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MSC 101
Exam 2 Material
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abyssal | along with the hadal zones, it represents the deepest sea bottom. Found beneath the abyssalpelagic zone |
| Abyssalpelagiz zone | a zone in the oceanic zone which that is by far the dominant environment of the ocean in terms of water volume |
| Algae | simple marine and freshwater plants, unicellular and multicellular, that lack roots, stems, and leaves. Ex: diatoms and seaweeds |
| Aphotic zone | the vast part of the ocean that is in total and perpetual darkness |
| Archaea | found in environments with extreme temperatures, salinities, and pressures, and are the only organisms that can live within the thermal vents of the deep-sea floor |
| Aspect Ratio | as applied to the caudal fin of a fish, it is a ratio of the square of the height of the fin to its surface area. Derters and lungers have low aspect ratios, and cruisers have high aspect ratios |
| Bacteria | one of the three taxonomic domains of life; it includes all true bacteria, which are tiny, unicellular organisms without a nucleus and with simple subcellular structure |
| Bathyal zone | a zone in the benthic zone which is seaward of the shelf break, beginning at a water depth of about 200 meters and extending to about 2,000 meters …it represents the sea bottom that underlies the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones of the pelagic province |
| Bathypelagic zone | a zone in the oceanic zone that is underlain by the abyssalpelagic zone down to a water depth of about 6,600 meters (19,800 ft) |
| Benthic providence | in the process of subdiving the ocean this providence is the name given to the sea bottom |
| Benthos | all organisms that live on or within the ocean bottom |
| Caudal fin | the tail of a fish |
| Chlorophyll | green pigments found in the plants that are essential for conducting photosynthesis |
| Deposit feeder | organisms that extract food from sediment |
| Diffusion | the dispersal of material by random molecular movement from regions of high concentration to those of lower concentration |
| Classification of organisms | kingdom/metazoa, phylum/chordate, class/mammalia, order/primate, family/hominidae, genus/homo, species/homo sapiens) Dysphotic zone |
| Ecology | to denote the study of interrelationships between the physical and the biological aspects of an environment |
| Epifauna | animals that live in contact with the sea bottom either moving freely over the substrate or attached to it |
| Epiflora | plants that live in contact with the sea bottom either attached or lying freely on the substrate |
| Epipelagic zone | a zone in the oceanic zone which consists of the surface layer, extends from the sea surface to a depth of about 200 meters (660 ft) – it is illuminated according to the depth |
| Eukaryota | complex organisms with a cell nucleus, includes plants and animals both unicellular and multicellular as well as fungi |
| Extremophiles | collectively archaea are called extremophiles |
| Form drag | function of the volume of water that must be pushed aside by a moving body, which means that it is proportional to the cross-sectional area of a fish’s body |
| Holdfast | the “rootlike” structures that anchor seaweeds to the substarte |
| Hydrostatic pressure | the pressure at a specified water depth that is the result of the weight of the overlying column of water |
| Infauna | animals that live within or burrow through the substrate as distinguished from the epifauna, which live upon the substrate |
| Hadal zones | along with the abyssal, it represents the deepest sea bottom. Found beneath the hadalpelagic zone |
| Hadalpelagic zone | a zone in the oceanic zone which consists of water deeper than 6,000 meters, found in the deep sea trenches |
| Intertidal zone | a zone in the benthic zone which is part of the shoreline between high and low tides |
| Littoral zone | another name for the intertidal zone |
| Mesopelagic zone | a zone in the oceanic zone which underlies the epipelagic zone and extends down to about 1,000 meter (3,300 ft) – hardly a trace of sunlight |
| Nekton | animals capable of swimming independently of current flow |
| Neritic zone | a zone in the pelagic zone that consists of the shallow water that overlies the continental shelves |
| Oceanic zone | a zone in the pelagic zone that consists of the deep water in the open sea beyond the shelf break, this zone is subdivided into 5 distinct horizons |
| Osmoregulation | the process of controlling the amount of water in tissues and cells |
| Osmosis | the diffusion of water molecules through a semipermeable membrane |
| Pelagic providence | in the process of subdiving the ocean this providence is the name given to the water column |
| Photic zone | when subdividing the ocean according to luminance, this is the zone that is well lit, so that plant photosynthesis can occur during the day. This zone extends from water surface to down 20 to 100 meters, depending on water clarity. |
| Phytoplankton | the plant members of the plankton community, which are the primary producers of the oceans |
| Photosynthesis | chemical reactions conducted in the presence of light by plants using chlorophyll whereby carbon dioxide and water are converted into carbohydrates and O2 |
| Plankton | organisms that can float or have weak swimming abilities, and are wafted by currents |
| Plankton bloom | the sudden and rapid multiplication of plankton that results in dense concentrations of plant cells in the water |
| Sublittoral zone | a zone in the benthic zone which encompasses the floor of the continental shelf, it extends from the beach to the shelf break |
| Surface drag | the retarding force associated with the surface of a body moving through a fluid or gas, or with a fluid or gas moving across a body surface |
| Turbulent drag | irregular, chaotic fluid flow generated by a hydrodinamically inefficient body design that causes considerable drag on an object moving through water or air |
| Vertical zonation | the arrangement and vertical succession of distinct bands of communities that are particularly common along rocky shorelines |
| Zooplankton | animal plankton such as foraminifera, radiolarian, copecods, euphadids, and etc. |
| Aerobic bacteria | bacteria that respire in the presence of free oxygen |
| Anaerobic bacteria | bacteria that respire in the absence of free oxygen (O2) |
| Autotroph | plants and bacteria that synthesize food from inorganic nutrients |
| Biomass | the quantity of living matter expressed as grams per unit area or unit volume |
| Carnivore | an organism that feeds on animals |
| Chemosynthesis | the production of organiz compounds from inorganic nutrients using enegy from chemical oxidation rather than from sunlight (photosynthesis) |
| Compensation depth | the depth in the earth or water column at which masses are balanced and pressures are equal |
| Decomposer | microbes, primarily bacteria, that convert nonliving organic matter into inorganic compounds including nutrients and gases |
| Detritus food chain | a trophic relation among a variety of organisms that is sustained at its base by organisms that gather bits (detritus) of nonliving organic material. This is distinguished from grazing food chain |
| Downwelling | the sinking of a fluid |
| Ecosystem | a discrete ecological nit consisting of all of its constituent organisms and its total environment |
| El Nino | an episodic (3-5 years) warm current that usually appears Christmas off the coasts of Ecuador amd Peru that decimates the indigenous population of organisms |
| Filter feeder | animals that feed by sifting small organisms or organic particles that are suspended in the water |
| Food chain | a simplified trophic relation whereby energy is passed in a stepwise fashion from primary producers to herbivores ad to carnivores |
| Food web | a series of food chains that are interconnected, creating a mosaic of pathways for the transfer of energy through a biological community |
| Grazer | animals that feed on plants |
| Grazing food chain | a food chain in which animals feed directly on plants. This contrasts with the detritus food chain |
| Herbivore | an animal that feeds primarily on plants |
| Heterotroph | animals and bacteria that require prefabricated food dor sustenance |
| La Nina | a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño-Southern Oscillationclimate pattern. The sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3–5°C |
| Macronutrient | nutrients, such as nitrate and phosphate, required by plants in relatively large quantities in order to photosynthesize and grow |
| Micronutrient | nutrients, such as iron, cooper, and zinc, that are required in very small smounts by plants in order to photosynthesize, as distinguished from the macronutrients such as nitrate and phosphate, that are needed in large quantities |
| Omnivore | animals that consume both plants and animals |
| Predator | an animal that preys on other organisms |
| Respiration | a chemical process whereby organic matter is oxidized by organisms, releasing energy and CO2 |
| Scavenger | an animal that feeds on dead organic matter |
| Spring diatom bloom | a distinct period of rapid biological productivity of diatoms that tends to occur during spring season of temperate oceans |
| Trophic dynamics | refers to the complex biological processes whereby energy and matter are passed up to successive levels of food web |
| Trophic level | a functional or process category for types of feeding by organisms |
| Upwelling | the slow, upward transport of water to the surface from depth |
| Water turbidity | reduces the amount of sunlight that can penetrate the water column and this depresses primary productivity, even if dissolved nutrients are abundant |
| Water turbulence | the irregular, chaotic flow of fluids |
| Backshore zone | the land that adjoins the nearhsore |
| Barrier island | a long, often narrow accumulation of sand that is separated from the mainland by open water (lagoons, bays, and estuaries) or by salt marshes |
| Beach face | the section of the beach subjected to wave uprush |
| Beach nourishment | artificial replenishment of sand to a beach |
| Beach profile | which delineates the shape of the beach surface along a survey line or transect |
| Berm | the flat accumulation of sand on a beach above the high-tide line |
| Breaker zone | the region of the surf zone where shallow-water waves become oversteepened and break |
| Breakwater | a massive structure erected offshore to protect a shoreline from the direct impact of incoming waves |
| Coastal cell | Coastline unit within which sediment movement is self-contained |
| Delta | a sediment deposit, typically triangular in shape, formed at the mouth of a river |
| Delta front | consists of the shoreline and the broad submerged “front” of the delta |
| Delta plain | plains formed by the accumulation of mud at river mouths |
| Dune | a hill of sand built by wind |
| Groin | a small structure erected perpendicular to a beach and designed to trap the longshore drift of sand to promote beach |
| Jetty | a large structure extending seaward from the shore, which is erected to protect a harbor or inlet from shoaling by the longshore drift of sediment |
| Longshore bar | a submarine sand ridge in a nearshore zone that is parallel or subparallel to the shoreline |
| Longshore current | a shore-parallel current in the surf zone that is powered by breaking waves |
| Longshore drift | the transport of sand in the surf zone parallel to the shoreline y longshore currents |
| Nearshore zone | the inshore region of coast between mean high hide and the breaker |
| Offshore zone | the open water that lies seaward of the breaker zone |
| Overwash | processes whereby large powerful storm waves overtop the low-lying parts of the barrier island and transfer beach and dune sand into the backshore zone |
| Prodelta | “in front of” |
| Refraction | the process by which waves are bent and redirected as a consequence of waveinteraction with bottom irregularities |
| Rip current | a narrow, swift, seaward-flowing currents along the shore that drains water from the surf zone |
| Saltation | the process by which wind causes sand grains to bounce and jump along the ground |
| Sand budget | a technique for documenting changes in the quantity of sand in a beach or nearshore system by comparing inputs and outputs of sand |
| Sand spit | a narrow tongue of sand that extends from the shore and that is usually created by longshore drift |
| Seawall | a revetment or wall erected to prevent wave erosion and encroachment of seas |
| Steady-state condition | when the input of sand equals the output |
| Storm profile | a beach profile characterized by a narrow berm, a gently sloping beach face, and submarine bars that is produced by storm erosion |
| Storm surge | an unusually high stand of sea level produced by strong storm winds blowing water shoreward and by the ocean surface rising in response to low atmospheric pressure |
| Surf zone | the section of the coastal zone between the shoreline and the breaker zone |
| Swash | the rush of water up the beach face after a wave has broken |
| Swell profile | a beach profile characterized by a broad berm and steep beach face that evolves during a stretch of fair weather when incoming waves move sand onto the beach |
| Tidal inlet | a channel or opening through a barrier island that admits the tidal flow of water |
| Washover fan | a fan-shaped accumulation of sand on the landward side of a barrier island that is deposited by storm waves which overtop the island |
| Wave-cut platform | as a sea cliff is eroded back by waves, a platform is created that sloped gently seaward |
| Wave setup | the mass transport of water into the surf zone by breaking waves, which can create localized surpluses of water along the shore that drive long shore currents |
| Ahermatypic coral | coral that do not possess zooxanthellae (algae) in their tissue and, hence, can dwell in the dark waters of the aphotic zone. These do not form in large reefs |
| Algal ridge | an irregular, durable ridge composed of encrusting algae; it is located on the ocean side of many coral reefs where it is pounded regularly by big waves |
| Anoxia | the absence of oxygen |
| Atoll | a ring-shaped coral ref that surrounds the lagoon |
| Barrier reef | a coral reef growing around the periphery of an island, but separated from it by a lagoon |
| Bar-built estuary | longshore currents that form a sand spit or sand bar across an embayment |
| Buttress zone | the seaward-sloping area of a coral reef (just beneath the algal ridge) that consists of alternating ridges and furrows |
| Corallite | the exoskeleton of a coral animal |
| Coral reef | an organically constructed, wave-resistant rock structure created by carbonate-secreting animals and plants |
| Detritivore | organisms that feed on nonliving organic matter |
| Estuary | a partially enclosed body of water where freshwater is mixed with saltwater |
| Exoskeleton | a skeleton partially or com pletely covering the exterior plant or animal |
| Fjord | a narrow, deep estuary excavated by glaciers and that commonly has a sill at its mouth |
| Flocculation | a physiochemical process whereby clay particles in seawater aggregateinto a clump or cluster and form a floccule |
| Fringing reef | a reef that is growing at the edge of a landmass without an intervening lagoon |
| Hermatypic coral | colonial, reef-building coral that have a mutualistic relationship with zooxanthellae (algae) and hence, grow only in sunlit waters |
| High salt marsh | the highest section of a salt marsh that is flooded by seawater only during spring tides or storms |
| Hypoxia | water containing low levels of dissolved oxygen |
| Inverse flow | a pattern of current flow in lagoons whereby inflow occurs at the surface and outflow at the bottom, which is opposite (hence inverse) to water flow in many estuaries |
| Lagoon | a shallow body of water that does not receive significant freshwater inflow and that is separated from the open ocean by a barrier island or coral reef |
| Low salt marsh | the lower sector of salt marshes that is regularly immersed and emersed with the daily tides and that typically is colonized by the tall cordglass spartina alterniflora |
| Mangrove | the dominant intertidal plants of the tropics and subtropics |
| Mutualism | a biological relationship whereby all organisms involved in benefit from the association |
| Partially mixed estuary | an estuary in which tidal mixing is a bit more influential than river inflow, such that vertical mixing creates a landward-directed bottom current and a seaward-flowing surface current |
| Patch reef | the small, localized growth of coral found in a variety of reef environment such as a lagoon |
| Polyp | the body of the living organism |
| Reef face | extends downward from the buttress zone, here living corals are absent because of the depth and lack of light |
| Reef terrace | broad reef flat just landward of the algal ridge; its floor lies at mean low water, so that much o its surface is exposed at low tide |
| Rhizomes | a horizontal stem of some plants that is capable of producing ew shoots as it grows |
| Salt-wedge estuary | a type of estuary where river inflow dominates tidal mixing, producing a highly stratified water column with a sharp halocline |
| Tectonic estuary | which form along coastlines that lie on active plate boundaries, where faulting and folding can create coastal basins that fill up the sea water |
| Turbidity maximum | when a great deal of suspended mud gets concentrated near the halocline where currents are weak |
| Well-mixed estuary | an estuary in which mixing by the tides is so complete that vertical stratification of the water column is absent |
| Zooxanthellae | unicellular plants that are imbedded in the outer layer of coral’s flesh |
| Baleen plates | a series of elastic, horny plates that grow in place of teeth in the upper jaw of a cartain group of whales called Mysticeti |
| Bioluminescence | the production of visible light by organisms |
| Chemosynthesis | the production of organic compounds from inorganic compounds from inorganic nutrients using energy from chemical oxidation rather than from sunlight |
| Competitive exclusion | the process whereby species in the absence of predators outcompetes other organisms and becomes the dominant species in the ecosystem |
| Diurnal vertical migration | a habit of some zooplankton and nekton to descend out of the sunlit surface water during daytime and ascend to the surface during nighttime |
| Macoma community | snails and worms community which dwell in mud |
| Midwater fishes | small, odd-looking fish that inhabit the dark waters located between 500 and 2,000 meters below the sea |
| Patchiness | a property whereby organisms are not uniformly distributed in a space but are clustered |
| Photophores | light-producing or luminous organs found in certain crustaceans and fishes |
| Sargrass gulfweed | unique species of plankton which is a Dark alga |
| School | groups of fish |
| Venus community | community of snails and worms which dwell in sand |
| Volcanic vents | openings in Earth's crust where molten lava and volcanic gases escape onto the land surface or into the atmosphere |
| Exclusive economic zone | an agreement whereby coastal states regulate fishing, mineral resources, and scientific research in shelf waters extending out for 200 nautical miles from their shores |
| Fish farming | the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture |
| Gas hydrates | individual molecules of methane (CH4) that are trapped in cagelike structures associated with frozen water |
| Keystone species | a species that is critical in supporting a food web. Its elimination causes the food web to collapse and the ecosystem to change |
| Krill | shrimplike crustaceans or euphausiids that bound in the ocean |
| Manganese nodules | rock concretions on the sea bottom formed of concentric layers of iron |
| Mariculture | marine agriculture, ex: farming the sea to grow algae or to raise finfish |
| Methane | CH4 |
| Pelagic fish | live near the surface or in the water column of coastal, ocean and lake waters, but not on the bottom of the sea or the lake |
| Petroleum | both liquid, oil and natural gas |
| Phosphate deposits | accumulations of phosphoritic nodules in certain areas where coastal upwelling causes high biological production in the surface water |
| Bioaccumulation | the buildup of chemical substances in the cell or tissue of an organism |
| Biomagnification | the accumulation and amplification of chemical substances at each succeeding trophic level |
| Bioremediation | the use of organisms (bacteria) to “clean-up” an oil spill |
| Crude oil | naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface |
| DDT | an abbreviation of dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane, a pesticide belonging to a chemical group called hydrocarbons |
| Distillation | enables refineries to separate crude oil into “cuts” by systematically drawing off various hybrocarbon components as the crude is heated |
| Dredging | a metal collar and collecting bad that is dragged along the bottom to sample rock, sediment, or bottom organisms |
| Emulsification | a suspension of liquid in another liquid, such as water in oil or oil in water |
| Eutrophication | a process whereby water becomesanoxic because it is choked with decomposing organic matter |
| Harmful algal blooms | an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms via production of natural toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms, or by other means |
| Heavy metal | inorganic substances, such as lead, zinc, cope, that become highly toxic when concentrated in the environment |
| Maximum sustainable yield | a theoretical maximum tonnage of fish that can be harvested sustainably from year to year |
| Neuston layer | surface microlayer |
| Pathogen | a disease-causing agent such as viruses and bacteria |
| PCBs | highly toxic and durable synthetic organic compounds that accumulate in the tissue of organisms |
| Sewage | domestic, municipal, or industrial waste products disposed in the environment. When untreated, sewage can have serious impact on the quality of an environment and on the health of the people |
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