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| The measurement of ocean depths and the charting of the shape or topography of the ocean floor |
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| An electronic depth-sounding mechanism used to calculate ocean depth by recording the time it takes for an energy pulse to reach the ocean floor and return |
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| Area of the deep-ocean floor between the conintental margin and the oceanic ridge |
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| The portion of the seafloor adjacent to the continents |
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| A downslope movement of dense, sediment-laden water created when sand and mud on the continental shelf and slope are dislodged and thrown into suspension |
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| The process by which plate tectonics produces new oceanic lithosphere at ocean ridges |
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| Seafloor sediments derived from eroded rocks on land |
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| Seafloor sediments of biological orgin such as shells and skeletons marine life |
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| Seafloor sediments consisting of minerals that crystalize from seawater. Ex: manganese nodules |
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| General term for any hydrocarbon that may be used as a fuel including coal, oil and natural gas |
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| A gas, such as methane, trapped in a lattice-like structure of water molecules |
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| Rounded lump of hydrogenous sediment scattered on the ocean floor, consisting mainly of manganese and iron and usually containing small amounts of copper, nickel, and cobalt |
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| The proportion of dissolved salts to pure water |
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| A layer of water in which there is a rapid change in temperature with depth |
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| Mass per unit volume of a substance |
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| A layer of water in which there is a rapid change of density with depth |
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| Layers of the ocean divided in various distinct regions based on depth |
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| Organisms that can move independently of ocean currents by swimming or other means of propulsion |
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| The forms of marine life that live on or in the ocean bottom |
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| The upper part of the ocean in which sunlight penetrates |
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| The area where land and sea meet and overlap; the zone between low and high tides |
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| The marine-life zone that extends from the low-tide line out to the shelf break |
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| The marine-life zone beyond the continental shelf |
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| Open ocean of any depth. Animals in this zone swim or float freely |
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| The marine-life zone that includes any sea-bottom surface regardless of its distance from shore |
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| The production of organic matter from inorganic substances through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis |
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| The process by which plants use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into energy-rich glucose molecules |
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| The process by which certain microorganisms use chemical energy to produce food |
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| A nourishment level in a food chain with producers at the lowest levels and carnivores at the highest |
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| A succession of organisms through which food energy is transfered starting with primary producers |
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| A group of interrelated food chains |
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| Mass of ocean water that flows from one place to another |
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| Movement of water that flows horizontally in the upper part of the ocean's surface |
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| Current of ocean water that results from density differences among water masses |
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| The large circular surface current pattern found in each ocean |
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| The apparent deflecting force of Earth's rotation on all free-moving objects including the atmosphere and ocean |
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| The rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water that has been moved away |
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