Term | Definition |
Bio- Luminescence | An organism that can produce it's own light. |
Chemo-synthesis | When an organism can make food from heat or chemicals. |
Photosynthesis | When an organism can make it's own food from sunlight. |
Deep Ocean | 1 km or below (Hadal, Abyssal, and Midnight) |
Shallow Ocean | Above 1 km (Sunlight, Twilight) |
Trenches | An opening on the bottom of the ocean caused by a tectonic plate sliding under another tectonic plate. |
Marine Snow | Organic particles that fall down from higher oceanic layers and provide food for organisms. |
Continental Drift | Movement of tectonic plates |
Ridge | Underwater mountain ranges caused by continental drift and volcanic activities. |
Continental Shelf | Edge of continent where it goes from gradual slope to steep drop-off. |
Depth | How far down something is. |
Salinity | How much salt is in a substancce |
Plankton | Marine organisms that float on currents and can't swim |
Nekton | Marine organisms that can swim. |
Estuaries | When ocean meets river and salt and fresh water mix. |
Hydro-thermal Vent | A crack in the earth's surface that hot water shoots out of. |
Ecosystem | A community of organisms and the abiotic factors that affect them. |
Vacuole | Where plants store salt |
Dry Season | Where it doesn't rain for a while and estuaries are the saltiest. |
Water Pressure | The weight of the water on top of an object. The deeper you go the greater the pressure. |
Ecologist | Scientist that study ecosystems |