Page 95 - Oceans

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Mangrove A type of tree that grows in tidal Pillow lava Pillow-shaped lumps of volcanic rock, Submarine fan A fan-shaped area of sediment
water in the tropics, or a forest of these trees. usually basalt, formed by lava erupting from the on the seafloor, formed by river water flowing
ocean floor and solidifying in the cold water. into the sea.
Mantle The thick layer of very hot, but not
molten, rock beneath the Earth’s crust. Plankton Living things that mainly drift in the Submersible A craft designed to dive to the
water, rather than swimming actively. ocean depths.
Mantle plume A rising current of heat within
the Earth’s mantle. Plankton bloom An increase in the amount Sunlit zone The region of the ocean near the
of plankton in water, caused by the organisms surface, with enough sunlight for phytoplankton
Maritime climate A climate that is strongly multiplying rapidly. and seaweeds to make food and grow.
influenced by a nearby ocean. It has cool
summers and mild winters, and regular rain. Predator An animal that preys upon other live Supercontinent A large landmass formed by
animals, attacking and eating them. several continents becoming joined together.
Meltwater Water that flows off melting ice.
Prevailing wind A wind that blows from a Superheated Heated above the normal
Methane A gas formed from carbon and particular direction most of the time. boiling point at which a liquid would turn
hydrogen, that is both a fossil fuel (natural gas) into a gas under conditions of high pressure.
and a potent greenhouse gas. Protein A complex substance that a living thing
makes out of simpler nutrients and uses to Swell A regular wave pattern.
Microbe A microscopic living thing.
form its tissues. Temperate Neither tropical nor polar.
Midocean ridge A ridge of submarine mountains Protozoan A very simple type of animal, usually
on the ocean floor, created by a spreading rift microscopic. Thermocline The boundary between deep, cold,
between two plates of the Earth’s crust. dense water and a layer of warmer, less dense
Reef A ridge of submerged rock, often created water that floats at the surface.
Migration A regular journey by an animal, by marine animals called corals.
often seasonal, made to exploit temporary food Thermohaline circulation A global flow of
resources or good breeding conditions. Rift A break in the Earth’s crust caused by the ocean currents, driven by variations in water
rocks moving apart. density caused by differences of temperature
Minerals The natural materials that make up and salt content.
rocks. They are carried in ocean water, and many ROV A remotely operated vehicle or nonmanned
are used as nutrients by oceanic phytoplankton. submersible. Tidal race A fast-moving tidal stream that has
chaotic waves and whirlpools.
Molecule The smallest particle of a substance Salt marsh A marshy area fringing a tidal zone
such as a gas or liquid, formed from atoms such as a river estuary. Tidal range The difference between high and
of the elements that make up that substance. low tide level.
A water molecule, for example, contains two Scavenger An animal that eats the remains of
hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. dead animals. Tidal stream A horizontal flow of water created
by the rise and fall of the tide.
Mollusk A soft-bodied animal that may have a Scuba An air-supply system used by divers. Trade winds Steady winds that blow from the
shell, such as a snail or a clam. An octopus is an The word SCUBA stands for Self-Contained east in the tropical oceans.
advanced type of mollusk. Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
Monsoon A seasonal wind change that alters Seamount An ocean-floor volcano that does Transform boundary A boundary between two
the weather pattern, especially in southern Asia. not break the ocean surface to form an island. plates of the Earth's crust, where one plate is
sliding against the other.
Neap tide A twice-monthly tide with a small Sediment Solid particles such as sand, silt,
tidal range between high and low water. or mud that have settled on the seabed Tsunami A destructive sea wave usually
or elsewhere. They may harden to form produced by an earthquake, but which can
Nutrients Substances that living things need to sedimentary rock. also be caused by submarine landslides or
build their tissues. volcanic eruptions.
Silica A compound of silicon and oxygen that
Ocean trench A deep chasm in the ocean floor forms the mineral quartz, the main ingredient Turbidity current An underwater flow of
created by one plate of the Earth’s crust being of sand, and is used to make glass. water loaded with mud and other sediments,
dragged beneath another. resembling a river in flood.
Sonar A system that uses pulses of sound waves
Oceanic crust The relatively thin crust of solid to detect solid objects. Twilight zone The deep region of the ocean where
basalt that lies above the Earth’s mantle and only faint blue light penetrates from the surface.
forms the bedrock of the ocean floor. Sounding Finding the depth of water.
Upwelling zone A part of the ocean where deep
Organism A living thing. Spawn To release eggs into the water, where they water that is rich in plant nutrients is drawn up
may be fertilized. Most fish reproduce like this. to the surface.
Parasite An organism that feeds off other
live organisms. Spring tide A twice-monthly tide with a large Water vapor The gas formed when liquid water
tidal range between high and low water. is warmed and evaporates.
Photophore A living organ that produces light.
Storm surge A local, temporary rise in sea level Wavelength Distance between two wave crests.
Photosynthesis The process by which green caused by storm winds and low air pressure.
plants and some other organisms use the Zooplankton The community of mostly small
energy of light to make carbohydrate food Strait A narrow stretch of water between animals that drift and swim in the ocean,
(sugar) from carbon dioxide and water. two coasts. mainly near the surface.
Phytoplankton Microscopic organisms Subduction zone A boundary between two Zooxanthellae Microscopic organisms that live
that drift near the ocean surface and plates of the Earth’s crust, where one plate in the tissues of coral and other marine animals,
make food by photosynthesis. plunges beneath the other and is destroyed. and make food by photosynthesis.

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