Term 1 2023 Definitions Flashcards
functional biology
an organism’s basic function
ecology
interactions between organisms and their environments
anoxic
environment with a lack of oxygen
oceanic vents
likely starting points for life forms in the deep sea
“The Great Oxidation”
period 2.4bn years ago the rapidly increased the sea’s oxygen levels
sea mounts
ocean-floor volcanos below sea level eg.Mauno Loa
Guyots
flat-topped sea mounts via erosion
lithosphere
earth’s crust
divergent plate
constructie plate moving away eg. Iceland
transform plate
conservative plate that rubs against each other eg. Mid Atlantic Ridge
convergent plate
destructive plate that moves towards each other eg. Mariana Trench/ NW Pacific
Isostacy
gravity + buoyancy acting on earth’s outer layers to bring them closer
Bathymetry
study of the sea floor
surface zone
first zone of the oceans temperature, mixed layer 25-500m
thermocline
2nd layer of ocean temp, 200-1000m, rapid decrease in temp + advection of cool water
deep zone
3rd layer of oceans temp, below 1000m, stable temps of 1C
stratified ocean
where temp (+salinity) determines waters’s density, splitting ocean in density levels
CTD
Conductivity Temperature Depth Rosette, measure temp + conductivity, pressure + depth to work out salinity
Ekman transport
net movements of water due to Coriolis and wind forces, brings deep water upwards due to displacemtn
surface currents
global ocean current driven by wind
global overturning circulation
global ocean current driven by density
gyres
large system of circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns and forces created by Earth’s rotation
the Gulf stream
the northerly loop of the N Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, bringing warm water to the Uk
Antarctic Circumpolar current
circumscribes whole earths, connecting all other ocean basics and driven by powerful westerly wind belt (stormiest ocean)
Pacific Ocean Circulation
driven by 2 huge subtropical greys with dominant equatorial countercurrent
‘The plastic vortex”
collection of plastic into the N.Pacific gyre’s convergent flow (and now N.Atlantic)
eddies
small-scale gyres + flows
pelagic zones
ocean area
Benthic zones
sediment/ substrate section of the ocean
neurotic zone
sea on the continental shelf
oceanic zone
sea off the continental shelf
epipelagic
photic zone 0-200m in water column
Mesopelagic
dysphotic zone 200-1000m in the water columun
Bathypelagic
1000-2000m in the aphotic zone of the water column
Abyssalpelagic
2000-6000m in the photic zone of the water column
Hadalpelagic
deepest oceanic layer 6000m+ in the aphotic zone of the water column
nekton
pelagic organisms that can maintain position against water currents (swimmers(
plankton
pelagic organisms that can’t maintain their position against water currents (wanderer)
phytoplankton
plant-like + able to photosynthesise
zooplankton
animal-like + heterotrophic