Term
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Definition
| small sediment-covered inactive volcano or intrusion of molten rock less than 200 meters high, thought to be associated with seafloor spreading. Abyssal hills punctuate the otherwise flat abyssal plain. |
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Term
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Definition
| Flat,cold,sediment-covered ocean floor between the continental rise and the oceanic ridge at a dpth of 3700 to 5500 meters. Abyssal plains are more extensive in the Atlantic and Indian oceans than in the Pacific. |
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Term
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Definition
| Conversion of sound or light energy into heat |
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Term
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Definition
| the ocean between about 4000 and 5000 meters deep |
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Term
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Definition
| One of a class of pigments present in various photosynthetic plants and which assist in the absorption of light and the transfer of its energy to chlorophyll. Also called masking pigment. |
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Term
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Definition
| An increase in the mass of a body by accumulation or clumping of smaller particles |
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Term
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Definition
| A substance that releases a hydrogen ion (H+) in solution |
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Term
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Definition
| Rain containing acids and acid-forming compounds such as sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen |
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Term
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Definition
| A technique for studying ocean structure that depends on pulses of low-frequency sound to sense differences in water temperature, salinity, and movement beneath the surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| Continental margin near an area of lithospheric plate convergence. Also called Pacific-type margin |
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Term
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Definition
| A device that generates underwater sound from special transducers and analyzes the returning echoes to gain information of geological, biological, or military importance. |
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Term
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Definition
| The movement of molecules from a region of low concentration to a region of high concentration through a semi-permeable membrane at the expense of energy. |
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Term
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Definition
| An inheritable structural or behavioral modification. A favorable adaptation gives a species an advantage in survival and reproduction. An unfavorable adaptation lessens a species' ability to survive and reproduce. |
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Term
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Definition
| Attachment of water molecules to other substances by hydrogen bonds. Wetting. |
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Term
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Definition
| a class of jawless fishes: hagfishes and lampreys. |
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Term
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Definition
| Describing coral species lacking symbiotic zooxanthellae and incapable of secreting calcium carbonate at a rate suitable for reef production. |
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Term
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Definition
| A large mass of air with nearly uniform temperature, humidity, and density throughout |
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Term
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Definition
| Collective term for nonvascular plants possessing chlorophyll and capable for photosynthesis |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| alternation of generations |
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Definition
| A reproductive cycle in which a plant alternates between sexual and asexual stages. |
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Term
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Definition
| a "no-tide" point in an ocean causes by basin resonances,m friction, and other factors around which tide crests rotate. About a dozen amphidromic points exist in the world ocean. Sometimes called a node. |
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Term
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Definition
| A flowering vascular plant that reproduces by means of a seed-bearing fruit. Examples are sea grasses and mangroves. |
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Term
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Definition
| in meteorology, the angle of the sun above the horizon. |
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Term
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Definition
| A multicellular organism unable to synthesize its own food and often capable of movement. |
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Term
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Definition
| the kingdom to which multicellular heterotrophs belongs |
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Term
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Definition
| the phylum of animals to which segmented worms belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| The densest ocean water (1.0279 g/cm^3), formed primarily in Antarctica's Weddell Sea during southern hemisphere winters |
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Term
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Definition
| The imaginary line around the Earth, parallel to the equator at 66 degrees 33 seconds S marking the southernmost limit of sunlight at the June solstice. The antarctic Circle marks the northern limit of the area within which, for one day or more each year, the sun does not set or rise. |
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Term
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Definition
| Convergence zone encircling Antarctica between about 50 degrees and 60 degrees South marking the boundary between Antarctic Circumpolar Water and Subantarctic Surface Water |
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Term
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Definition
| An ocean in the southern Hemisphere bounded to the north by the Antarctic Convergence and to the south by Antarctica. |
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Term
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Definition
| the dark ocean below the depth to which light can penetrate |
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Term
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Definition
| the growing or farming of plants and animals in a water environment under controlled conditions. |
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Term
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Definition
| The imaginary line around the Earth to the equator at 66 degrees 33 seconds North, marking the northernmost limit of sunlight at the December solstice. The arctic Circle marks the southern limit of the area within which, for one day or more each year, the sun does not set or rise. |
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Term
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Definition
| Convergence zone between Arctic Water and subarctic surface water. |
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Term
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Definition
| An ice-covered ocean north of the continents of North America and Eurasia |
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Term
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Definition
| the phylum of animals that includes shrimp, lobsters, krill, barnacles, and insects. The phylum Arthropoda is the world's most successful. |
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Term
| artificial system of classification |
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Definition
| a method of classifying an object based on attributes other than its reason for existence, its ancestry or its origin |
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Term
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Definition
| the class of the phylum Echnodermata to which sea stars belong |
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Term
| atmospheric circulation cell |
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Definition
| Large circuit of air driven by uneven solar heating and the coriolis effect. Three circulation cells form in each hemisphere |
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Term
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Definition
| a ring-shaped island of coral reefs and coral debris enclosing, or almost enclosing, a shallow lagoon from which no land protrudes. Atolls often form over sinking, inactive volcanoes. |
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Term
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Definition
| the smallest particle of an element that exhibits the characteristics of that element. |
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Term
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Definition
| adenosine triphosphate, the compound that acts as the immediate source of energy for all life on Earth. The energy stored in ATP is provided directly by photosynthesis or by respiration of glucose. |
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Term
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Definition
| sediment formed directly by precipitation from seawater. |
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Term
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Definition
| an organism that makes its own food by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis |
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Term
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Definition
| A naked diatom cell without valves. Often a dormant stage in the life cycle following sexual reproduction. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| sand on the shoreward side of the berm crest, sloping away from the ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| water returning to the ocean from waves washing onto a beach. |
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Term
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Definition
| the interleaved, hard, fibrous, hornlike filters within the mouth of baleen whales. |
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Term
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Definition
| A long, narrow, wave-built island lying parallel to the mainland and separated from it by a lagoon or bay. |
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Term
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Definition
| a coral reef surrounding an island or lying parallel to the shore of a continent, separated from land by a deep lagoon. Coral debris islands may form along the reef. |
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Term
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Definition
| the relatively heavy crustal rock that forms the seabeds, composed mostly of oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and iron. Its density is about 2.9 g/cm^3 |
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Term
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Definition
| a substance that combines with a hydrogen ion in solution. |
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Term
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Definition
| the ocean between about 200 and 4000 meters deep |
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Term
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Definition
| deep-diving submersible designed like a blimp, which uses gasoline for buoyancy and can reach the bottom of the deepest ocean trenches. |
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Term
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Definition
| An exposed sand bar attached to a headland adjacent to a bay and extending across the mouth of the bay. |
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Term
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Definition
| A zone of unsolidated particles extending from below water level to the edge of the coastal zone. |
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Term
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Definition
| Vertical wall of variable height marking the landward limit of the most recent high tides. Corresponds with the berm at extreme high tides. |
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Term
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Definition
| the zone of the ocean bottom |
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Term
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Definition
| a nearly horizontal accumulation of sediment parallel to shore. Marks the normal limit of sand deposition by wave action. |
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Term
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Definition
| the top of the berm; the highest point on most beaches. Corresponds to the shoreward limit of wave action during most high tides. |
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Term
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Definition
| the hypothetical event that started the expansion of the universe from a geometric point. the beginning of time. |
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Term
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Definition
| body structure having left and right sides that are approximate mirror images of each other. Examples are crabs and humans. |
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Term
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Definition
| Able to be broken by natural processes into simpler compounds. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sediment of biological origin. Organisms can deposit calcareous or siliceous residue. |
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Term
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Definition
| increase in concentration of certain fat-soluble chemicals such as DDT or heavy-metal compounds, in successively higher trophic levels within a food web. |
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Term
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Definition
| a biologically generated aspect of the environment, such as predation or metabolic waste products, that affects living organisms. Biological factors usually operate in association with purely physical factors such as light and temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| a living animal or plant collected for human use. |
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Term
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Definition
| biologically produced light |
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Term
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Definition
| the mass of living material in a given area or volume of habitat. |
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Term
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Definition
| the initial formation of life on the Earth |
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Term
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Definition
| the class of phylum Mollusca that includes clam, oysters, and mussels. |
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Term
| Vilhelm Bjerknes (1862-1951) |
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Definition
| Pioneering Norwegian physicist and discoverer of the nature and formation of extratropical cyclones, which cause most mid-latitude weather. |
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Term
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Definition
| Algal equivalent of a vascular plant's leaf |
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Term
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Definition
| A connection between two objects. |
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Term
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Definition
| Describing water intermediate in salinity between seawater and fresh water. |
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Term
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Definition
| An artificial structure of durable material that interrupts the progress of waves to shore. Harbors are often shielded by a breakwater. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of substances that tends to resist change in the pH of a solution by combining with free ions. |
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Term
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Definition
| the ability of an object to float in a fluid by displacement of a volume of fluid equal in mass to the mass of a floating object. |
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Term
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Definition
| ooze composed mostly of the hard remains of calcium-carbonate-containing organisms. |
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Term
| calcium carbonate compensation depth |
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Definition
| the depth at which the rate of accumulation of calcareous sediments equals the rate of dissolution of those sediments. Below this depth, sediment contains little or no calcium carbonate. |
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Term
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Definition
| the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of pure water by 1 C |
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Term
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Definition
| A tiny wave with a wavelength of less than 1.73 centimeters, whose restoring force is surface tension; the first type of wave to form when the wind blows. |
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Term
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Definition
| the order of mammals that includes seals, sea lions, walruses, and sea otters. |
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Term
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Definition
| the size at which a particular population in a particular environment will stabilize when its supply of resources - including nutrients, energy, and living space - remains constant. |
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Term
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Definition
| A tough, elastic tissue that stiffens or supports. |
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Term
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Definition
| a person who makes maps and charts. |
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Term
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Definition
| the theory that the Earth's surface features are formed by catastrophic forces such as the biblical flood. Catastrophists believe in a young Earth and a literal interpretation of the biblical account of Creation. |
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Term
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Definition
| The technique of finding one's position on Earth by reference to the apparent positions of stars, planets, the moon, and the sun. |
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Term
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Definition
| the basic organizational unit of life on this planet. |
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Term
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Definition
| the class of the phylum Mollusca that includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. |
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Term
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Definition
| the order of mammals that includes porpoises, dolphins, and whales. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the first wholly scientific oceanographic expedition. Named for the steam corvette used in the voyage. |
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Term
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Definition
| a map that depicts mostly water and the adjoining land areas. |
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Term
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Definition
| an energy relationship that holds two atoms together as a result of changes in their electron distribution. |
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Term
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Definition
| in seawater, the condition in which the proportion and amounts of dissolved salts per unit volume of ocean are nearly constant. |
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Term
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Definition
| the synthesis of organic compounds from inorganic compounds using energy stored in inorganic substances such as sulfur, ammonia, and hydrogen. Energy is released when these substances are oxidized by certain organisms. |
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Term
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Definition
| a complex nitrogen-rich carbohydrate from which parts of arthropod exoskeletons are constructed |
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Term
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Definition
| a polyplacophoran mollusk |
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Term
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Definition
| the most abundant and dangerous class of halogenated hydrocarbons, synthetic organism chemicals hazardous to the marine environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| a measure of the content of chloride, bromine, and iodide ions in seawater. We may derive salinity from chlorinity by multiplying by 1.80655 |
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Term
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Definition
| A class of halogenated hydrocarbons thought to be depleting the Earth's atmospheric ozone. CFCs are used as cleaning agents, refrigerants, fire-extinguishing fluids, spray-can propellants, and insulating foams. |
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Term
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Definition
| a pigment responsible for trapping sunlight and transferring its energy to electrons, thus initiating photosynthesis. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the class of fishes with cartilaginous skeletons: the sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras. |
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Term
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Definition
| the phylum of animals to which tunicates, Amphioxus, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| a pigmented skin cell that expands or contracts to affect color change |
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Term
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Definition
| a very consistent clock. It doesn't need to tell accurate time, but its rate of gain or loss must be constant and known exactly so that accurate time may be calculated. |
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Term
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Definition
| sampling device used to take shallow samples of the ocean bottom. |
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Term
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Definition
| a way of grouping objects according to some stated criteria. |
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Term
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Definition
| sediment particle smaller than 0.004 millimeter in diameter; the smallest sediment size category. |
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Term
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Definition
| the long-term average of weather in an area. |
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Term
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Definition
| a stable, long-established community of self-perpetuating organisms that tends not to change with time. |
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Term
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Definition
| Rotation around a point in the direction that clock hands move. |
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Term
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Definition
| distribution of organisms within a community in small, patchy, aggregations, or clumps; the most common distribution pattern. |
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Term
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Definition
| the phylum of animals to which corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| Type of cell found in members of the phylum Cnidaria that contains a string capsule. The threads that evert from the capsules assist in capturing |
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Term
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Definition
| the zone extending from the ocean inland as far as the environment is immediately affected by marine processes. |
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Term
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Definition
| the natural sector of a coastline in which sand input and sand outflow are balanced. |
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Term
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Definition
| upwelling adjacent to a coast, usually induced by wind. |
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Term
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Definition
| a very small planktonic alga carrying discs of calcium carbonate, which contributes to biogenous sediments. |
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Term
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Definition
| attachment of water molecules to each other by hydrogen bonds. |
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Term
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Definition
| those characteristics of a solution that differ from those of pure water because of material held in solution |
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Term
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Definition
| Italian explorer in the service of spain who discovered islands in the caribbean in 1492. Although traditionally credited as the discoverer of America, he never actually sighted the North American continent. |
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Term
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Definition
| a symbiotic interaction between two species in which only one species benefits and neither is harmed. |
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Term
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Definition
| depletion of a resource species to a point where it is no longer profitable to harvest the species. |
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Term
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Definition
| the population of all species that occupy a particular habitat and interact within that habitat. |
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Term
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Definition
| an instrument for showing direction by means of a magnetic needle swinging freely on a pivot and pointing to magnetic north. |
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Term
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Definition
| the depth in the water column at which the production of carbohydrates and oxygen by photosynthesis exactly equals the consumption of carbohydrates and oxygen by respiration. The break-even point for autotrophs. Generally a function of light level. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a substance composed of two or more elements in a fixed proportion. |
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Term
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Definition
| premise that stars and planets accumulate from contracting, accreting clouds of galactic gas, dust, and debris. |
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Term
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Definition
| the transfer of heat through matter by the collision of one atom with another. |
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Term
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Definition
| an element that occurs in constant proportion in seawater. For example, chlorine, sodium, and magnesium. |
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Term
| constructive interference |
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Definition
| the addition of wave energy as waves interact, producing larger waves. |
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Term
|
Definition
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Term
|
Definition
| the solid masses of the continents, composed primarily of granite. |
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Term
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Definition
| the theory that the continents move slowly across the surface of the Earth |
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Term
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Definition
| the submerged outer edge of a continent, made of granitic crust. Includes the continental shelf and continental slope. |
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Term
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Definition
| the wedge of sediment forming the gentle transition from the outer edge of the continental slope to the abyssal plain. Usually associated with passive margins. |
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Term
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Definition
| gradually sloping submerged extension of a continent, composed of granitic rock overlain by sediments. Has features similar to the edge of a nearby continent. |
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Term
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Definition
| a bottom current made up of dense water that flows around(rather than over) seabed projections. |
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Term
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Definition
| movement within a fluid resulting from differential heating and cooling of the fluid. Convection produces mass transport or mixing of the fluid. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a single closed-flow circuit of rising warm material and falling cool material. |
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Term
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Definition
| the line along which waters of different density converge. Convergence zones form the boundaries of tropical, subtropical,temperate, and polar areas. |
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Term
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Definition
| the evolution of similar characteristics in organisms of different ancestry; the body shape of a porpoise and a shark, for instance. |
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Term
| convergent plate boundary |
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Definition
| a region where plates are pushing together and where a mountain range, island arc, and/or trench will eventually form. Often a site of much seismic and volcanic activity. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Officer in the British Royal Navy who led the first European voyages of scientific activity. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any of over 6,000 species of small cnidarians, many of which are capable of generating hard calcareous skeletons. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A linear mass of calcium carbonate assembled from coral organisms, algae, mollusks, worms, and so on. Coral may contribute less than half of the reef material. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The innermost layer of the Earth, composed primarily of iron, with nickel and heavy elements. The inner core is thought to be a solid 6000 C sphere, the outer core a 5,000 C liquid mass. The average density of the outer core is about 11.8 g/cm^3 and that of the inner core is about 16 g/cm^3 |
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Term
| Coriolis, Gaspard Gustave de |
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Definition
| The french scientist who in 1835 worked out the mathematics of the motion of bodies on a rotating surface. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the apparent deflection of a moving object from its initial course when its speed and direction are measured in reference to the surface of the rotating Earth. the object is deflected to the right of its anticipated course in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. The deflection occurs for any horizontal movement of objects with mass and has no effect at the equator. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Sediment of extra-terrestrial origin |
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Term
|
Definition
| A surface current flowing in the opposite direction from an adjacent surface current. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a chemical bond formed between two atoms by electron sharing.r |
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Term
|
Definition
| the outermost solid layer of the Earth, composed mostly of granite and basalt. The top of the lithosphere. The crust has a density of 2.7-2.9 g/cm^3 and accounts for 0.4% of the Earth's mass. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the class of phylum Arthropoda to which lobsters, shrimp, crabs, barnacles, and copepods belong. |
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Term
|
Definition
| camouflage. may be active or passive. |
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Term
|
Definition
|
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Term
|
Definition
| A weather system with a low-pressing area in the center around which winds blow counerclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere. Not to be confused with a tornado, a much smaller weather phenomenon associated with severe thunderstorms. |
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Term
| deep scattering layer (DSL) |
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Definition
| a relatively dense aggregation of fishes, squid, and other mesopelagic organisms capable of reflecting a sonar pulse that resembles a false bottom in the ocean. Its position varies with the time of day. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a wave in water deeper than one-half its wavelength. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the zone of the ocean below the pycnocline, in which there is little additional change of density with increasing depth. Contains about 80% of the world's water. |
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Term
|
Definition
| An arbitrary measure of temperature. One degree Celsius = 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the deposit of sediments found at a river mouth, sometimes triangular in shape. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the mass per unit volume of a substance, usually expressed in grams per cubic centimeter. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A graph showing the relationship between a fluid's temperature or salinity and its density. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the formation of layers in a material, with each deeper layer being denser than the layer above. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A feeding relationship in which an organism is limited to feeding on one species or, in extreme cases, on one size phase of one species. |
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Term
|
Definition
| accumulation, usually of sediments. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A coast in which processes that deposit sediment exceed erosive processes. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the process of removing salt from seawater or brackish water |
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Term
|
Definition
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Term
|
Definition
| the subtraction of wave energy as aves interact, producing smaller waves. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the EArth's most abundant, successful, and efficient single-celled phytoplanton. Diatoms possess two interlocking valves made primarily of silica. The valves contribute to biogenous sediments. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the movement - driven by heat - of molecules from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration. |
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Term
|
Definition
| One of a class of microscopic single-celled flagellates, not all of which are autotrophic. The outer covering is often of stiff cellulose. Planktonic dinoflagellates are responsible for "red tides." |
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Term
|
Definition
| the dissolving by water of minerals in rocks. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the zone of stable temperature below the thermocline. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the energy that causes a wave to form. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a tidal cycle of one high tide and one low tide per day. |
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Term
|
Definition
| evolutionary radiation of different species from a common ancestor. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a region where plates are moving apart and where new ocean or rift valley will eventually form. A spreading center forms the junction. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the zone of rising air near the equator known for sultry air and variable breezes. Also known as the intertropical convergence zone. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Circulation pattern in which surface water moves vertically downward. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the resistance to movement of an organism induced by the fluid through which it swims. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Fine vertically suspended net that may be 7 meters high and 80 kilometers long. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a sudden motion fo the EArth's crust resulting from waves in the Earth causes by faulting of the rocks or by volcanic activity. |
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Term
|
Definition
| weak,cold,diffuse, slow-moving current at the eastern boundary of an ocean. Examples include the Canary current and the Humboldt Current. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Water rushing out of an enclosed harbor or bay because of the fall in sea level as a tide trough approaches. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the phylum of exclusively marine animals to which sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers belong. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The class of the phylum Echinodermata to which sea urchins and sand dollars belong. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the use of reflected sound to detect environmental objects. Cetaceans use echolocation to detect prey and avoid obstacles. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A device that reflects sound off the ocean bottom to sense water depth. Its accuracy is affected by the variability of the speed of sound through water. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the outermost layer of cells in a developing embryo. |
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Term
|
Definition
| An organism incapable of generating and maintaining steady internal temperature from metabolic heat and therefore whose internal body temperature is approximately the same as that of the surrounding environment. A cold-blooded organism. |
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Term
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Definition
| A circular movement of water usually formed where currents pass obstructions, or between two adjacent currents flowing in opposite directions, or along the edge of a permanent current. |
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Term
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Definition
| a theoretical model of the effect on water of wind blowing over the ocean. Because of the Coriolis effect, the surface layer is expected to drift at an angle of 45 degrees to the right of the wind in the Northern Hemisphere and 45 degrees to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. Water at successively lower layers drifts progressively to the right (N) or left (S), though not as swiftly as the surface flow. |
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Term
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Definition
| Net water transport, the sum of layer movement due to the Ekman spiral. Theoretical Ekman transport in the Northern Hemisphere is 90 degrees to the right of the wind direction. |
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Term
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Definition
| A tiny negatively charged particle in an atom responsible for chemical bonding. |
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Term
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Definition
| A substance composed of identical atoms that cannot be broken into simpler substances by chemical means. |
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Term
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Definition
| A southward-flowing nutrient-poor current of warm water off the coast of western South America, caused by a breakdown of trade wind circulation. |
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Term
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Definition
| the innermost layer of cells in a developing embryo. |
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Term
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Definition
| an organism capable of generating and regulating metabolic heat to maintain a steady internal temperature. Birds and mammals are the only animals capable of true endothermy. A warm blooded organism. |
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Term
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Definition
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Definition
| acronym fr the coupled phenomena of el nino and southern oscillation. |
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Term
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Definition
| a measure of the disorder in a system |
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Term
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Definition
| all the limiting factors that act together to regulate the maximum allowable size, or carrying capacity, of a population. |
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Term
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Definition
| the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. |
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Term
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Definition
| the lighted, or photic, zone in the ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| you should know this -.-. |
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Term
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Definition
| upwelling in which water moving westward on either side of the geographical equator tends to be deflected slightly poleward and replaced by deep water often rich in nutrients. |
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Term
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Definition
| greek scholar and librarian at Alexandria who first calculated the circumference of the Earth about 230 B.C. |
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Definition
| a process of being gradually worn away. |
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Term
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Definition
| a coast in which erosive processes exceed depositional ones. |
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Term
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Definition
| A body of water partially surrounded by land where fresh water from a river mixes with ocean water, creating an area of remarkable biological productivity. |
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Term
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Definition
| the upper layer of the photic zone in which net photosynthetic gain occurs. |
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Term
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Definition
| Describing an organism able to tolerate a wide range in salinity. |
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Term
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Definition
| describing an organism able to tolerate wide variance in temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| the upper layer of water, where temperature changes with the seasons. |
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Term
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Definition
| a worldwide change in sea level, as distinct from local changes. |
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Term
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Definition
| a set of physical, chemical, and biological changes brought about when excessive nutrients are released into water. |
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Term
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Definition
| deposite formed by the evaporation of ocean water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Change. the maintenance of life under constantly changing conditions by continuous adaptation of successive generations of a species to its environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| A compound found in the ocean and atmosphere in quantities greater that can be accounted for by the weathering of surface rock. Such compounds probably entered the atmosphere and ocean from deep crustal and upper mantle sources through volcanism. |
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Term
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Definition
| the offshore zone claimed by signatories to the 1982 United Nations Draft Convention on the Law of the Sea. The EEZ extends 200 nautical miles from a contiguous shoreline. |
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Term
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Definition
| A strong, lightweight, form-fitted external covering and support common to animals of the phylum Arthropoda. The exoskeleton is made partly of chitin and may be strengthened by calcium carbonate. |
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Term
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Definition
| A low-pressure mid-latitude weather system characterized by converging winds and ascending air rotating counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. An extratropical cyclone forms at the front between the polar and Ferrel cells. |
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Term
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Definition
| a fracture in a rock mass along which movement has occurred. |
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Term
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Definition
| The American scientist who discovered the mid-latitude circulation cells of each hemisphere |
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Term
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Definition
| the middle atmospheric circulation cell in each hemisphere. Air in these cells rises at 60 degrees latitude and falls at 30 degrees latitude. |
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Term
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Definition
| the uninterrupted distance over which the wind blows without a signification change in direction, a factor in wind wave development. |
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Term
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Definition
| the carnivoran suborder that includes sea otters. |
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Term
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Definition
| A deep, narrow estuary in a valley originally cut by a glacier. |
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Term
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Definition
| a whiplike structure used by some small organisms and gametes to move through the environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| a method of current study that depends on the movement of a drift bottle or other free-floating object. |
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Term
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Definition
| water rushing into an enclosed harbor or bay because of the rise in sea level as a tide crest approaches. |
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Term
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Definition
| A method of current study that measures the current as it flows past a fixed object. |
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Term
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Definition
| general term for organic molecules capable of providing energy to heterotrophs when combined with oxygen during biochemical respiration. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of organisms associated by a complex set of feeding relationships in which the flow of food energy can be followed from primary producers through consumers. |
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Term
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Definition
| one of a group of planktonic amoeba-like animals with a calcareous shell, which contributes to biogenous sediments. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sand on the seaward side of the berm, sloping toward the ocean, to the low tide mark. |
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Term
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Definition
| Area of irregular, seismically inactive topography marking the position of a once-active transform fault. |
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Term
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Definition
| the temperature at which solid can begin to form as a liquid is cooled. |
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Term
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Definition
| A reef attached to the shore of a continent or island. |
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Term
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Definition
| the boundary between two air masses of different density. The density difference can be caused by differences in temperature and/or humidity. |
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Term
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Definition
| Precipitation and wind caused by the meeting of two air masses, associated with an extratropical cyclone. Generally, one air mass will slide over or under the other, and the resulting expansion of air will cause cooling and, consequently, rain or snow. |
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Term
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Definition
| Siliceous external cell wall of a diatom consisting of two interlocking valves fitted together like the halves of a box. |
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Term
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Definition
| a brown or tan accessory pigment found in many species of brown algae and some species of diatoms. |
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Term
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Definition
| The theoretical maximum height attainable by ocean waves given wind of a specific strength, duration, and fetch. Longer exposure to wind will not increase the size of the waves. |
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Term
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Definition
| A large rotating aggregation of stars, dust, gas, and other debris held together by gravity. |
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Term
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Definition
| In multicellular algae, an air-filled structure that assists in flotation. |
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Term
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Definition
| Simultaneous passage, through a semipermeable membrane, of oxygen into an animal and carbon dioxide out of it. |
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Term
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Definition
| the class of the phylum mollusca that includes snails and sea slugs. |
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Term
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Definition
| 0 degrees latitude, an imaginary line equidistant from the geographic poles. |
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Term
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Definition
| describing a gyre or current in balance between the Coriolis effect and gravity; literally, "turned by the Earth." |
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Term
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Definition
| A carbohydrate produced by autotrophs during photosynthesis. It can be used for energy or converted into other organic compounds |
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Term
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Definition
| the relatively light crustal rock composed mainly of oxygen, silicon, and aluminum - that forms the continents. Its density is about 2.7 g/cm^3 |
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Term
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Definition
| A sensitive device that measures variations in the pull of gravity at different places on the Earth's surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| A wave with wavelength greater than 1.73 centimeters whose restoring forces are gravity and momentum. |
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Term
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Definition
| Trapping of heat in the atmosphere. Incoming short-wavelength solar radiation penetrates the atmosphere, but the longer-wavelength outgoing radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases and reradiated to Earth, causing a rise in surface temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Gases in the Earth's atmosphere that cause the greenhouse effect; include carbon dioxide, methane, and CFCs. |
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Term
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Definition
| A short, artificial projection of durable material placed at a right angle to shore in an attempt to slow longshore transport of sand from a beach. Usually deployed in repeating units. |
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Term
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Definition
| Speed of advance of a wave trainl for deep-water waves, half the speed of individual waves within the group. |
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Term
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Definition
| the strong western boundary current of the North Atlantic, off the east coast of the Untied states. |
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Term
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Definition
| A flat-topped, submerged inactive volcano. |
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Term
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Definition
| Circuit of mid-latitude currents around the periphery of an ocean basin. Most oceanographers recognize five gyres plus the West Wind Drift. |
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Term
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Definition
| the place where an individual or population of a given species lives. |
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Term
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Definition
| the deepest zone of the ocean below a depth of 5000 meters. |
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Term
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Definition
| A london lawyer and philosopher who worked out of the overall scheme of wind circulation in an effort to explain the trade winds. |
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Term
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Definition
| The atmospheric circulation cell nearest the equator in each hemisphere. Air in these cells rises near the equator because of strong solar heating there and falls because of cooling at about 30 degrees latitude. |
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Term
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Definition
| the zone of the ocean in which salinity increasing rapidly with depth. |
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Term
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Definition
| British clockmaker who invented the modern chronometer in 1760. |
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Term
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Definition
| a form of energy produced by the random vibration of atoms or molecules. |
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Term
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Definition
| An expression of the total solar energy received on the Earth during some period of time and the total heat lost from the Earth by reflection and radiation into space through the same period. |
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Term
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Definition
| the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree celsius. |
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Term
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Definition
| Prince of Portugal who established a school for the study of geography, seamanship, shipbuilding, and navigation. |
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Term
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Definition
| Describing coral species possessing symbiotic zooxanthellae within their tissues and capable of secreting calcium carbonate at a rate suitable for reef production. |
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Term
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Definition
| an organism that derives nourishment from other organisms because it is unable to synthesize its own food molecules. |
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Term
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Definition
| grouping of objects by degrees of complexity, grade, or class. A hierarchical system of nomenclature is based on distinctions within groups and between groups. |
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Term
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Definition
| A coast exposed to large waves |
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Term
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Definition
| That part of the ocean past the exclusive economic zone, which is considered common property to be shared by the citizens of the world. About 60% of the ocean area. |
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Term
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Definition
| The high-water position corresponding to a tidal crest. |
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Term
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Definition
| a complex branching structure that anchors many kinds of multicellular algae to the substrate. |
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Term
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Definition
| permanent members of the plankton community. Examples are diatoms and copepods. |
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Term
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Definition
| the class of the phylum Echinodermata to which sea cucumbers belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| Zones of erratic horizontal surface air circulation near 30 degrees N and 30 degrees South latitudes. Over land, dry air falling from high altitudes produces deserts at these latitudes. |
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Term
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Definition
| A small stationary heat source in the Earth's mantle. Hot spots are not always located at a plate boundary. |
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Term
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Definition
| a large tropical cyclone in the North Atlantic or eastern Pacific, whose winds exceed 118 kilometers per hour. |
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Term
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Definition
| Relatively weak bond formed between a partially positive hydrogen atom and a partially negative oxygen, fluorine, or nitrogen atom of an adjacent molecule. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sediment formed directly by precipitation from seawater. |
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Term
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Definition
| the constant pressure of water around a submerged organism |
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Term
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Definition
| Spring of hot, mineral and gas-rich seawater found on some oceanic ridges in zones of active seafloor spreading. |
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Term
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Definition
| Referring to a solution having a higher concentration of dissolved substances than the solution that surrounds it. |
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Term
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Definition
| A speculation about the natural world that may be verified or disproved by observation and experiment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Referring to a solution having a lower concentration of dissolved substances than the solution that surrounds it. |
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Term
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Definition
| A graph of the area of the Earth's surface above any given elevation or depth above or below sea level. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the several periods of low temperature during the last million years. Glaciers and polar ice were derived from ocean water, lowering sea level at least 100 meters. |
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Term
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Definition
| Large mass of ice floating in the ocean that was formed on or adjacent to land. Tabular icebergs are tablelike or flat; pinnacled icebergs are castellated, or jagged. Southern icebergs are often tabular; northern icebergs are often pinnacled. |
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Term
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Definition
| Permanent cover of ice. Formally limited to ice atop land, but informally applied also to floating ice in the Arctic Ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| a mass of firm sea ice floating as a unit. |
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Term
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Definition
| A large, floating expanse of broken ice masses pressed and frozen together. |
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Term
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Definition
| A passage giving the ocean access to an enclosed lagoon, harbor, or bay. |
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Term
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Definition
| the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface per unit time. |
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Term
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Definition
| Addition or subtraction of wave energy as waves interact. |
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Term
| Intermediate-depth water wave |
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Definition
| A wave moving through water deeper than 1/30 but shallower than 1/2 its wavelength. |
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Term
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Definition
| A progressive wave occurring at the boundary between liquids of different densities. |
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Term
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Definition
| The marine zone between the highest high tide point on a shoreline and the lowest low tide point. The intertidal zone is sometimes subdivided into four separate habitats by height above tidal datum, typically numbered 1 to 4, land to sea. |
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Term
| Intertropical convergence zone |
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Definition
| The equatorial area at which the trade winds converge. The ITCZ usually lies at or near the meteorological equator. |
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Term
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Definition
| Animal lacking a backbone. |
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Term
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Definition
| an atom that becomes electrically charged by gaining or losing one or more electrons. |
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Term
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Definition
| A chemical bond resulting from attraction between oppositely charged ions. These forces are said to be "electrostatic" in nature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Fast moveing particles or high-energy electromagnetic radiation emitted as unstable atomic nuclei disintegrate. The radiation has enough energy to dislodge one or more electrons from atoms it hits to form charged ions, which can react with an damage living tissue. |
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Term
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Definition
| Curving chain of volcanic islands and seamounts almost always found paralleling the concave edge of a trench. |
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Term
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Definition
| Balanced support of lighter material in a heavier, displaced supporting matrix. Analogous to buoyancy in a liquid. |
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Term
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Definition
| Referring to a solution having the same concentration of dissolved substances as the solution that surrounds it. |
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Term
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Definition
| Informal name for any species of large phaeophyte. |
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Term
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Definition
| the largest category of biological classification. Five kingdoms are presently recognized. |
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Term
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Definition
| a speed of 1 nautical mile per hour. |
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Term
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Definition
| Euphausia superba, a thumb-sized crustacean common in Antarctic waters. |
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Term
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Definition
| A shallow body of seawater generally isolated from the ocean by a barrier island. Also the body of water enclosed within an atoll, or the water within a reverse estuary. |
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Term
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Definition
| movement of air offshore as marine air heats and rises. |
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Term
| latent heat of evaporation |
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Definition
| Heat added to a liquid during evaporation that produces a change in state but not a change in temperature. For pure water, 585 calories per gram at 20 degrees Celsius. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Heat removed from a liquid during freezing that produces a change in state but not a change in temperature. For pure water, 80 calories per gram at 0 degrees Celsius. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A system of sensors and nerves in the head and midbody of fishes and some amphibians that functions to detect low-frequency vibrations in water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Regularly spaced imaginary lines on the Earth's surface running parallel to the equator. |
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Term
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Definition
| a large construct explaining events in nature that have been observed to occur with unvarying uniformity under the same conditions. |
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Term
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Definition
| the greatest collection of writings in the ancient world, founded in the third century by Alexander the Great. Could be considered the first university. |
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Term
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Definition
| Electromagnetic radiation propagated as small, nearly massless particles that behave like both a wave and a stream of particles. |
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Term
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Definition
| A physical or biological environmental factor whose absence or presence in an inappropriate amount limits the normal actions of an organism. |
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Term
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Definition
| Carl von Linne. Swedish father of modern taxonomy. |
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Term
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Definition
| conversion of sediment into sedimentary rock by pressure or by the introduction of a mineral cement. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The brittle, relatively cool outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the oceanic and continental crust and the outermost, rigid layer of mantle. |
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Term
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Definition
| the band of coast alternately covered and uncovered by tidal action; the intertidal zone. |
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Term
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Definition
| regularly spaced imaginary lines on the Earth's surface running north and south and converging at the poles. |
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Term
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Definition
| A submerged or exposed line of sand lying parallel to shore and accumulated by wave action. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A current running parallel to shore in the surf zone, caused by the incomplete refraction of waves approaching the beach at an angle. |
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Term
|
Definition
| movement of sediments parallel to shore, driven by wave energy. |
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Term
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Definition
| submerged excavation parallel to shore adjacent to an exposed sandy beach. Caused by the turbulence of water returning to the ocean after each wave. |
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Term
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Definition
| A coast only rarely exposed to large waves. |
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Term
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Definition
| the low-water position corresponding to a tidal trough. |
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Term
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Definition
| the smooth, hard-packed beach seaward of the beach scarp on which waves expend most of their energy. Site of the most vigorous onshore and offshore movement of sand. |
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Term
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Definition
| tide caused by gravitational and inertial interaction of moon and Earth |
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Term
|
Definition
| Animal plankters larger than 1 to 2 centimeters. An example is the jellyfish |
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Term
|
Definition
| Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the Earth 1519-22. He was killed in the Philippines. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Molten rock capable of fluid flow. called lava aboveground. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a device that measures the amount and direction of residual magnetism in a rock sample. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a device that measures the amount and direction of residual magnetism in a rock sample. |
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Term
|
Definition
|
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Term
|
Definition
| large flowering shrub or tree that grows in dense thickets or forest along muddy or silty tropical coasts. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The layer of the Earth between the crust and the core, compsoed of silicates of iron and magnesium. The mantle has an average density of about 4.5 g/cm^3 and accounts for about 68% of the Earth's mass. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A representation of the Earth's surface, usually depicting mostly land areas. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The farming of marine organisms, usually in estuaries, bays, or near shore environments or in specially designed structures using circulating seawater |
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Term
|
Definition
| Any resource resulting from the direct extraction of energy from the heat or movement of ocean water. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The introduction by humans of substances or energy into the ocean that change the quality of the water or affect the physical and biological environment. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The process of applying the scientific method to the ocean, its surroundings, and the life forms within it. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A measure of the quantity of matter |
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Term
|
Definition
| "Father" of physical oceanography. Probably the first person to undertake the systematic study of the ocean as a full-time occupation, and probably the first to understand the global interlocking of currents, wind flow, and weather. |
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Term
| Maximum sustainable yield |
|
Definition
| The maximum amount of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks that can be caught without impairing future populations. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the height of the ocean surface averaged over a few years' time. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Free-swimming body form of many members of the phylum Cnidaria. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A complex structure of proteins and lipids that forms boundaries around and within the cell. IT is usually semipermeable, allowing some kinds of molecules to pass through but not others. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Temporary members of the plankton community. Examples are very young fishes and barnacle larvae. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The middle layer of cells in a developing embryo. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The rigid inner mantle, similar in chemical composition to the asthenosphere. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The rate at which energy-releasing reactions proceed within an organism. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Segmentation; repeating body parts. |
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Term
|
Definition
| German Atlantic expedition begun in 1925; the first to use an echo sounder and other modern optical and electronic instrumentation. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Also called the thermal equator. The irregular imaginary line of thermal equilibrium between hemispheres. It is situated about 5 degrees north of the geographical equator, and its position changes with the seasons, moving slightly north in northern summer. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A tide influenced by the weather. Arrival of storm surge will alter the estimate of a tide's height of arrival times as will a strong, steady onshore or offshore wind. |
|
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Term
|
Definition
| The name of our galaxy. Sometimes applied to the field of stars in our home spiral arm, which is correctly called the Orion arm. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A complex tidal cycle, usually with two high tides and two low tides of unequal height per day. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A close intermingling of different substances that still retain separate identities. The properties of a mixture are heterogeneous; they may vary within the mixture. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A group of atoms held together by chemical bonds. The smallest unit of a compound that retains the characteristics of the compound. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The phylum of animals that includes chitons, snails, clams, and octupuses. |
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Term
|
Definition
| to shed an external covering. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A pattern of wind circulation that changes with the season., Also, the rainy season in areas with monsoon wind patterns. |
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Term
|
Definition
|
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Term
|
Definition
| consisting of more than one cell. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Algae with bodies consisting of more than one cell. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A heritable change in an organism's genes. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A symbiotic interaction between two species that is beneficial to both. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The suborder of baleen whales. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Very small members of the plankton community. Examples are coccolithophores and silicoflagellates. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A water-sampling instrument perfected early in this century by the Norwegian scientist and explorer Fridtjof Nansen. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A mechanism of evolution that results in the continuation of only those forms of life best adapted to survive and reproduce in their environment. |
|
|
Term
| natural system of classification |
|
Definition
| A method of classifying an organism based on its ancestry or origin. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A chart used for marine navigation. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The length of 1 minute of latitude, 6,076 feet, 1.15 statute miles. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The time of smallest variation between high and low tides occurring when Earth, moon, and sun align at right angles. Neap tides alternate with spring tides, occurring at two-week intervals. |
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Term
|
Definition
| diffuse cloud of dust and gas |
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Term
|
Definition
| The phylum of animals to which roundworms belong. |
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Term
|
Definition
| of the shore or coast. Refers to continental margins and the water covering them, or to nearshore organisms. |
|
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Term
|
Definition
| The zone of open water near shore, over the continental shelf. |
|
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Term
|
Definition
| Description of an organism's functional role in a habitat. Its "job." |
|
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Term
|
Definition
| The line or point of no wave action in a standing pattern. |
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Term
|
Definition
| solid mass of hydrogenous sediment, most commonly manganese or ferromanganese nodules and phosphorite nodules. |
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Term
| nonconservative constituent |
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Definition
| An element whose proportion in seawater varies with time and place, depending on biological demand or chemical reactivity. An element with a short residence time. For example, iron, aluminum, silicon, trace nutrients, dissolved, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. |
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Term
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Definition
| A compound or ion needed by autotrophs for primary productivity and which changes in concentration with biological activity. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any resource that is present on Earth in fixed amounts and cannot be replenished. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plant having no obvious vessels for the transport of fluid and lacking leaves, stems, and roots, Examples are Algae. |
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Term
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Definition
| An energetic extratropical cyclone that sweeps the eastern seaboard of North America in winter. |
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Term
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Definition
| Stiffening structure found at some time in the life cycle of all members of the phylum Chordata. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any needed substance that an organism obtains from its environment except oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water. |
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Term
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Definition
| 1) the great body of saline water that covers 70.78% of the surface of the Earth. 2) One of its primary subdivisions, bounded by continents, the equator, and other imaginary lines. |
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Term
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Definition
| Deep-ocean floor made of basaltic crust. |
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Term
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Definition
| The outermost solid surface of the Earth beneath ocean floor sediments, composed primarily of basalt. |
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Term
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Definition
| Young seabed at the active spreading center of an ocean, often unmasked by sediment, bulging above the abyssal plain. The boundary between diverging plates. Often called a mid-ocean ridge, though less than 60% of the length exists at mid-ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| The zone of open water away from shore, past the continental shelf. |
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Term
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Definition
| the science of the ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| Latin form of okeanos, the Greek name for the "ocean river" past Gibraltar. |
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Term
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Definition
| the suborder of toothed whales |
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Term
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Definition
| Hydrogenous sediment formed when calcium carbonate precipitates from warmed seawater as pH rises, forming rounded grains around a shell fragment or other particle. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sediment of at least 30% biological origin. |
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Term
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Definition
| The class of the phylum Echinodermata to which brittle stars belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| In ocean waves, the circular pattern of water particle movement at the air-sea interface. Orbital motion contrasts with the side-to-side or back-and-forth motion of pure transverse or longitudinal waves. |
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Term
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Definition
| The 23 degree 27 minute tilt of the Earth's rotational axis relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun. |
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Term
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Definition
| A progressive wave in which particles of the medium move in closed circles. |
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Term
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Definition
| the ability to adjust internal salt concentration. |
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Term
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Definition
| the diffusion of water from a region of high water concentration to a region of lower water concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. |
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Term
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Definition
| The class of fishes with bony skeletons. |
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Term
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Definition
| The volcanic venting of volatile substances. |
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Term
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Definition
| Harvesting so many fish that there is not enough breeding stock left to replenish the species. |
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Term
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Definition
| A zone in which oxygen is depleted by animals and not replaced by phytoplankton. |
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Term
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Definition
| The time span, from about 2 billion to 400 million years ago, during which photosynthetic autotrophs changed the composition of the Earth's atmosphere to its current oxygen-rich mixture. |
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Term
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Definition
| O3, the triatomic form of oxygen. Ozone in the upper atmosphere protects living things from some of the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet radiation. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A diffuse layer of ozone mixed with other gases surrounding the world at a height of about 20 to 40 kilometers. |
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Term
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Definition
| Primary wave. A compressional wave associated with an earthquake and which can move through both liquid and rock. |
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Term
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Definition
| The zone of seismic and volcanic activity that encircles the Pacific Ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| the "fossil," or remanent, magnetic field of a rock. |
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Term
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Definition
| Name given my Alread Wegener to the original "protocontinent." The breakup of pangaea gave rise to the Atlantic Ocean and to the continents we see today. |
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Term
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Definition
| Name given by Alfred Wegener to the ocean surrounding Pangaea. |
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Term
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Definition
| A symbiotic relationship in which one species spends part or all of its life cycle on or within another, using the host species as a source of nutrients. The most common form of symbiosis. |
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Term
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Definition
| An estuary in which an influx of seawater occurs beneath a surface layer of fresh water flowing seaward. Mixing occurs along the junction. |
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Term
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Definition
| Continental margin near an area of lithospheric plate divergence. Also called atlantic-type margin. |
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Term
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Definition
| A device that detects the intensity and direction of underwater sounds. |
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Term
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Definition
| Of the open ocean. Refers to the water above the deep-ocean basins, sediments o oceanic origin, or organisms of the open ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Numerically, the negative logarithm of the concentration of hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution. a pH of 7 is neutral; lower numbers indicate acidity, and higher numbers indicate alkalinity. |
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Term
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Definition
| Brown multicellular algae, including kelps. |
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Term
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Definition
| The thin film of lighted water at the top of the world ocean. The photic zone rarely extends deeper than 200 meters. |
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Term
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Definition
| the smallest unit of light energy. |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which autotrophs bind light energy into the chemical bonds of food with the aid of chlorophyll and other substances. The process uses carbon dioxide and water as raw materials and yields glucose and oxygen. |
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Term
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Definition
| A reddish accessory pigment found in red algae |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the major groups of the animal kingdom whose members share a similar body plan, level of complexity, and evolutionary history. |
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Term
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Definition
| An aspect of the physical environment that affects living organisms, such as light, salinity, or temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any resource that has resulted from the deposition, precipitation, or accumulation of a useful nonliving substance in the ocean or seabed. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plantlike, usually single-celled members of the plankton community. |
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Term
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Definition
| The carnivoran suborder that contains the seals, sea lions, and walruses. |
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Term
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Definition
| A seabed-sampling device capable of punching through up to 25 meters of sediment and returning an intact plug of material. |
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Term
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Definition
| A smaller, usually nonluminous body orbiting a star. |
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Term
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Definition
| Informal name for a member of the plankton community. |
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Term
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Definition
| Drifting or weakly swimming organisms suspended in water. Their horizontal position is to a large extent dependent on the mass flow of water rather than on their own swimming efforts. |
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Term
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Definition
| A sudden increase in the number of phytoplankton cells in a volume of water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Conical net of fine nylon or dacron fabric used to collect plankton. |
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Term
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Definition
| The kingdom to which multicellular autotrophs belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of about a dozen rigid segments of the Earth's lithosphere that move independently. The plate consists of continental or oceanic crust and the cool, rigid upper mantle directly below the crust. |
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Term
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Definition
| the theory that the Earth's lithosphere is fractured into plates, which move relative to each other and are driven by convection currents in the mantle. Most volcanic and seismic activity occurs at plate margins. |
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Term
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Definition
| The phylum of animals to which flatworms belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| Breaking wave in which the upper section topples forward and away from the bottom, forming an air-filled tube. |
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Term
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Definition
| The atmospheric circulation cell centered over each pole. |
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Term
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Definition
| Boundary between the polar cell and the Ferrel cell in each hemisphere. |
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Term
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Definition
| A molecule with unbalanced charge. One end of the molecule has a slight negative charge, and the other end has a slight positive charge. |
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Term
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Definition
| Zones to the south of the Antarctic Convergence and to the north of the Arctic Convergence. |
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Term
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Definition
| Earth's cold area poleward of either the Arctic or Antarctic Circle. |
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Term
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Definition
| A substance that causes damage by interfering directly or indirectly with an organism's biochemical processes. |
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Term
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Definition
| The largest and most diverse class of phylum Annelida. Nearly all polychaetes are marine. |
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Term
| polychlorinated Biphenyls |
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Definition
| Chlorinated hydrocarbons once widely used to cool and insulate electrical devices and to strengthen wood or concrete. PCBs may be responsible for the changes and declining fertility of some marine mammals. |
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Term
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Definition
| A large group of Pacific islands lying east of Melanesia and Micronesia and extending from the Hawaiian Islands south to New Zealand and east to Easter Island. |
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Term
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Definition
| A gap in polar pack ice at which liquid water contacts the atmosphere. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the two body forms of Cnidaria. Polyps and cup-shaped and possess rings of tentacles. Coral animals are polyps. |
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Term
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Definition
| The class of the phylum Mollusca that includes the Chitons. |
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Term
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Definition
| A sediment in which particles of many sizes are found. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of individual of the same species occupying the same area. |
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Term
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Definition
| The number of individuals per unit area. |
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Term
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Definition
| The phylum of animals to which sponges belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| Water suitable for drinking. |
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Term
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Definition
| (1) a solid substance formed in an aqueous reaction. (2) the process by which a solute forms in and falls from a solution. The falling of water or ice from the atmosphere. |
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Term
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Definition
| Liquid or solid water that falls from the air and reaches the surface as rain, hail, or snowfall. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| An organism consumed by a predator. |
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Term
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Definition
| Coasts on which terrestrial influences dominate. |
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Term
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Definition
| Initial consumer of primary producers. The consumers of autotrophs; the second level in food webs. |
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Term
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Definition
| The forces that induce and maintain water flow in ocean current systems: thermal expansion, wind friction, and density differences. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organism capable of using energy from light or energy-rich chemicals in the environment to produce energy-rich organic compounds. An autotroph. |
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Term
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Definition
| The synthesis of organic materials from inorganic substances by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Expressed in grams of carbon bound into carbohydrate per unit area per unit time. |
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Term
| principle of constant proportions |
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Definition
| The proportions of major conservative elements in seawater remain nearly constant, though total salinity may change with location. |
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Term
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Definition
| A wave of moving energy in which the wave form moves in one direction along the surface of the transmission medium. |
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Term
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Definition
| The kingdom of single-celled nucleated organisms to which protozoa, diatoms, and dinoflagellates belong. Also called Protoctista. |
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Term
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Definition
| A positively charged particle at the center of an atom. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tightly condensed knot of material that has not yet attained fusion temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Multiphyletic animal group within the kingdom Protista. Protozoa include amoebas, paramecia, foraminiferans, and radiolarians. |
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Term
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Definition
| Small planktonic mollusk with a calcareous shell, which contributes to biogenous sediments. |
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Term
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Definition
| The middle zone of the ocean in which density increases rapidly with depth. Temperature falls and salinity rises in this zone. |
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Term
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Definition
| Body structure in which the body parts radiate from a central axis like spokes from a wheel. |
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Term
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Definition
| The disintegration of unstable forms of elements, which releases subatomic particles and heat. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of a group of usuaally planktonic amoeba-like animals with a siliceous shell, which contributes to biogenous sediments. |
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Term
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Definition
| A technique using the constant rate at which naturally radioactive elements decay to determine the age of a material containing those elements. |
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Term
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Definition
| Distribution of organisms within a community whereby the position of one organism is in no way influenced by the positions of other organisms or by physical variations within that community. A very rare distribution pattern. |
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Term
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Definition
| A hazard to navigation. A shoal, a shallow area, or a mass of fish or other marine life. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bending of light or sound waves as they move at an angle other than 90 degrees between media of different optical or acoustical densities. |
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Term
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Definition
| The degree of refraction from one medium to another expressed as a ratio. The higher the ratio, the greater the bending of waves between media. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A compact optical device that determines the salinity of a water sample by comparing the refractive index of the sample to the refractive index of water of known salinity. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Any resource that is naturally replaced on a seasonal basis by the growth of living organisms or by other natural processes. |
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Term
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Definition
| The class of reptiles, including turtles, crocodiles, iguanas, and snakes. |
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Term
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Definition
| The average length of a time a dissolved substance spends in the ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| Release of stored energy from chemical bonds in food; carbon dioxide and water are formed as by-products. |
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Term
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Definition
| The dominant force trying to return water to flatness after formation of a wave. |
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Term
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Definition
| An estuary along an arid coast in which salinity increases from the ocean to estuary's upper reaches because of evaporation of seawater and a lack of freshwater input. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
|
Definition
| A logarithmic measure of earthquake magnitude. A great earthquake measures above 8 on the Richter scale. |
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Term
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Definition
| A strong, narrow surface current that flows seaward through the surf zone and is caused by the escape of excess water that has piled up in a longshore trough. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A single wave crest much higher than usual, caused by constructive interference. |
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Term
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Definition
| Secondary wave. A transverse wave associated with an earthquake and which cannot move through liquid. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A measure of the dissolved solids in seawater, usually expressed in grams per kilogram or parts per thousand by weight. Standard seawater has a salinity of 35% |
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Term
|
Definition
| An electronic device that determines salinity by measuring the electrical conductivity of a seawater sample. |
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Term
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Definition
| Specialized tissue responsible for concentration and excretion of excess salt from blood and other body fluids. |
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Term
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Definition
| An estuary in which rapid river flow and small tidal range cause an inclined wedge of seawater to form at the mouth. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sediment particle between 0.062 and 2 millimeters in diameter. |
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Term
|
Definition
| An accumulation of sand and gravel deposited downcurrent from a headland. Sand spits often have a curl at the tips. |
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Term
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Definition
| State of a solution in which no more of the solute will dissolve in the solvent. the rate at which molecules of the solute are being dissolved equals the rate at which they are being precipitated from the solution. |
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Term
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Definition
| the dispersion of sound or light waves when they strike particles suspended in water or air. The amount of scatter depends on the number, size, and composition of the particles. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tendency of small fish of a single species, size, and age to mass in groups. the school moves as a unit, which confuses predators and reduces the effort spent searching for mates. |
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Term
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Definition
| A systematic way of asking questions about the natural world and testing the answers to those questions. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the orderly process by which theories explaining the operation of the natural world are verified or rejected. |
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Term
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Definition
| The genus and species name of an organism. |
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Term
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Definition
| Simultaneous wind waves of many wavelengths forming a chaotic ocean surface. Sea is common in an area of wind wave origin. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Onshore movement of air as inland air heats and rises. |
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Term
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Definition
| A cave near sea level in a sea cliff cut by processes of marine erosion. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Cliff marking the landward limit of marine erosion on an erosional coast. |
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Term
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Definition
| The theory that new ocean crust forms at spreading centers, msot of which are on the ocean floor, and pushes the continents aside. Power is thought to be provided by convection currents in the Earth's upper mantle. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any of several marine angiosperms. sea grasses are not seaweeds. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Ice formed byt he freezing of seawater. |
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Term
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Definition
| Island whose central core was connected to the mainland when sea level was lower. Rising ocean separates these high points from land, and sedimentary processes surround them with beaches. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the height of the ocean surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| circular or elliptical projection from the seafloor, more than 1 kilometer in height, with a relatively steep slope. |
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Term
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Definition
| First satellite dedicated to oceanic research, launched in 1978. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Informal term for large marine multicellular algae. |
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Term
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Definition
| Coasts dominated by marine processes. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Consumer of primary consumers. |
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Term
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Definition
| The forces that influence the direction and nature of water flow in ocean current systems: the Coriolis effect, gravity, friction, and the shape of ocean basins. |
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Term
| Second law of thermodynamics |
|
Definition
| Disorder in a closed system must increase over time. If disorder decreases, it does so at the expense of energy. Since the universe as a whole may be considered a closed system, it follows than an increase in order in one part must result in a decrease in order in another. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Loose particles of inorganic or organic origin that accumulate on th seabed. Usually sand- or dust sized, but occasionally as large as gravel, pebbles, or even boulders. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Pendulum-like rocking of water in an enclosed area; a form of standing wave that can be caused by meteorological or seismic forces, or that may result from normal resonances excited by tides. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Referring to earthquakes and the shock of earthquakes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tsunami caused by displacement of the Earth alone a fault. |
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Term
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Definition
| A low-frequency wave generaated by the forces that cause earthquakes. Some kinds of seismic waves can pass through the earth. |
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Term
|
Definition
| An instrument that detects and records Earth movement associated with earthquakes and other disturbances. |
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Term
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Definition
| A tidal cycle of two high tides and two low tides each lunar day; with the high tides of nearly equal height. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Heat whose gain or loss is detectable by a thermometer or other sensor. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Attached. Nonmotile. Unable to move about. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Semisolid mixture of organism matter, microorganisms, toxic metals, and synthetic organic chemicals removed from wastewater at a sewage treatment plant. |
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Term
|
Definition
| (1)The wide band at the Earth's surface 105 - 143 degrees away from an earthquake in which seismic waves are nearly absent. P waves are absent because they are refracted by the Earth's liquid outer core; S waves are absent from this band and that zone immediately opposite the earthquake site because they are absorbed by the outer core. (2) In sonar, the volume of ocean from which sound waves diverge and in which a submarine may hide. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A wave in water shallower than 1/20 its wavelength. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The abrupt increase in slope at the junction between continental shelf and continental slope. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The place where ocean meets land. On nautical charts, the limit of high tides. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A high-resolution sound-imaging system used for geological investigations, archeological studies, and the location of sunken ships and airplanes. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Ooze composed mostly of the hard remains of silica-containing organisms. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A tiny single-celled phytoplankter with a siliceous skeleton. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Sediment particle between 0.004 and 0.062 millimeter in diameter. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The order of mammals that includes manatees, dugongs, and the extinct sea cows. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Sound fixing and ranging. An experimental U.S. Navy technique for locating survivors on life rafts, based on the fact that sound from explosive charges dropped into the layer of minimum sound velocity can be heard for great distances. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Layer of minimum sound velocity in which sound transmission is unusually efficient. Sounds leaving this depth tend to be refracted back into it. The sofar layer usually occurs at mid-latitude depths around 1,200 meters. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The diffuse cloud of dust and gas from which the solar system originated |
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Term
|
Definition
| The sun together with the planets and other bodies that revolve around it. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Tide caused by the gravitational and inertial interaction of the sun and Earth |
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Term
|
Definition
| One of two times of the year when the overhead position of the sun is farthest from the equator. The time of the solstice is midway between equinoxes. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A substance dissolved in a solvent. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A homogeneous substance made of two components, the solvent and the solute. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A substance able to dissolve other substances. |
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Term
|
Definition
| sound navigation and ranging |
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Term
|
Definition
| A form of energy transmitted by rapid pressure changes in an elastic medium. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Measurement of the depth of a body of water. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A reversal of airflow between normally low atmospheric pressure over the western Pacific and normally high pressure over the eastern Pacific. The cause of El nino. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The formation of new species. Charles darwin suggested that this is accomplished through isolation and natural selection |
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Term
|
Definition
| The formation of new species. Charles darwin suggested that this is accomplished through isolation and natural selection |
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Term
|
Definition
| Any group of actuually or potentially interbreeding organisms reproductively isolated from all other groups and capable of producing fertile offspring. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Number of different species in a given area. |
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|
Term
| species-specific relationship |
|
Definition
| An exclusive relationship between two species. Parasites are usually species=specific; that is, they can usually parasitize only one species of host. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A breaking wave whose crest slides down the face of the wave. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The junction between converging plates at which new ocean floor is being made. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The time of greatest variation between high and low tides occurring when Earth, moon, and sun form a straight line. Spring tides alternate with neap tides throughout the year, occurring at two-week intervals. |
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Term
|
Definition
| A wave in which water oscillates without causing progressive wave forward movement. There is no net transmission of energy in a standing wave.l |
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Term
|
Definition
| A massive sphere of incandescent gases powered by the conversion of hydrogen to helium and other heavier elements. |
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Term
|
Definition
| An expression of the internal form of matter. Water exists in three states: solid, liquid, and gas. A solid has a fixed volume and fixed shape; a liquid has a fixed volume but no fixed shape; a gas has neither fixed volume nor fixed shape. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Describing an organism unable to tolerate a wide range in salinity. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Describing an organism unable to tolerate wide variance in temperature. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Multicellular algal equivalent of a vascular plant's stem. |
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Term
|
Definition
| Local or regional atmospheric disturbance characterized by strong winds often accompanied by precipitation. |
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Term
|
Definition
| An unusual rise in sea level as a result of the low atmospheric pressure and strong winds associated with a tropical cyclone. Onrushing seawater precedes landfall of the tropical cyclone and causes most of the damage to life and property. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The branch of geology that deals with the definition and description of natural divisions of rocks. Specifically, the analysis of relationships of rock strata. |
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Term
|
Definition
| The downward movement into the asthenosphere of a lithospheric plate. |
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Term
|
Definition
| An area at which a lithospheric plate is descending into the asthenosphere. The zone is characterized by linear folds in the ocean floor and strong deep-focus earthquakes. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the ocean floor near shore. The inner sublittoral extends from the littoral zone to the depth at which wind waves have no influence; the outer sublittoral extends tot he edge of the continental shelf. |
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Term
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Definition
| A deep, V-shaped valley running roughly perpendicular to the shoreline and cutting across the edge of the continental shelf and slope. |
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Definition
| Sinking, often of tectonic origin. |
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Term
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Definition
| Convergence zone marking the boundary between central water and either Subarctic or subantarctic surface water. The northern subtropical convergence lies at about 45 degrees north in the Pacific and 60 degrees north in the Atlantic; the southern subtropical Convergence lies at 40 degrees to 50 degrees South. |
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Definition
| The changes in species composition that lead to a climax community. |
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Definition
| The explosive collapse of a massive star. |
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Definition
| The splash zone above the highest high tide; not technically part of the ocean bottom. |
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Definition
| The confused mass of agitated water rushing shoreward during and after a wind wave breaks. |
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Term
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Definition
| Horizontal flow of water at the ocean's surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| The upper layer of ocean in which temperature and salinity are relatively constant with depth. Depending on local conditions, the surface zone may reach to 1000 meters or be absent entirely. |
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Term
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Definition
| A physical constraint on the size of cells. As a cell's linear dimensions grow, its surface area does not increase at the same rate as its volume. As surface-to-volume ratio falls, each square unit of outer membrane must serve an increasing interior volume. |
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Definition
| The pattern of constructive and destructive interference that causes successive breaking waves to grow, shrink, and grow again over a few minutes' time. |
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Definition
| The region between the breaking waves and the shore. |
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Definition
| A wave that surges ashore without breaking. |
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Term
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Definition
| An animal that feeds by straining or otherwise collecting plankton and tiny food particles from the surrounding water. |
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Definition
| A unit of volume transport named in honor of oceanographer Harald U. Sverdrup: 1 million cubic meters of water flowing past a fixed point each second. |
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Definition
| Water from waves washing onto a beach. |
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Term
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Definition
| Mature wind waves of one wavelength that form orderly undulations of the ocean surface |
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Term
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Definition
| A gas-filled organ that assists in maintaining neutral buoyancy in some bony fishes. |
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Term
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Definition
| the co-occurrence of two species in which the life of one is closely interwoven with the life of the other; mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism |
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Term
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Definition
| simultaneous sampling at many locations. |
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Term
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Definition
| In biology, the laws and principles covering the classification of organisms. |
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Term
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Definition
| A small, rounded glassy component of cosmogenous sediments, usually less than 1.5 millimeters in length. Thought to have formed from the impact of an asteroid or meteor on the crust of Earth or moon. |
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Definition
| The osteichthyan order that contains the cod, tuna, halibut, perch, and other species of bony fishes. |
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Definition
| The mid-latitude area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle and between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle. |
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Definition
| The response of a solid, liquid, or gas to the input or removal of heat energy. A measure of the atomic and molecular vibration in a substance, indicated in degrees. |
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Term
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Definition
| A graph showing the relationship of temperature and salinity with depth. |
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Definition
| An isolated segment of seafloor, island arc, plateau, continental crust, or sediment transported by seafloor spreading to a position adjacent to a larger continental mass. Usually different in composition from the larger mass. |
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Definition
| Sediment derived from the land and transported to the ocean by wind and flowing water. |
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Definition
| Waters extending 12 miles from shore and in which a nation has the right to jurisdiction. |
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Term
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Definition
| the body of an alga or other simple plant. |
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Term
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Definition
| A general explanation of a characteristic of nature consistently supported by observation or experiment. |
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Term
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Definition
| The condition in which the total heat coming into a system is balanced by the total heat leaving the system. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tendency of a substance to resist change in temperature with the gain or loss of heat energy. |
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Term
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Definition
| the zone of the ocean in which temperature decreases rapidly with depth. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tendency of a substance to resist change in temperature with the gain or loss of heat energy. |
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Term
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Definition
| The zone of the ocean in which temperature decreases rapidly with depth. |
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Term
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Definition
| Water circulation produced by differences in temperature and/or salinity |
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Term
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Definition
| A property of water that acts to moderate changes in temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| A property of water that acts to moderate changes in temperature. |
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Definition
| A high, often breaking wave generated by a tide crest that advances rapidly up an estuary or river. |
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Definition
| Mass flow of water induced by the raising or lowering of sea level owing to passage of tidal crests or troughs. |
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Term
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Definition
| Mass flow of water induced by the raising or lowering of sea level owing to passage of tidal crests or troughs. |
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Term
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Definition
| The reference level from which tidal height is measured. |
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Term
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Definition
| The difference in height between consecutive high and low tides. |
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Term
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Definition
| the crest of the wave causing tides. Another name for a tidal bore. Not a tsunami or seismic sea wave. |
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Term
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Definition
| Periodic short-term change in the height of the ocean surface at a particular place, generated by long-wavelength progressive waves which are caused by the interaction of gravitational force and inertia. Movement of the Earth beneath tide crests results in the rhythmic rising and falling of sea level. |
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Term
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Definition
| Above-water bridge of sand connecting an offshore feature to the mainland. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organism at the apex of a trophic pyramid, usually a carnivore. |
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Term
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Definition
| localized, narrow, violent funnel of fast-spinning wind, usually generated when two air masses collide. Not to be confused with a cyclone. |
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Term
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Definition
| A minor constituent of seawater present in amounts less than 1 part per million. |
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Term
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Definition
| Surface winds within the hadley cells, centered at about 15 degrees latitude, which approach from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere. |
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Term
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Definition
| A plane along which rock masses slide horizontally past one another. |
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Term
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Definition
| Places where crustal plates shear laterally past one another. Crust is neither produced nor destroyed at this type of junction. |
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Term
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Definition
| East to west or west to east current linking the eastern and western boundary currents. An example is the North equatorial Current. |
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Term
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Definition
| An arc-shaped depression in the deep-ocean floor with very steep sides and a flat sediment-filled bottom coinciding with a subduction zone. Most trenches occur in the Pacific. |
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Term
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Definition
| A feeding step within a trophic pyramid |
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Term
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Definition
| A model of feeding relationships between organisms. Primary producers form the base of the pyramid; consumers eating one another form the higher levels, with the top consumer at the apex. |
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Term
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Definition
| A weather system of low atmospheric pressure around which winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Originates in the tropics within a single air mass, but may move into temperate waters if water temperature is high enough to sustain it. Small tropical cyclones are called tropical depressions, larger ones tropical storms, and great ones hurricanes, typhoons, or willy-willies, depending on location. |
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Term
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Definition
| Warm central zone of the ocean equatorward of the subtropical convergences where surface temperature is nearly always above 20 celsius. |
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Term
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Definition
| The imaginary line around the Earth, parallel to the equator at 23 degrees 27 seconds north, marking the point where the sun shines directly overheard at the June solstice. |
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Term
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Definition
| The imaginary line around the Earth, parallel to the equator at 23 degrees 27 minutes South, marking the point where the sun shines directly overhead at the December solstice. |
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Term
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Definition
| The area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. |
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Term
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Definition
| Long-wavelength shallow-water wave caused by rapid displacement of water. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of suspension-feeding invertebrate chordate. |
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Term
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Definition
| A terrigenous sediment deposited by a turbidity current; typically, coarse-grained layers of nearshore origin interleaved with finer sediments. |
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Term
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Definition
| An underwater "avalanche" of abrasive sediments thought responsible for the deep sculpturing of submarine canyons and a means of transport for sediments accumulating on abyssal plains. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Extremely small plankton, smaller than nanoplankton. |
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Term
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Definition
| A current flowing beneath a surface current, usually in the opposite direction. |
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Term
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Definition
| Consisting of a single cell. |
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Term
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Definition
| Algae with bodies consisting of a single cell. Examples are diatoms and dinoflagellates. |
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Term
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Definition
| Distribution of organisms within a community characterized by equal space between individuals. The rarest natural distribution pattern. |
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Term
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Definition
| The theory that all of Earth's geological features and history can be explained by processes occurring today and these processes must have been at work for a very long time. |
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Term
| United States exclusive economic zone |
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Definition
| The region extending seaward from the coast of the United States for 200 nautical miles, within which the United States claims sovereign rights and jurisdiction over all marine resources. |
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Term
| United States Exploring Expedition |
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Definition
| The first U.S. oceanographic research voyage launched in 1838. |
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Term
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Definition
| Circulation pattern in which deep, cold, usually nutrient-laden water moves toward the surface. Upwelling can be caused by winds blowing parallel to shore or offshore. |
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Term
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Definition
| In diatoms, each half of the protective silica-rich outer portion of the cell. The complete outer covering is called the frustule. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plant having vessels for transport of fluid through leaves, stems, and roots. Examples are sea grasses, mangroves, and maple trees. |
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Term
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Definition
| Speed in a specified direction. |
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Term
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Definition
| The subphylum of the phylum Chordata that includes animals with segmented backbones. |
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Term
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Definition
| A chordate with a segmented backbone. |
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Term
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Definition
| Seafaring Scandinavian raiders who ravaged the coasts of Europe around AD 780-1070. |
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Term
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Definition
| Resistance to fluid flow. A measure of the internal friction in fluids. |
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Term
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Definition
| Traveling with a specific purpose. |
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Term
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Definition
| A body of water identifiable by its salinity and temperature by its gas content or another indicator. |
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Term
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Definition
| The gaseous, invisible form of water. |
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Term
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Definition
| System of water-filled tubes and canals found in some representatives of the phylum Echinodermata and used for movement, defense, and feeding. |
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Term
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Definition
| Disturbance caused by the movement of energy through a medium. |
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Term
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Definition
| Highest part of a progressive wave above average water level. |
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Term
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Definition
| The smooth, level terrace sometimes found on erosional coasts that marks the submerged limit of rapid marine erosion. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bending of waves around obstacles. |
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Term
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Definition
| the number of waves passing a fixed point per second. |
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Term
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Definition
| Vertical distance between a wave crest and the adjacent wave troughs. |
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Term
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Definition
| The horizontal distance between two successive wave crests in a progressive wave. |
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Term
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Definition
| Time for successive wave crests to pass a fixed point. |
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Term
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Definition
| The reflection of progressive waves by a vertical barrier. Reflection occurs with little loss of energy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Slowing and bending of progressive waves in shallow water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Physical movement, often sudden, violent, and of great force, caused by the crash of a wave against an organism. |
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Term
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Definition
| Height-to-wavelength ratio of a wave. The theoretical maximum steepness of deep-water waves is 1:7 |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of waves of similar wavelength and period moving in the same direction across the ocean surface. The group velocity of a wave train is half the velocity of the individual waves. |
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Term
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Definition
| The valley between wave crests below the average water level in a progressive wave. |
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Term
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Definition
| The state of the atmosphere at a specific place and time. |
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Term
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Definition
| German scientist who proposed the theory of continental drift in 1912. |
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Term
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Definition
| An estuary in which slow river flow and tidal turbulence mix fresh and salt water in a regular pattern through most of its length |
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Term
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Definition
| A sediment in which particles are of uniform size |
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Term
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Definition
| Surface winds within the Ferrel cells, centered around 45 degrees latitude, which approach from the southwest in the North Hemisphere and from the northwest in the southern Hemisphere. |
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Term
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Definition
| strong, warm, concentrated, fast-moving current at the western boundary of an ocean. Examples include the Gulf Stream and the Japan. |
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Term
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Definition
| The increase in speed of geostrophic currents as they pass along with western boundary of an ocean basin. |
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Term
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Definition
| The increase in speed of geostrophic currents as they pass along with western boundary of an ocean basin. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Antarctic Circumpolar Current, driven by powerful westerly winds north of Antarctica. The largest of all ocean currents, it continues permanently eastward without changing direction. |
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Term
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Definition
| Canadian geophysicist who proposed the theory of plate tectonics in 1965. |
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Term
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Definition
| the mass movement of air. |
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Term
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Definition
| The length of time the wind blows over the ocean surface, a factor in wind wave development. |
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Term
| wind-induced vertical circulation |
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Definition
| Vertical movement in surface water caused by wind. |
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Term
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Definition
| Average speed of the wind, a factor in wind wave development. |
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Term
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Definition
| Gravity wave formed by transfer of wind energy into water. Wavelengths from 60 to 150 meters are most common in the open ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| The great body of saline water that covers 70.78% of the Earth's surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| A yellow or brown accessory pigment that gives some marine autotrophs a yellow or tan appearance. |
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Term
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Definition
| division or province of the ocean with homogeneous characteristics. |
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Term
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Definition
| Animal members of the plankton community. |
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Term
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Definition
| Unicellular dinoflagellates that are symbiotic with coral and that produce the relatively high pH and some of the enzymes essential for rapid calcium carbonate deposition in coral reefs. |
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