click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Chapter 2
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 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 the water. |
| seamount | a steep-sided volcanic mountain rising from the deep-ocean floor. |
| trench | 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 the 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 | the movement of energy through a body of water. |
| 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 to 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 the 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 in which surface waters are colder than normal. |