Oceans Flashcards
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth’s oceanic divisions
Pacific Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world’s oceans with a total area of about 106,460,000 square kilometers
Atlantic Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world’s oceanic divisions, covering 70,560,000 km²
Indian Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five major oceans
Arctic Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean or the Austral Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica
Southern Ocean
Salinity is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water.
salinity
The surface layer of the ocean is known as the epipelagic zone and extends from the surface to 200 meters
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
The deep zone ocean is a zone of the world’s oceans occupying intermediate position between the abyssalpolegic region and the sea bed
deep zone
The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle or the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth
water cycle
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs from the surface of a liquid into a gaseous phase that is not saturated with the evaporating substance
evaporation
Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from gas phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of vapourisation
condensation
n meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity
precipitation
The continental shelf is an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea
continental shelf
The continental shelf is an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea
continental slope
An imaginary geographic line defined by the fact that water poured on one side of it would ultimately flow into the ocean on one side of a continent
continental divide
An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3,000 metres and 6,000 metres
abyssal plain
A mid-ocean ridge is an underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonics
mid-ocean ridge
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
rift valley
A seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water’s surface, and thus is not an island, islet or cliff-rock
seamount
Oceanic trenches are topographic depressions of the sea floor, relatively narrow in width, but very long
ocean trench
Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that live in large bodies of water and are unable to swim against a current
plankton
aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents
nekton
Benthos is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone
benthos
