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Oceanography
WCHS Oceanogragy Chapter 15
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Salinity | Salt- is the total amount of solid material dissolved in water, the ratio of mass of dissolved substances to the mass of the water sample |
| thermocline | is the layer of ocean water between about 300 meters and 1000 meter, where there is a rapid change of temperature with depth. It creates a vertical barrier to many types of marine life. |
| density | is defined as mass per unit volume of a substance, usually expressed as grams per cubic centimeter. |
| pycnocline | a layer of water in which there is a rapid change of density with depth |
| mixed zone | an area of the ocean surface with uniform temperatures created by the mixing of water by waves, currents, and tides |
| plankton | passively drifting or weakly swimming organisms that cannot move independently of ocean currents; includes microscopic algae, protozoa, jellyfish, and larval forms of many animals. |
| phytoplankton | algal plankton, which are the most important community of primary producers in the ocean. |
| zooplankton | animal plankton |
| nekton | organisms that can move independently of ocean currents by swimming or other means of propulsion; includes most adult fish and squid, marine mammals, and marine reptiles |
| benthos | the form of marine life that live on or in the ocean bottom; includes marine algae, sea stars, and crabs. |
| photic zone | the upper part of the ocean into which sunlight penetrates |
| interidal zone | the area where land and sea meet and overlap; the zone between high and low tides. |
| neritic zone | the marine-life zone that extends from the low-tide line out to the shelf break. |
| oceanic zone | the marine-life zone beyond the continental shelf |
| pelagic zone | open ocean of any depth; animals in this zone swim or float freely. |
| benthic zone | the marine-life that includes any sea-bottom surface regardless of its distance from shore. |
| abyssal zone | a subdivision of the benthic zone characterized by extremely high pressures, low temperatures, low oxygen, few nutrients and no sunlight. |
| primary productivity | the production of organic matter from inorganic substances through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. |
| photosynthesis | the process by which plants, algae, and certain prokaryotes use light energy to convert water and cargbon dioxikde into energy-rich glucose molecules. |
| chemosynthesis | the process by wich certain microorganisms use chemical energy to produce food. |
| tropic level | a nourishment level in a food chain; plant and algae producers consititue the lowest leverl, followed herbivores and a series of carnivores at progressively higher levels. |
| food chain | a succession of organisms through whichfood energy is transferred , starting with primary producers. |
| food web | a group of interrelated food chains |
Created by:
dmoudy
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