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128 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
shore
the zone between lowest low tide and area reached by highest storm waves.
coast
contains all ocean-related features located near the shore.
backshore
The shore contains this, which is above high tide and only water covered during storms
foreshore
The shore contains this, the portion between high and low tide levels
nearshore
extends from the foreshore to the point where waves break during low tide.
offshore
Beyond the nearshore is the this zone, rarely affected by waves
beach
is the accumulated sediment in the shore and nearshore zones
swash
is the water from breaking waves that moves up the foreshore
backwash
is the water that rushes back into the ocean when the wave has passed
summer beach
develop when waves are light and sand accumulates on the foreshore and backshore berms.
winter beach
form when waves are heavy, and sediment is moved to longshore bars.
wave refraction
generates currents that move sediment and water parallel to shore.
longshore currents
The water movements that result from wave refraction are known as ...
longshore drifts
After wave refraction, the resulting movement of sediment is known as ...
rip currents
develop when backwash from breaking waves concentrates into a steady, strong offshore flow perpendicular to the coast.
erosional coast
typically have sharp cliffs and dramatic features such as sea arches and stacks. They are often associated with tectonically active areas, like the Pacific coast.
depositional coast
are dominated by large accumulations of sediment, such as barrier islands and spits, and are often found in areas with little or no plate tectonic activity, such as the Atlantic coast.
sea cliffs
Erosional coasts often feature steep ...
sea caves
Erosion at the base of cliffs may also produce ...
sea arches
Wave energy is focused on headlands, which may eventually form ...
sea stacks
Form from the collapse of sea arches
wave-cut benches
form from uplift of land or falling of sea.
marine terraces
They form from tectonic uplift or a drop in sea level.
emerging coastline
Each terrace step represents a former shoreline and sea cliff position. they represent a ... - land rising up out of the sea.
spits
are small ridges of sediment that extend out into the sea. They result from the action of sediment transport by longshore drift.
bay barriers
In some cases, the spit may grow large enough to block most of a bay. These large spits are known as ...
tombolos
are islands connected to land by a narrow ridge
barrier islands
Long offshore accumulations of sand that are parallel to the coast are known as ...
lagoons
A shallow ... separates the island from the mainland.
dunes
develop when wind blows sand inland during dry conditions
barrier flats
created by deposition of sand during storms
salt marshes
form behind the island in the tidal zone
peat deposits
the remains of salt marshes buried by shifting sands
deltas
accumulate where sediment-rich rivers enter the ocean. They take on many forms depending on the sediment supply from the river, and the strength of waves, tides, and currents in the ocean.
bird’s-foot delta
This form suggests that sedimentation from the river is stronger than the action of waves and currents.
avulsion
As the distributaries fill the coastal area with sediment, the river may switch position to a lower part of the coast. This channel relocation is known as an ...
beach compartments
are isolated portions of coastline with self-contained sediment transport systems.
isostatic rebound
Ice melts faster than continents can bounce back from the weight of the missing ice. Because this movement is related to the isostacy of the continents, this process is known as ...
eustatic
Sea-level also changes globally due to the growth and melting of large ice sheets. These global changes are known as ...
hard stabilization
is the building of permanent structures to protect from erosion or prevent movement of sediment.
groins
are solid piers built perpendicular to a coastline. Built of rip-rap
rip-rap
Groins are most commonly built of large blocks of rock called ...
jetties
are built perpendicular to the coast using rip rap, but they are designed to protect the entrance to a harbor from waves.
breakwaters
are built parallel to shoreline. Because the interfere with waves, they can also disrupt longshore sediment transport.
sea walls
are the most extreme form of hard stabilization. A wall of concrete or stone is built parallel to the sea.
beach replenishment
(nourishment). Damming of rivers reduces the natural rate of sediment supply to the oceans, worsening coastal erosion problems. In some cases, sand can be added to beaches to help balance erosion, but the costs of transporting sand are often too high to justify ongoing effort.
Exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
extending from all land including islands of a nation. provides jurisdiction over fishing, mining, and pollution.
estuaries
are partially enclosed coastal water bodies diluted by freshwater.
coastal wetlands
are areas with water-saturated soils near the coast. They provide important habitats for animal life, can absorb some forms of pollution, and help naturally protect the coast from erosion.
salt marshes
One main type of coastal wetland -are filled with grasses and other salt-tolerant plants. They can occur from the equator to the Arctic circle.
mangroves
One main type of coastal wetland. They are restricted to tropical areas between the equator and about 30-degrees latitude.
subsidence
sinking of land into the sea
marginal seas
are areas that have become isolated from the world ocean, often as a result of long-term tectonic changes. The Caribbean and Mediterranean are examples.
sewage sludge
consists of the materials left over after initial treatment. It contains many toxic compounds.
bioaccumulation
accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism
Minamata disease
results from extreme cases of mercury consumption, and is named after a Japanese village where fish became contaminated by a chemical plant.
Plankton
are organisms that drift with ocean currents.
phytoplankton
are photosynthetic organisms that create their own food from nutrients and sunlight (autotrophic).
heterotrophic
relying on food produced by other organisms
autotrophic
create their own food from nutrients and sunlight
zooplankton
Heterotrophic plankton. They include simple, microscopic organisms without specialized tissues, fish eggs and larvae, and small animals related to insects.
holoplankton
Organisms that spend their entire lifecycle as plankton are called ...
meroplankton
are animals that spend only part of their lives as plankton
macroplankton
are large free-floating organisms such as jellyfish, and some types of seaweed and algae.
nekton
are animals that are capable of swimming or moving independently of ocean currents. They include, fish, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates such as squid and shrimp.
benthos
are organisms that live on or in the sea floor. They include crabs, clams, starfish, and snails.
epifauna
live on the surface of the sea floor or attached to rocks.
infauna
live burrowed into sands or muds of the sea floor.
benthic
Most marine species are ... living in or on the sea floor.
pelagic
Only 2% of marine species are ... living in the water column.
copepod
Because warm water is less dense than cold water, warm water plankton are often smaller, or have adaptations to prevent sinking, as evidenced in the ... (zooplankton related to insects)
biomass
Warm water species live fast and die young. Although productivity and diversity are higher in warm water areas, total ... of cold water species exceeds that of warm water species.
hypotonic
body fluids are less saline than the environment. salt water fish
hypertonic
fluids in body are more saline than environment
countershading
involves contrasting coloration on the body—dark on top, light on bottom, so they blend in with deep water below or sunlight above.
disruptive coloration
can often help animals blend in colorful environments like a coral reef.
neritic province
includes all areas between the shore and 200 meters water depth.
oceanic province
extends from the edge of the neritic province and covers the rest of the ocean basin.
epipelagic
Oceanic provinces - from 0 to 200 meters
mesopelagic
oceanic provinces - from 200 to 1,000 meters
bathypelagic
oceanic provinces - from 1,000 to 4,000 meters
abyssopelagic
oceanic provinces - from 4,000 meters and deeper.
euphotic
extends from the surface to a depth that can still support photosynthesis, rarely more than 100 meters.
disphotic
has measurable light, and is rarely deeper than 1,000 meters.
aphotic
has no light.
dissolved oxygen
are highest in the euphotic zone, where photosynthesis is active. Nutrient levels are also low in this interval because of intense productivity.
littoral
corresponds to the area between high and low tide.
sublittoral
consists of the environments between the littoral zone and 200 meters depth.
bathal
environments extend to 4,000 meters depth
abyssal
environments to 6,000 meters depth
hadal
deeper than 6,000 meters
Primary productivity
is the creation of organic compounds (e.g. sugar) from energy derived from sunlight (photosynthesis) or chemical reactions (chemosynthesis).
Redfield Ratio
is the ratio of carbon to nitrogen to phosphorous in algae where nutrients are freely available (106:16:1 = C:N:P)
oligotrophic
low productivity
eutrophic
high productivity
dead zones
may develop when the remains of dead algae decay and consume oxygen, suffocating animals in the water.
red tides
form when a specific microorganism is abundant. Sometimes they produce toxins which can poison animals who eat seafood (including people).
domoic acid
is a toxin produced by some diatoms. This poisoning causes erratic behavior in animals
ecosystem
is the assemblage of all organisms in a given area and the environment with which they exchange matter and energy.
biogeochemical cycling
is the sum of all inorganic and organic processes that control the production and movement of nutrients.
trophic level
The nourishment level in a food chain is known as the ...
overfishing
occurs when too many fish are harvested and the remaining population of fish is unable to replace the harvested fish
maximum sustainable yield
for individual fisheries, which is the amount of fish that can be harvested without threatening the fish population.
bycatch
Any organisms that are taken accidentally along with harvested fish are known as ...
biomass pyramid
a representation of trophic levels that illustrates the progressive decrease in total biomass at successive higher levels of the pyramid.
anoxia
without oxygen
DDT
pesticide banned in 1970s - weakened bird egg cells
PCBs
Insulating oils, toxic to the nervous systems - banned in 1970s - doesn't break down easily, still in environment today
non-point source pollutants
Any type of pollution entering into the surface water system from sources other than underwater pipelines - AKA "poison runoff"
Box jellyfish
invertebrates related to corals - venom could result in death within minutes
cephalopods
invertebrates including octopus and squid - Some species have internal shells to regulate buoyancy. Largest and most intelligent—problem solving, pack hunting
Humboldt squid
Mexico/California coasts - up to 100 lbs - have been known to attack divers and fisherman
Colossal squid
up to 45 ft. long - largest invertebrate in the world - rarely seen and lives deep in southern ocean
cartilaginous fish
Sharks and rays - fossil record extends 385 million years
Megalodon
60 foot shark went extinct 2 million years ago
sperm whale
largest animal with teeth - up to 67 ft. long and can live for 70 years - hunts giant squid
spermaceti
oil used for lighting in early 19th century - in sperm whale's head
killer whales
26 ft. long - They can live up to 90 years and travel in large groups (pods), and display complex social behaviors (including pack hunting). They are known to hunt seals, sharks, dolphins…but not people (most human fatalities are known from captivity)
baleen whales
have specially adapted jaws for filtering out small animals (crustaceans, usually krill) in large quantities from the water.
blue whales
is likely the largest animal ever to have lived, as long as 108 feet long and weighing 180 metric tons (= 40 elephants).
cosmopolitan
whales found throughout the oceans
pinnipeds
include seals, sea lions, and walruses. They are related to bears, dogs, and cats. Carnivore - flipper foot - part of life on shore
giant isopod
Deep sea scavenger; feeds on dead whales.
chemosynthetic
adapted to using chemical energy from volcanic vents
coral polyps
live in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae, which provide them with an additional source of nutrients, and give the coral their colors.
symbiosis
a relationship between two species in which one or both benefit or neither one is harmed.
zooxanthellae
a form of algae that lives as a symbiosis in the tissue of corals and other coral reef animals and provides varying amounts of their required food supply
coral bleaching
occurs when the zooxanthellae algae are lost from the coral. The corals lose their color, and the coral polyp may eventually die.