Marine Science Final
73 flashcards · Biology · by edoy4444
What ocean is 1?
Artic Ocean
What ocean is 2?
Pacific
What ocean is 3?
The Atlantic
What ocean is 4?
Indian Ocean
What ocean is 5?
Southern
What drives the topography of the ocean?
The waves tides and currents
what are denser, oceanic, or continental tectonic plates?
oceanic plates are denser
what features are created when plates spread (divergent)?
rift valleys
what feature is created when plates collide?
trenches
what happens when oceanic plates grind together
earthquakes
what is a continental shelf?
the edge of the continent that lies under the ocean
what is the shelf break?
the "drop off" point in the ocean
what is the continental slope?
slope between the outer edge of our continent and the ocean
what is the continental rise?
accumulation of sediment on the bottom of the continental slope
what is the abyssal plain?
the bottom chunk of the ocean that includes trenches
what is a mid-ocean ridge?
a continuous range of underwater volcanoes that wraps around the globe like seams on a baseball, stretching nearly 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles)
what is a rift valley?
a low land region that forms where Earth's tectonic plates move apart, or rift
what is an oceanic trench?
in subduction zones at or near a convergent boundary, continental crust, or volcanic islands.
what is a seamount?
an underwater mountain with steep sides rising from the seafloor
what is a guyot?
A flat seamount
what is a Fringing reef?
a coral reef that lies close to the shore.
what is a Barrier reef?
roughly parallel to a shore and separated from it by a lagoon or other body of water
what is an Atoll reef?
a ring-shaped coral reef, island, or series of islets
what is a Submarine canyon?
any of a class of narrow steep-sided valleys that cut into continental slopes and continental rises of the oceans
what is a Submarine fan?
accumulation of land-derived sediment on the deep seafloor
what is the Ring of fire?
a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes
what are Hydrothermal vents?
an opening in the sea floor out of which heated mineral-rich water flows.
what is Estuary?
a partially enclosed, coastal water body where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean
what is a Lagoon?
a body of water separated from larger bodies of water by a natural barrier
what is the St. Lawrence Seaway?
connecting the lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and providing navigation to deep-draft ocean vessels
what is the Panama Canal?
a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
what is the Coral Triangle?
host to 75% of the worlds coral in the pacific ocean
what is 1?
the continental shelf
what is 2?
The continental shelf break
what is 3?
the continental slope
what is 4?
the continental rise
what is 5?
the abyssal plain
what is 6?
an ocean trench
what is the Photic zone?
the part of the ocean near enough to the surface that receives light so photosynthesis can take place (photic -> photosynthesis) 0-200m
what is the Aphotic zone?
MIDNIGHT ZONE 1000m and below there is little or no sunlight.
what is the Pelagic zone?
the open, free waters away from the shore, where marine life can swim freely in any direction 4000 and above
what is the Benthic zone?
the lowest level of water 4000 and below
what is the Epipelagic zone?
the sunlight zone aka the photic zone
what is the Mesopelagic zone?
the twilight zone 200-1000
what is the Bathypelagic zone?
the midnight zone 1000-4000
what is the Abyssopelagic zone?
the abbysal plane 4000-6000
what is the Hadalpelagic zone?
the trenches 6000-as deep as it goes
what is 1?
Epipelagic zone
what is 2?
Mesopelagic zone
what is 3?
Pelagic zone
what is 4?
Bathypelagic zone
what is 5?
Abyssopelagic zone
what is 6?
Hadalpelagic zone
what is 7?
Benthic zone
What is thermocline and where is it found?
oceanic water layer in which water temperature decreases rapidly with increasing depth. A widespread permanent thermocline exists beneath the relatively warm, well-mixed surface layer, from depths of about 200 m (660 feet) to about 1,000 m (3,000 feet)
How far does light reach for photosynthesis to take place?
200m
Compare and contrast pelagic and benthic zones.
The pelagic zone refers to the water column, where swimming and floating organisms live. The benthic zone refers to the bottom, and organisms living on and in the bottom are known as the benthos
What type of wave is light (electromagnetic or mechanical)? Can it travel through the vacuum of space?
Electromagnetic waves
What type of wave is sound (electromagnetic or mechanical)?
mechanical waves
Which can travel easier in the water (sound waves or light waves)?
sound (3x faster)
How far does light reach into the ocean (depth of photic zone)?
1000 m
Why is sound important to animals in the ocean? Why do whales sing?
to communicate, locate food, and find each other because they cant see due to the lack of light
What is noise pollution? Provide some examples.
commercial shipping, seismic surveys, oil exploration, and military sonar
How does noise pollution impact animals in the ocean? Provide an example.
deafened animals and interfere with communication
What is bioluminescence?
the production and emission of light by a living organism
Why do some animals use bioluminescence?
defense against predators or to find or attract prey
How does light impact the color of organisms deep in the sea?
red animals here will appear gray or black, making them nearly invisible to other organisms
Which color of light is filtered out first in the ocean? What color reaches the farthest?
red
what are surface currents?
currents driven by wind
what are deep ocean currents?
result from differences in water density
what is Thermohaline and how does it affect currents?
differences in the water's density, which is controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline)
what is Contour?
lines of elevation
what is Divide?
the high ground that forms the boundary of a watershed