
A periodic change in the location of warm cool surface waters in the pacific ocean
Swells
Rolling waves that move steady procession across the ocean
Storm surge
A local rise in sea level near the shore
Tides
Daily movement of movements of ocean water
Tidal range
The difference between levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide
Spring tides
Tides with maximum daily tidal range
Neap tide
When the sun, earth, and moon form a 90 degree angle
