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chapter 2 n
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| salinity | The total amount of dissolved salt in water samples. |
| 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 that extends outward from the edge of a continent. |
| continental shelf | A gently sloping shallow area of the ocean 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 sea. |
| 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 through |
| tsunami | A giant wave unusually 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 a shore at an angle. |
| rip current | A strong narrow current that flows briefly from the shore back towards 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 on 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 wind 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. |