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Ch2 the Ocean
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Salinity | The total amount of dissolved salts in a water sample. |
| sonar | A system that uses reflected sound waves to locate and determine the distance to objects under water. |
| seamount | A seep-sided volcanic mountain rising from the deep-ocean floor. |
| treanch | A deep, steep-sided canyon in the Ocean floor. |
| continental slope | A steep incline of the Ocean floor leading down from the edge of the continental shelf. |
| continental shelf | A gently sloping, shallow area of the Ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent. |
| abyssal plain | A smooth,nearly flat region of the deep ocean floor. |
| mid-ocean ridge | An undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary under the Ocean. |
| wave | A disturbance that transfers energy from place to place. |
| wavelength | The distance between two corresponding parts of a wave, such as the distance between two crests. |
| frequency | The number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time. |
| wave height | The vertical distance from the crest of a wave to the trough. |
| tsunami | A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the Ocean floor. |
| longshore drift | The movement of water and sediment down a beach caused by waves coming in the shore at an angle. |
| rip current | A strong, narrow current that flows briefly from the shore back toward the Ocean through a narrow opening. |
| groin | A wall made of rocks or concrete that is built outward from a beach to reduce erosion. |
| current | A large stream of moving water that flows through the oceans. |
| Coriolis effect | The effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and currents. |
| climate | The average annual conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area. |
| El Nino | An abnormal climate event that occurs every two to seven years in the Pacific Ocean, causing changes in winds, currents, and weather patterns for one to two years. |
| La Nina | A climate event in the eastern Pacific Ocean on which surface waters are colder than normal. |
| intertidal zone | An area between the highest high-tide line on land and the point on the continental shelf exposed by the lowest low-tide line. |
| neritic zone | The area of the Ocean that extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf. |
| open-ocean zone | The deepest, darkest area of the Ocean beyond the edge of the continental shelf. |
| plankton | Tiny algae and animals that float in water and are carried by waves and currents. |
| nekton | Free-swimming animals that can move throughout the water column. |
| benthos | Organisms that live on the bottom of the Ocean or another body of water. |
| food web. | The patterns of overlapping feeding relationship or food chains among the various organisms in an ecosystem. |