Oceans Flashcards
Salinity
A measure of salt dissolved in water
surface zone
The top layer of the water that gets the most sunlight goes 656 feet down
Thermocline
Where the water temperature significantly decreases
deep zone
lowest layer in the ocean
water cycle
water precipitation evaporating and condensation.
Evaporation
water turning onto steam rising to form a cloud
Condensation
clouds
Precipitation
clouds turning back to water after becoming too heavy or dense
continental shelf
a part of a continent that is submerged in shallow water and where it ends gets significantly deeper
continental slope
shallow water found in proximity to a continent
continental rise
Final stage in the boundary between continents the deepest part of the ocean
abyssal plain
plains on the deep ocean floor
mid-ocean ridge
underwater mountain system
rift valley
a linear shaped lowlands between several highlands
Seamount
an underwater mountain rising from the seafloor but not reaching the surface
ocean trench
deep topographic depressions on the ocean sea floor
Plankton
A small aquatic organisms
Nekton
an aggregate of actively swimming organisms
Benthos
a community of organisms that live on or near the sea floor
desalination
the removal of salts and other minerals from a substance
Pacific ocean
largest and deepest ocean
Atlantic ocean
covers 20% of the earths surface
Indian ocean
third largest ocean
Arctic ocean
the smallest and the shallowest of the oceans
Southern ocean
circles Antarctica
