Earth Science Oceanography 9th Grade – Flashcards
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Upwelling
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the motion of cold deep ocean water toward the surface.
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Salinity
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the measure of the dissolved salts in water
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Estuary
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the part of the mouth or lower course of a river in which the river's currents meets with the sea tide
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Mixed Layer
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the surface layer of ocean water
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Thermocline
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the layer of ocean directly beneath the mixed layer, in which the temperature decreases rapidly
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Echo Sounding
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a system which uses transmitted and reflected sound waves to measure distance to the ocean floor
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Continental Shelf
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the flat or gently sloping submerged part of the continent. Extends from the shoreline out to the Continental Slope
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Continental Slope
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the steep boundary between the Continental Shelf and the Continental Rise.
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Continental Rise
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a gently undersea slope between the Continental Slope and the Abyssal Plain.
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Active Margin
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a margin at which an oceanic plate is subducted under a continental plate, characterized by the presence of a continental shelf and a deep-sea trench
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Passive Margin
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a margin which does not occur along a plate margin
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Turbidity Current
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an undersea landslide of mud and sand, triggered by earthquakes or by gravity, that speeds down the continental slope carving out channels
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Submarine Canyon
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an under sea gully that cuts through the continental shelf and continental slope
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Abyssal Plain
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a large flat area on the ocean floor, composed of sediments that originated mostly on continents
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Sea mount
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a cone-shaped undersea mountain of volcanic origin that rises above the ocean floor
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Guyot
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a flat topped sea mount
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Surface Current
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an ocean current which generally flows in the upper 1000 Meters of the ocean and is primarily driven by wind
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Countercurrent
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a surface ocean current that flows in the opposite direction of the wind related current.
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Density Current
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a subsurface current that is heavier or more dense than the surrounding water
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Abyssal Hill
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one of a series of small rolling hills on the ocean floor that occur next to the continental margins and oceanic ridges.
